LongLook

The LongLook program is available to Griffith University medical students in Year 3 and Year 4, following a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) model. Unlike traditional "block-based" rotations, the LIC model provides continuity across different learning environments and experiences. It focuses on fostering long-term relationships with mentors, educators, patients, peers, and the community, offering a more integrated and cohesive educational journey.

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What is LongLook?

LongLook is what the medical education literature refers to as a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC). This model completely restructures students’ experience of caregiving, eliminating traditional short “block rotations” in favor of a more continuous approach where students see patients through all phases of diagnosis and treatment.

Core elements include:

Medical students participate in the comprehensive care of patients over time
Medical students have continuing learning relationships with these patients’ clinicians
Medical students meet, through these experiences, the year’s core clinical competencies across multiple disciplines longitudinally

A Positive Rural Medicine Experience

Experience in Working Within a Clinical Team

Opportunities to Develop Your Professional Practice

Opportunities to Work as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team

Continued Support to Pass Assessments

Skills for Success in Internship and Life

Choosing LongLook

LongLook is ideal for students who:

Value autonomy
Are adaptable and flexible
Can collaborate and live in shared accommodation
Are comfortable living away from their current social circles
Thrive in a hands-on learning environment

Year 3 LongLook Program

The Year 3 LongLook program offers a longitudinal approach, where Griffith University Year 3 medical students spend the entire year working in a rural hospital, completing all curriculum requirements across the year instead of through short-term rotations. This model allows students to engage in the ongoing care of chronic diseases and other conditions, offering valuable insight into how medical issues evolve and are managed over extended periods, beyond the scope of term-based rotations.

Students are fully integrated into the rural health team, learning alongside on-site junior doctors, registrars (training specialists), and specialist rural generalists and general practitioners.

A unique aspect of the LongLook program is the opportunity for students to observe patient care across the continuum—from primary care in the community to specialist care and back to the community.

This patient-centred approach emphasises that the majority of learning takes place by engaging directly with patients in a safe, supportive environment. Students cover the required curriculum while actively practicing, preparing for internship and professional practice upon graduation.

Program Structure

42 weeks
35 hours a week hospital attendance
Exams at local site or Toowoomba
2 days/month in Toowoomba for hub teaching

Year 3 Sites

We offer a longitudinal program for Year 3 Griffith Medical Students in the following rural locations:

Goondiwindi Hospital

Warwick Hospital

Toowoomba Hospital

Stanthorpe Hospital

Roma Hospital

Kingaroy Hospital

Dalby Hospital

Beaudesert Hospital

Meet the Team

Dr. Brendan Carrigan

AFRACMA, GCAHP, FACRRM, DRANZCOG Adv., MBBS, BSc(Hons) – Medical Lead Year 3 LongLook

Dr Brendan Carrigan is an experienced Rural Generalist clinician and educator who has a passion for delivery of medical education in rural areas. He is a Rural Generalist Obstetrician who began his rural career in Kingaroy in 2013. From 2015, Dr Carrigan was the Director of Clinical Training.

Dr Carrigan was appointed the Medical Lead of the Griffith University Year 3 LongLook program in 2020 where he leads a team of educators delivering rural longitudinal clerkships across hospitals in the Darling Downs, Beaudesert and Gympie.

Email: b.carrigan@ruralmeded.org.au

Amanda Ebzery

Amanda Ebzery is the Toowoomba Clinical Educator and coordinates all student accommodation bookings and student facility maintenance for RuralMedEd.

She works part time as a registered nurse.

Email: amanda@ruralmeded.org.au

Year 4 LongLook Program

Griffith University Year 4 medical students participate in the Rural Medical Education Australia LongLook Program, building on the foundation laid in Year 3. The Year 4 program continues with a longitudinally integrated, patient-centred approach to medical education.

Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health’s Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program, the LongLook program offers students a comprehensive 28-week experience, integrating General Practice, Emergency, Critical Care, Orthopedics, and either a Rural Generalist selective or rural specialist placement. Additionally, all rural students complete an Elective in Block 7, which may be undertaken outside of a rural setting

Overview of the year:

Block 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11
Elective, General Practice, Advanced Rural Selective, EM, CC.

Selectives

Selectives are clinically-based, closely supervised placements where medical students typically work in a “junior-intern” capacity. This differs from electives, which allow students to explore areas of clinical interest.

As part of their selective rotation, students will have the opportunity for up to 10 days of clinical attachment in a rural area outside their primary clinical site. This can be arranged either as a block (e.g., 2 x 5 consecutive days) or as recurring sessions (e.g., one day every fortnight). The remaining time will be spent at the primary site, performing the role of a rural generalist.

Students can nominate one area of interest (e.g., general medicine) and are required to submit a learning plan that outlines the relevance of the selective to rural health. Applications can be made through Learning@RuralMedEd after the second week of the new block.
Once applications are received, the supervising specialists will be contacted to coordinate placement logistics. Please note that availability of accommodation and clinicians may limit placement options.

Year 4 Sites

We offer a longitudinal program Year 4 Griffith University medical students in the following rural locations: