Country Life: How two fake rooms inside Ashburton Hospital are helping keep rural medicine alive

Inside Ashburton Hospital, two simulated rooms serve as vital training spaces for medical professionals preparing to work in rural settings. These rooms, filled with advanced mannequins capable of breathing, speaking, and reacting to medical interventions, offer a unique learning environment. The simulations help train doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in critical procedures under controlled conditions, allowing them to practice without risking real patients' safety. The initiative began nearly two decades ago, when the rooms were simple plastic models. Today, they feature lifelike mannequins that mimic human responses, making training more realistic and effective. Dr Chris Hill, a senior doctor at the hospital and clinical lead of the Rural Health Academic Centre, Ashburton (RHACA), described how the technology has evolved. “The modern iteration... it breathes, it can talk, it opens and closes its eyes, we can change its airway, so you find it really hard to be able to put a breathing tube in,” he explained while observing one of the mannequins through an observation window. RHACA functions as both a training and research hub for medical students and new healthcare workers. It runs regular training and retraining programs for local hospital staff, ensuring essential skills remain sharp despite the limited resources typical of rural hospitals. Additionally, the center collaborates with the University of Otago’s Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), which allows select students to spend a year gaining hands-on experience at Ashburton Hospital. Hannah Wilkinson, a graduate of the RMIP program, returned to the area after completing her studies in Christchurch. As a house officer, or junior doctor, she found the rural setting both challenging and rewarding. “It was a super supportive environment, and really sold working in rural environments,” she noted. In smaller hospitals, fewer staff members mean greater opportunities for individual growth. “Because there's less people on the ground, you get the chance to do things that you wouldn’t necessarily [get] in Christchurch, because someone more senior might need to gain that experience before you’re given that priority.” Similarly, Samantha Tait, another RMIP participant, returned to Ashburton as a rural registrar through a hospital medicine training program. She highlighted the unique experiences available in a farming community. “Especially the emergency department; lots of bowled over by cows, bitten by sheep, just things that you wouldn’t even have to think about in the larger hospitals.” The proximity to nature and the tight-knit community also played a role in her decision to stay. “We can work some pretty long hours, so being close to the outdoors and having all this beautiful countryside to go and visit on our days off is just awesome.” Dr Janine Lander, the RMIP director and regional coordinator for Ashburton, emphasized the value of the program. “Our students spend roughly 60 percent of their time in general practice and another 40 percent in hospital,” she said. Many participants have rural roots or aspirations, and the program helps reinforce their commitment to serving rural communities. Recent research indicates that RMIP graduates are at least six times more likely to return to rural practice after graduation. Lander expressed interest in expanding the program’s reach to include high school students, aiming to cultivate an early interest in rural healthcare careers. “We’re really keen to get more young people engaged in the idea of working and living in rural areas,” she added. With continued investment in training and community engagement, initiatives like RHACA and the RMIP play a crucial role in sustaining rural healthcare services in remote regions.