USC students now have access to some of the best health education facilities in Australia with the University starting classes at the brand-new Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI).

A joint venture between USC, the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS), TAFE Queensland East Coast and a future medical school, the SCHI is located at the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital precinct in Birtinya to provide dedicated education, training and research facilities that will help build the region’s future health workforce.

Students will experience hands-on clinical training in several state-of-the-art simulation labs – including fully functioning replicas of the $1.8 billion new teaching hospital’s operating suite, intensive care room, birthing suite and emergency resuscitation bay.

Other facilities include clinical research laboratories, multipurpose learning areas, an auditorium and a purpose-built lecture theatre.

USC Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Birgit Lohmann said the SCHI provided a unique opportunity for USC students studying health-related programs to gain experience in one of Australia’s most advanced clinical settings.

“The calibre of facilities on offer at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute means that our students will be at the leading edge of health education, and will gain practical experience in Australia’s newest hospital,” Professor Lohmann said.

“With the SCHI integrated with the new hospital, our students will work alongside leading health professionals and researchers.

“This benefits not only our students but also the wider community, which will gain a new generation of graduates with practical clinical skills who are ready to work in the region.”

USC staff are now teaching select subjects in nursing and health science from the SCHI. Additional units in midwifery, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, psychology and social work are likely to be offered in the future.

Several USC researchers will also move into the SCHI soon, focusing on major research themes including cancer and infectious disease prevention, nursing science, cardiovascular health and neuroscience. These major research themes align with those of the SCHHS with a joint aspiration of improving the health outcomes of the local Sunshine Coast population.

— Jarna Baudinette