Our Campuses

The School of Rural Health has campuses in the NSW regional centres of Orange and Dubbo, and maintains additional facilities in Bathurst. We operate within the area covered by NSW Health's Greater Western Area Health Service and its hospitals are an essential part of our teaching facilities.

Dubbo Campus

Our Dubbo Campus began operating in 2001 and graduated to permanent premises in 2004. It now includes purpose-built classroom and clinical skills teaching facilities, 35 on-campus bedrooms for students and office space for staff. A small research unit has been established nearby.

Dubbo Campus hosts around 30 Sydney Medical School students each year plus short-term elective students from Australia and overseas.

Dubbo Base Hospital services about 15% of the NSW land mass and a population of approximately 160,000. It has 151 beds plus an ambulatory care unit and receives around 18,000 admissions per year. Staff specialists provide additional outpatient services from the nearby Specialist Medical Centre and via visiting outreach clinics throughout western NSW.

Students at our Dubbo Campus also have access to Lourdes Hospital (rehabilitation & aged care) and the Dubbo Private Hospital.

Orange Campus

The School's second campus, in Orange, accepted its first students in 2002. It now hosts around 30 Sydney Medical School students each year.

Campus facilities include classroom and clinical skills teaching space, accommodation for about 30 students and office space for staff. A small research unit has also been established at the campus.

Our Orange Campus is expected to relocate to the Bloomfield Hospital site by 2010, following the development of the town's new base hospital.

Orange Base Hospital is a 180-bed referral hospital that provides a wide range of services to communities in central NSW. A newly-built base hospital is expected to open in 2009. It will be co-located with Bloomfield Hospital.

Bloomfield Hospital is the major psychiatric referral hospital for western NSW. It provides longer term inpatient care as well as overflow acute inpatient services.

Students at Orange Campus also have access to Dudley Private Hospital and Orange Day Surgery Clinic.

Bathurst

Funding from the Australian Dept of Health & Ageing in 2005 enabled an upgrade of student accommodation at Bathurst Base Hospital. There are now bedrooms for up to nine Sydney Medical School students who are gaining rural experience in Bathurst during their Stage 3 Community Block.

Bathurst's newly-built hospital opened in 2008, with around 120 beds plus an ambulatory care unit. It includes a new mental health unit and is serviced by over 40 general practitioners and specialist medical providers.