Rural Generalism

Transcript for Rural Generalist: Obstetrics

[Text on screen] The Rural Generalist: Obstetrics.

>>> Dr Alex Baggot

I chose obstetrics because I thought there was a need for it to be honest. Fifty percent of the population are female and a lot of them go on to have children and I thought to be a good country doctor you really had to have a good grasp of women's health.

>>> Georgina Crothers

The boys being identical twins we weren't able to have them in St George, they were a high-risk pregnancy, so we had to go to Toowoomba. We had to drive four hours for all of our appointments and checkups and everything. Then when we had Digby with our family, we decided to stay here. Being able to access the resources here was a lot easier on us. The whole pregnancy was a lot less stressful, a lot less stressful, yeah.

>>> Dr Adam Coltzau

Women in rural Queensland really deserve to be able to deliver their baby at home. They need to have caring, compassionate doctors that are prepared to do that sort of work and the work is really rewarding work. Delivering babies is one of the most satisfying parts of working in a rural country town.

>>> Dr Josie Pearson

I think what gives me goosebumps is seeing a family unit become whole; that new addition and that entry into life is a very precious time and to be able to be there and support women and their families safely through that time, and witnessing those first smiles and the first cry that time together as a family is very special and something that we are very privileged to be able to you know be part of.

>>> Dr Ashleigh Walker

The difference between delivering a baby in a larger hospital and a rural hospital is our relationship with that woman and that family doesn't end at the delivery. You get the benefit of being able to follow that baby as it develops into a small human.

>>> Dr Josie Pearson

You get to make real bonds with families. There are multiple families where I’ve delivered not one but maybe two of their children. You see them as they start to go to school, it can be exciting I guess to be part of that obstetric journey.

>>> Dr Ashleigh Walker

The nature of obstetrics can be high stakes sometimes things do go wrong and sometimes that can be a bit daunting for junior doctors. But we do have support of your local colleagues and we also have services like the flying gynaecologist that can come and give us a hand when we need them.

>>> Dr Alex Baggot:

I found that my training definitely prepared me to be a safe and competent practitioner in the bush. Twelve months is definitely enough to achieve that, and I found that coming out here I definitely felt well prepared for the job that I do.

>>> Dr Ashleigh Walker

I think we have a fantastic set up here in St George. We've got a close-knit medical team and I think that's really important at the end of the day, if you've got a good team surrounding you and you feel supported, I think you can nearly overcome any of those challenges.

>>> Dr Josie Pearson

Being part of the small community, you know your patients and you see the mountains about, so when you're going to park run going along the river, you run into people and can have a bit of small talk and a bit of a smile, and it's a nice feeling to feel part of that fabric.

>>> Dr Alex Baggot

I find working in small towns is great for people with young families because you live so close to home from work that you can simply pop home for lunch and catch up with your partner or your kids.

>>> Dr Josie Pearson

I would one hundred percent recommend rural obstetric training to junior doctors. If you want a challenging, dynamic, and rewarding career, there's no better option.

>>> Dr Adam Coltzau

Obstetrics is one of the most useful skills you can have. If you're thinking of doing obstetrics as part of your rural career, come out and have a visit. Come out and see what the community is like. You’ll have an attractive lifestyle and a really rewarding career.

>>> Dr Alex Baggot

Having a child is a very special occasion for anyone, as an individual and as a family, and to be that person to help achieve that in a safe and familiar environment is an absolute pleasure.

[Text on screen] The Rural Generalist Pathway wishes to thank the individuals who have contribute to the production of this film, including the people and health service professionals of St George.

[Queensland Health crest appears on screen].

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Transcript for Medical Careers Pathways - Rural Generalist Pathway

[Text on screen] Medical Career Pathways. Discover the specialty that’s right for you.

Rural Generalist

>>> Dr David Molhoek

[Text on screen] Dr David Molhoek, Senior Medical Officer, Emerald.

Hello, I'm Dr. David Molhoek. I am a rural generalist and anaesthetist in Emerald Hospital

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

[Text on screen] Dr Rachael McDermott, Rural Generalist Provisional Fellow, Emerald.

Hi, my name is Rachel. I'm one of the provisional fellow SMOs out at Emerald Hospital. I currently work 0.5 at the hospital doing ED or anaesthetics and 0.5 at one of our local GP practices as well.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

As a student, I had exposure to a number of different rural sites across southeast Queensland, and I really enjoyed the medicine that I was dealing with. I really enjoyed that you were in one second in the labour ward delivering a baby, the next you are in theatre doing operative work, then you're in ED dealing with a trauma. I really found that diversity of work really was quite interesting to me, and so I wanted to pursue that for my own career,

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

So it's actually my grandparents and my extended family that live in rural New South Wales that encouraged me or inspired me to become a doctor and especially a rural generalist because I've seen the disparity in their access to medical treatment and help when they've needed it, and so I think back when I started, I was like, Ah, I'll go down there and fill that gap. But now I've come out to Emerald and done that here, so it's actually been really rewarding in that regard.

[Text on screen] Advantages of regional medical training.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

One of the perks to working in a rural area for me has been just the incredible exposure that I’ve had to a number of different conditions and to treatments and procedures because you are it. If someone comes in and they're sick and there's nobody else on call or around you're the one who has to deal with it. I was at a conference recently and there were a bunch of senior clinicians talking about things that they've done and experienced and I found as a relatively junior doctor I had had a very wide breadth of exposure in my three years as a rural generalist in a rural area. It does give you a few premature grey hairs but it also does grow and develop you as a clinician and so I’ve been very fortunate to have a very broad exposure in my clinical practice.

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

I came to Emerald as a PHO, and I really enjoyed it here. I think the team here is absolutely amazing and really supportive. We're a really close-knit bunch of people, but we're also very welcoming to anyone who is thinking of coming to Emerald. We have a great variety of AST’s (Advanced Skills Training) here as well, and I think the students really learn from that as well, so they can come to the theatre and do some anaesthetic time, or they can do ED obstetrics and mental health as well. So I think Emerald's a great place to come and learn as a student, and as I said before, get your hands dirty and experience that rural generalist life.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

The benefits of working in a regional community, it does feel great to be working somewhere where you know that you are directly having an impact on the health and wellbeing of the community. Knowing that this is a relatively small town, and it punches well above its weight with regards to exports and agriculture and mining, that we are directly contributing to our economy as a state and as a country by supporting the health of our people in the community. So, it does feel good to really be contributing in a direct way and people are generally grateful to have doctors who are living in town and who are here who are able to provide them great care.

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

I really enjoy Emerald because the community here is great, I feel like they really rally around the doctors here and the schools, and the access to really good cafes here is really great as well, so that's made my time here really enjoyable, as well as working with a really great team.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

Emerald as a rural community has got a lot going for it as well, we've got some great cafes and restaurants which I think keep us happy. There are beautiful botanical gardens, there is the dam nearby in town and we're a stone's throw away from Carnarvon gorge, which is a world-class destination. So if we want to there's lots of things on our doorstep but probably one of the biggest perks is just being a smaller town there is a great sense of community here and we get the chance to be a part of that.

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

I think working rurally has really been satisfying because you're really putting those ASTs, that we've been trained in, to really good use here. So people don't have to travel away, you're getting that really great satisfaction from your work as well when you see the job has been completed in the hands of your own team and full circle care.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

For students wanting to apply to be a rural generalist, I think one of the key things is to be enthusiastic about rural medicine and to have shown a prior interest in exploring rural areas. Also engaging with your royal health clubs as well to get some exposure to different parts across Australia can be a really great way to see what's done rurally and to really give you a chance to know what rural medicine is all about.

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

But it's becoming more and more competitive and more popular, so I definitely encourage people to get their hands dirty and get that experience.

[Text on screen] Pathway to Fellowship with Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and/or The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

To become a rural generalist, you will need to apply to the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway. The pathway is five years full-time, consisting of three training periods:

• Pre-vocational (which are postgraduate years one to two),
• Advanced Skills Training (which is postgraduate year three), and
• Vocational Training (postgraduate years four and five).

Vocational training completes Fellowship with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and/or the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The prerequisite entry requirements for specialty training on the Rural Generalist Pathway include;

• Successful completion of a medical degree from an accredited Australian or New Zealand university and to be in the final year of study at the time of application,
• Hold an intern applicant group status A or B for medical graduates of Australian or new Zealand universities,
• Possess Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency,
• Have received or be eligible upon graduation for provisional medical registration with the medical board of Australia.

Applications open in approximately March of each year; however prospective trainees can express an interest in joining the pathway at any time. Once a trainee is ready to enter vocational training, contact your regional training organisation. In Queensland there are two regional training organisations, James Cook University General Practice Training and General Practice Training Queensland.

>>> Dr Rachael McDermott

Emerald's been really great for me so far in the nine months that I've been here. It's been a really great supportive, welcoming team, and the exposure between GP anaesthetics and ED has been phenomenal, and I would really just encourage anyone who wanted to train regionally to especially think about Emerald because it's just a great place to be.

>>> Dr David Molhoek

I have no regrets in choosing to be a rural generalist. It's a pathway that is a bit of an adventure; it can keep you on your toes at times, but I think the learning that I've had through this experience, the opportunity to give back to our community, and just the great teamwork environment that I've had really has made it worthwhile, so I have no regrets about choosing to be a rural generalist.

[Text on screen] Discover the specialty that’s right for you in Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Southern Queensland. rcs.medicine.uq.edu.au/regional-training-hubs

Disclaimer: Training pathway information is current as at July 2020 and subject to change. Please check and confirm specific details with relevant Colleges and health authorities directly.

This production was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health as part of the Regional Training Hubs initiative. The University of Queensland acknowledges the support of Dr David Molhoek, Dr Rachel McDermott and Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service.

[The University of Queensland crest appears on screen] Create change. Find out more at uq.edu.au

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