Former RCS Wagga student Dr Matt Binks will remain in Wagga to complete his two-year internship and residency at the Base Hospital, citing familiarity and atmosphere behind his decision to continue practising regionally.

"Interacting with patients in the country has also been rewarding - patients are respectful and grateful for the treatment they receive.

"The doctors at Wagga Base are very helpful, too.

"The small size of our student cohort also means that we can establish relationships with consultants that would be unlikely in a larger centre."

Raised on a farm near Mudgee, Dr Binks said studying at RCS exposed him to a greater breadth of medicine, while also being drawn to the sport and social scenes of Wagga.

"There's often a lack of resources in many areas of rural health with fields such as rheumatology unestablished in the Riverina," he said.

"However, rotating through the hospital and community services there is a sense of optimism - healthcare providers are dedicated, and the patients stoical and appreciative."

Figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) indicated major cities had the highest rate of supply of employed medical practitioners at 426 full-timers per 100,000 people, compared to a low of 257 in remote and very remote areas in 2013.

"While AIHW has reported that health workforce numbers are relatively stable, the fact is that in many rural and remote areas doctors are working extremely long hours in the face of fewer colleagues" Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Dr Ian Kamerman said.

A UNSW media spokesman added completing a medical internship in a regional area like Wagga helped redress the imbalance in healthcare between urban and rural areas.

UNSW is in the process of establishing a graduate destination survery to track the number of medical students who practise regionally from their five rural medical clinics in Wagga, Albury, Griffith, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.