For a group of Murdoch University chiropractic students, a recent regional placement delivered far more than simply clocking up their clinical hours.
Hosted by the Majarlin Kimberley Centre for Remote Health, final-year students Joshua Stanbury, Josie Papineau, Julia Dwyer and Jared Duke spent two weeks delivering pro-bono chiropractic care in Derby and neighbouring communities in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region
A highlight of the trip was a visit, accompanied by Elders Auntie Jean Roberts and Leena Fraser-Buckle, to the ‘closed’ community of Looma where the students provided chiropractic services and lifestyle advice under the shade of a 500-year-old Boab tree.
This has been such an enriching experience where we not only were able to give of ourselves in providing our care, but also humbling to learn so much from the Elders and the community who have welcomed us with such open hearts,” Joshua said.
Although Murdoch’s remote chiropractic outreach program has been running since 2006, it was the first time it had been to Derby.
Chiropractic supervisor and placement manager Dr Lyndon Amorin-Woods, who has supervised placements across WA’s Pilbara, Midwest and Kimberley regions, said Murdoch’s fifth-year students had provided around 30,000 free consultations since the program began.
Along with the benefits of providing free chiropractic care in places where such services are limited, or non-existent, Dr Amorin-Woods said students who took part in regional placements were up to five times more likely to return to the bush to practice after they graduated.
He said the program was also focused on attracting more students from the regions to study chiropractic at Murdoch University.
“We are especially passionate about encouraging Indigenous young people to consider a career in chiropractic,” Dr Amorin-Woods said.
That is one reason we take students out to communities on Country, you can’t be what you can’t see.”