James Cook University School of Medicine and Dentistry

The School of Medicine and Dentistry is a constituent body of the James Cook University.

History

It originally opened as the School of Medicine in 2000 and still is the only medical school in Australia north of Brisbane. The original intake was 60 medical students. [http://www.carers.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/C5E12504EF4A278FCA2570D800028E4A/$File/abb167.pdf] In 2007, the School announced a significant expansion involving a doubling of physical size under a $30 million building expansion plan. This is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Government, the expansion will enable the University to provide facilities for an extra 50 Commonwealth supported medical students each year - an increase of about 50%. [ [http://www.jcu.edu.au/medicine/JCUDEV_011087.html $15m boost for medical school - JCU ] ]

Medicine

The Medical program aims to produce graduates of the highest academic standards, who can progress to medical practice and to further studies in medical specialties. The course places special emphasis on rural and Indigenous health and tropical medicine.

The course in based at the Townsville campus for the first four years. The majority of students in the final two years relocate to other teaching sites such as Cairns, Mackay and Darwin. During these two years students spend most of their learning time in hospitals and health services.

Dentistry

The Dental program is based in Cairns, Queensland. It is a broad-based program which includes all aspects of dental practice but also has a special focus on issues of special concern to the northern Australian region, particularly those relating to tropical, rural and Indigenous practice.

Students receive early exposure to clinical practice, with an increasing proportion of the course dedicated to clinical skills in the later years. The curriculum integrates the basic sciences with dental clinical sciences and preventative oral health strategies. Students will study the first three to four years on the Cairns Campus, and will spend the final year developing their clinical skills on placements in public and private dental clinics across northern Queensland, including Mackay, Proserpine, Atherton and Thursday Island.

The Dental Program is currently undergoing accreditation by the Australian Dental Council and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

External links

* http://www.jcu.edu.au/medicine/index.htm
* http://www.jcu.edu.au/medicine/programs/index.htm

References