A short gardening-based immersion in rural Western Australian towns helped medical students build genuine community bonds and gain clearer insight into rural life, potentially nudging more students toward rural medicine careers.
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20 of 22 students already expressed high rural interest before the program, but most preferred larger regional centres — the immersion prompted reflection on smaller rural settings
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Shared physical garden work rapidly dissolved social distance; students reported stronger belonging and clearer understanding of social determinants of health than classroom settings provided
3
Community members described students as 'social catalysts' who renewed local engagement and produced visible garden outputs within the short placement window
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