How many medical students opt to practice regionally post studies?

Born in Gunnedah, raised in Muswellbrook, she completed her final placement year at the University of Newcastle (UON) Tamworth campus rural clinic and interned at Tamworth hospital.

Now, she works as a general practitioner (GP) at Peel Health Care Centre.

Dr Henderson said Tamworth provided a "great training environment", so it made sense to continue her career here.

"I already lived here," she said.

"I had friends here, I had a network, I already knew the hospital, the doctors, and my now-husband was out here.

"We had a good experience, so it made sense to come back somewhere I knew."

Her experience showcases a trend in medical students opting to remain in regional or rural areas post-study instead of practising in metro hospitals.

The key to healthcare in rural areas is the workforce.

Without "attracting 30 per cent of our workforce to work outside metro areas," it would become harder for regional and rural communities.

The UON health program aims to create "positive rural exposure" for their students.

Professor Jenny May, Director of UON Rural Health, said they are actively recruiting regional/rural students because they are more likely to return.

"We have more than 100 students, and 54 of those are medical students here for the whole year," Dr May said.

"What we are doing is dropping them here and providing them with the best experience possible."

This stretches beyond membership at the local footy club but the clinicians provide generalist training experience, with the students placed in smaller groups compared to metro centres.

"The positive rural exposure is more likely to lead to them wanting to do an internship at the Tamworth hospital," she said.

This also extends to metro students, as UON understands they cannot only focus on regional-based students.

"Every student that comes from Newcastle, Sydney, and Brisbane has come out here, and they will have an experience they will never forget," she said.

Anna O'Mara is one of the 54 medical students pursuing their studies at UON rural clinic.

The 24-year-old selected her childhood hometown to complete her year-long placement.

"I wanted to come back to Tamworth," she said.

"I loved growing up here and when we moved to Sydney when I was 16, I was pretty reluctant to go."

The cohort has a mix of regional and metro students.

After she wraps up her final placement year, she wants to complete her internship year at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle and become a paediatrician.

Miss O'Mara said the rural program has provided her with opportunities that she may not have access to in a metro hospital.

Fellow medical student Yannick De Silva would be seen as the other side of the coin.

Post-studies Mr De Silva wants to return to a metro area to gain the knowledge and specialisation required to become an anesthesiologist.

But he said once he acquired the specialisation, he would return to a regional or rural community.

"I keen to go back to Sydney or Newcastle early on in my career, I want to be able to begin my training and network with specialists in those areas," he said.

"It would allow me to get the training I need, and then maybe down the track, when I have my qualifications, return, whether that be Tamworth or any other regional area."

Mr De Silva has completed a GP placement in Coonabarabran, and understands firsthand the impact access to local healthcare can have on a rural community.

"It would be nice to give back once I have the skill sets to do that," he said.

"But, early on, when I'm still a baby doctor, I want to be able to grow in a metro area and bring them back to the regions."