Report on developing a pathway for indigenous students in a tertiary science degree in rural Australia: A work in progress

The Bachelor of Clinical Science degree at Australia's rurally-located Charles Sturt University has recently implemented a number of strategies aimed at improving the low entry and completion numbers for Indigenous students. The degree is designed as a pre-medical and dentistry degree, and although the success rate from the degree into various entry medical and dental programs for graduates is high (48%), it has had no Indigenous graduates to date. This is concerning because research suggests that poor Indigenous health outcomes, compared to non-Indigenous Australians, can improve with more Indigenous health professionals. In view of this research, we implemented a tiered program of cultural awareness comprising degree level, whole-campus, and community perspectives. Establishing partnerships with local Aboriginal communities to help implement these changes has been critically important to this initiative. This article is a report of the program content of Clinical Science, graduate outcomes to date, the initiatives we employed, and the progress so far in achieving our stated aims.