Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS) Scheme Tracking Project
The RAMUS Scheme was first introduced in the year 2000. The aim of the Scheme was to assist students with a rural or remote background to complete a standard medical degree and provide them with support and mentoring from a rural doctor.
A yearly competitive application process was used to allocate new scholarships. Criteria for receiving a scholarship include rural background, financial need and a commitment to future rural practice.
After they are trained and registered, there was an expectation that RAMUS scholars will return to a rural or remote area.
The RAMUS team has been undertaking a tracking project to determine to what degree this is occurring.
The tracking project has looked at:
• where former RAMUS scholars were at the age of five;
• which university they attended;
• scholarship start year;
• graduation year; and
• current practice location.
An initial report was published in 2016 and updated in 2019. The 2000-2019 RAMUS Tracking Report describes the characteristics and career destinations of the more than 2,500 Medical students who have been recipients of a Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS) since 2000.