And that’s music to the ears of those responsible for providing perfect matches for highly technical health roles in the Goulburn Valley.
“It was amazing, and I’ve spoken to lots of people and really gush about my experience,” Miss Schiavon said.
“My placement was for six weeks, and I didn’t plan on coming back home to Melbourne, so I got to ask about lots of things to do.
“I went to lots of the markets that were on and the food festival and got to visit and do lots of walks and stuff like that around Shepparton, which was great.”
Miss Schiavon is studying nuclear medicine at RMIT University, which she tried to explain to me, but, let’s just say it’s important stuff.
Her placement in Shepparton was assisted by an industry-funded bursary for students taking placements in regional and remote areas.
The bursaries make accommodation, travel and meal expenses easier to manage during their placement.
RMIT and Telix Pharmaceuticals recently announced financial support worth $30,000 per year over four years for RMIT nuclear medicine students on placement in rural, regional and remote areas.
Regional areas are counting on more student placements in their areas leading to an increase in the number of qualified professionals choosing jobs outside metropolitan Melbourne.
Nuclear medicine and molecular imaging are used to treat and diagnose cancer and rare diseases.
Without access to such services, regional residents are less likely to be diagnosed early and are often left waiting many weeks or months for imaging of their cancer and potentially life-saving treatment.
The Victorian Government has promised to spend $44 million on high-tech PET scanners, a piece of sophisticated nuclear medicine diagnostic equipment, in regional hospitals, including Shepparton, by 2026.
It all fits into the picture of a functioning lifestyle and economy in the regions.
However, the sector faces major difficulties in attracting and retaining nuclear medicine technologists to operate the equipment.
RMIT nuclear medicine stream leader Mark Scalzo said more support is needed to drive the rural, regional and remote nuclear medicine workforce.
“Our greatest barrier in offering nuclear medicine is finding placements for the 51 weeks required, especially in rural, regional and remote centres, with the cost to the student being a significant factor,” he said.
“The financial support from Telix will enable aspiring nuclear medicine scientists and technologists, regardless of background or location, to qualify in their desired career path and positively impact patient outcomes.”
Third year student Tara Mathewson is also on placement, learning from practitioners in Bendigo.
She said the experience has her thinking about moving to a regional area.
“There are a lot of cases that are out of the box in rural areas, and you’ll get interesting scans that are rare in city hospitals,” she said.
“I’m not sure yet — but I’m leaning towards pursuing rural opportunities after graduation. Rural placements give you more autonomy, which will help me grow professionally.”
Miss Schiavon said her experience in Shepparton has convinced her to consider the region as a place to live and work in the future.
“For me, and for other students, it’s a huge opportunity because it promotes accessibility to learning, and it also acts as an incentive to promote regional study,” she said.
“Like I was saying, how it can alter my perspective on what working in a regional area might be, it could also do that for a lot of other nuclear medicine students, which is absolutely a positive thing.”
