AIDA is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students. We foster the growth of the Indigenous medical workforce through increasing collegiate support and cultural safety for Indigenous medical students within universities. We advocate for best practice in developing approaches in the recruitment, retention and graduation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students.

Our Student Representative Committee (SRC) is comprised of Indigenous medical student representatives from Australian medical universities. The SRC provides guidance on the development of initiatives that support our growing membership. Each year the SRC develops a project that supports Indigenous medical students to complete their studies. Recent projects include a framework for medical societies, a guide to medical school, and an internship guide. See www.aida.org.au/src to learn more.

Our Indigenous Medical Student members can access a range of services, including funding support to attend annual conferences and dedicated staff support to provide guidance and advocacy during times of need.

In recent years AIDA has released policy statements on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medical Student Retention and Best Practice in Student Support for Indigenous Medical Students. These statements support continued focus in this important area and build on AIDA’s earlier publication Healthy Futures: defining best practice in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous medical students.

Embedding cultural safety in the healthcare system is integral to increasing the Indigenous medical workforce, as outlined in AIDA’s position paper Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Doctors, Medical Students and Patients.

We also believe that mentoring is an important part of developing your skills and supporting others through their journeys into medicine. AIDA offers member networking events to facilitate mentoring opportunities within our membership throughout the year.