Fiji National University (FNU) Students.

The Medical School at Fiji National University runs a 6 year undergraduate medical program. The final year is the trainee internship program in which the students are prepared for their service role upon graduation. During the year they are rotated through terms in Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Public Health.
As from mid 2013 students have been attached to VSHC during their Public Health term. This year the attachments are for a period of 3 weeks. During the attachment at VSHC the students are involved in all aspects of community health - general out patient care, maternal and child health, management of high risk NCD patients, women's health and outreach work.
The most exciting component of their attachment is to be involved in strategies to empower individuals and the community to look after their own health by avoiding life style health risk factors. They learn about the health priorities of the Ministries of Health in the Pacific as many of the students come from different Pacific Island Countries. They also learn about the thinking behind the World Health Organisations Alma Ata and Ottawa Declarations. Both these declarations lay the philosophical bases for achieving universal health coverage for the community and educating the community to better look after its health needs.
At Viseisei the students learn by experiencing strategies and interventions in community health education, engaging with the community, being involved with other sectors in community development such as Education, Youth, Itaukei Affairs, and Women's Affairs. So far this year the students have been directly involved in the following activities - the training of community health workers, meetings with community women's groups, meetings with the community leadership and multi sectoral community development partners. The students have also been involved in critiquing educational and health promotion tools.
The students work with a health care team comprising of clinicians, health educators, researchers data managers and administrators. They also learn about leadership in health, how to work with a team, be accountable and be involved.