Dubbo North Public School kindergarteners have had their fuzzy best friends patched and bandaged by visiting students of the University of Sydney's School of Rural Health during the most recent teddy bear hospital day.
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The program, run every year by the SRH's Dubbo Campus, helps educate the children about things like dental health, hygiene, exercise and healthy eating.
To that end, children participate in a number of workshops, including helping bandage and apply slings to their own teddy bears.
Dr Jacky Askwith, a senior lecturer at SRH who helped set up the program, said one of the benefits is impressing upon children the importance of regular health checks.
"The Teddy Bear Hospital promotes positive interaction between children and their doctor," Dr Askwith said.
"It is a fun way to engage with young children and teaches the importance of general check-ups."
Dr Askwith also said that the experience provides valuable opportunities for the students studying to be doctors.
"It's good for the students to integrate into the community, they get an understanding of how the children function in a healthy environment, as opposed to the hospital environment."
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The aspiring doctors who participated in this most recent teddy bear hospital are nearing the end of their study, with their final exams approaching at the end of the year.
Student Amelia Varua says the teddy bear hospital is a good opportunity for her and her cohort to help people in rural and regional areas become more comfortable with the healthcare system.
"We're coming in to teach kindergarten students about some of the basic health principles and tell them a little about how to live a healthy life in general," Ms Varua said.
"We talk a lot about looking after yourselves, and one of the most fun aspects is the teddy bear bandaging that we do, but with that the kids can actually make a connection between something they really like and makes them happy and seeing health and medicine as something that they don't need to be scared of."
"It's always good to remind people that might not turn to medicine as their first point of call that medicine is approachable and healthcare workers aren't scary," Ms Varua said.
