“Game changer” New Christchurch medical campus opens next month

The announcement of a new AUT Christchurch satellite campus has been hailed as a game-changer by a senior academic, with South Island students now able to access important study options closer to home.

Brendan Wood, Senior Lecturer and Military Programme Leader in Paramedicine at AUT, says he believes it will see the reversal of the traditional brain drain of such students to Auckland.

“There is strong evidence that people who get to train and do their clinical placement in a community will often stay and retain a relationship within their clinical practice in that community.

“We've sent people consistently to Auckland for education and they never come back.

“We see this opportunity as a way of enabling young South Island Kiwis to train and remain in their local communities.”

Starting from semester one in March, the Christchurch facility at the Tuam St campus will be offering Bachelor of Health Science degrees in both Paramedicine and Perioperative Practice.

Study will be online until the start of the second semester, with the students moving into the new central city satellite campus in July.

Michael Smith, Head of Department, Perioperative Practice said the development was an “inspiring option” for students wishing to study on campus in the South Island.

“This is a unique opportunity for students, academics, and clinicians to now connect at a South Island facility, providing accessible and contemporary learning experiences for those wanting to enter an exciting career in health in operating room care.”

He said that clinical placements experiences through the course can even lead to employment after graduation.

“Employers are keen to support perioperative practice students through their programme of study, with Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury and Te Tai o Poutini West Coast offering a number of scholarships to support students through their study.”

The announcement has been met with excitement by those who no longer have to move so far away from family and friends.

Emily Reeves has just finished high school at Rangiora High School.

She has enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science Paramedicine programme at the AUT Christchurch satellite campus for 2023.

She says she is feeling “very privileged” to be one of the first students to do so.

“I think this is an amazing opportunity to start my career and cannot wait to see what happens in the future,” Reeves says.

“I am excited to be able to have this opportunity to be able to study paramedicine in my hometown without being away from my family.

“I am also excited to learn new life skills and to be able to help other people's lives.”

Wood says one of the key criteria for choosing the location was a “strong focus” on student amenities.

“It's central city, adjacent to the transport hub,” Wood says, with food outlets and parking options close by.

The campus was also next to two other important locations, the health precinct and the justice and emergency services precinct.

The facility is the culmination of several years of effort, recognising both a rise in demand for local study opportunities as well as a desire to save cash.

Wood said having to do assessments in the North Island can cost students an extra $1,000 per course when you include transport and accommodation, which Christchurch-based assessments will minimise.

It also allows the likes of Emergency Medical Technician (EMTs) who are studying for a paramedic degree to continue working in the South Island while they study.

One thing the new satellite campus won’t do, however, is compete with other higher education options in the area.

“The other institutions simply don't offer the programmes we are going to offer here,” said Wood.

“It's giving students the opportunity to participate in four programs that are not delivered in the South Island.”

Even better news is that this is just the start, with growth already factored in for next year.

The number of programmes will double, with the addition of Bachelor of Health Science in Podiatry and Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy in 2024.

Students based in the South Island who have already expressed an interest in studying Paramedicine or Perioperative Practice will be contacted and given the opportunity to study in Christchurch.