A rural career takes off

Posted on May 23, 2013 by rhwa

By Dr Gerry Considine
GP Registrar, South Australia

I grew up in a small town in Victoria…it’s called Melbourne. To be more specific, my formative years were spent in an outer suburb called Croydon. Having not got the super marks needed for medicine straight out of school, I completed an undergraduate degree in biomedical science. During my honours year in cellular immunology, I realised that spending all day working in a laboratory wasn’t for me. Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in GP Registrar, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What are you waiting for? Go Rural!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by rhwa

Dr Bullock with her children in their hometown of Canowindra, near Cowra

By Dr Ros Bullock,
GP at Cowra, New South Wales

Choose your own adventure … I used to love these books as a kid. After the scene was set, the characters were placed into a decision point and, you, the reader, could decide for them. If you thought they should enter the cave, you were directed to page 52; if you thought they should go over the hill, then turn to page 36 … and so on. Whatever your decision, it was different and fun.

Working in rural medicine is very much like a choose your own adventure story. So if you are keen and willing, and there is appropriate training out there, you can do it! Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in Ros GP Cowra NSW | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Territory health – what a blast

Posted on December 7, 2012 by rhwa

Marcus Hall literally gets connected to rural health at the RFDS in Alice Springs

By Marcus Hall, second year medicine, Monash University

It was the third day of our Go Rural “City to Centre” trip and I was excited about what lay ahead. We headed off early to Santa Teresa, an Indigenous community about 80km from Alice Springs. Upon arriving at the local health clinic we soon realised this place was quite special and had a bunch more facilities than any other we’d visited.

I found it very interesting to see the contrast between the health facilities at Santa Teresa and Hermannsburg, which has a larger population by about 200 people. From talking to the Santa Teresa health practitioners it became apparent that distance from a regional centre, such Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in NT Go Rural | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

To dear Alice – and Hermannsburg, too

Posted on December 1, 2012 by rhwa

Jillian McCool in Central Australia, during her Go Rural visit

By Jillian McCool, Flinders University medical student

And so it begins … with weary heads but a great sense of excitement, Emily and I made our first FB check-in at Darwin Airport: “embarking on a desert adventure!” I’d heard so much about Alice Springs that I couldn’t wait to get amongst it and experience it for myself.

On arriving in Alice, we were both surprised how dry the heat was compared to Darwin. In the Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in NT Go Rural | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Reflections on the Red Centre

Posted on November 29, 2012 by rhwa

Jamie Cham at Hermannsburg during Go Rural

By Jamie Cham, third year medicine UNSW

I had no idea what to expect from the Go Rural “City to Centre” trip to Alice Springs and beyond. But on day one I’m already confident that it’s going to be an amazing experience. Meeting one of my fellow med students, Michael, at Sydney airport started everything off well; he greeted me enthusiastically and changed seats so we could sit together on the flight to Central Australia.

Looking out the window over the outback, it was red. Very red. But as we landed and drove around, it surprised me how much life can sustain Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in NT Go Rural | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ears, pies … and pus without boots

Posted on November 2, 2012 by rhwa

Dr Aaron Hollins, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland

Working in a rural town means you end up doing a lot more than you might in an urban setting. It also means you end up seeing things that you may not encounter in a city clinic. I routinely look in people’s ears – this is part of the health check process, but I also recommend it for routine visits.

It is amazing what you find. I remember working one day in Normanton, northwest Queensland, syringing an old fella’s ears out after he fell asleep on a meat pie. I was not syringing the offal from Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in Aaron, Doctor: Atherton Tablelands, Qld | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Locums an option for retiring types

Posted on October 17, 2012 by rhwa

Associate Professor Pieter Mourik, AM, aboard his tractor

By Dr Pieter Mourik (Albury Wodonga)

Although most of you reading this are just commencing a career in medicine, I am going to discuss retirement. Unfortunately, most rural doctors that I have known over 40 years in medicine have worked until they have “dropped”. It would have been better for them (and for some of their patients) if they had retired earlier!

A requirement of retirement is planning. To afford to retire while still fit and able, sound financial planning should start early in your career. Fortunately, superannuation is now Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in Pieter, Doctor: NSW, VIC | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Making friends in rural communities

Posted on August 29, 2012 by rhwa

Dr Pieter Mourik, Albury Wodonga

When a new, young doctor commences practice in a rural town, it is very important for the doctor, the partner and their children to embrace the wider community and meet the locals on a social basis.

Generally, to be part of rural life it is good to join a sporting or service club. This is the best way for the community to get to know you as a person, not just as the “doc”.

When I returned from my training overseas, I started in Wodonga as a general practitioner, as well as providing a specialist service in obstetrics and gynaecology. I joined Continue reading →

GD Star Rating
loading...
Posted in Pieter, Doctor: NSW, VIC | Tagged , , | Leave a comment