SOME of a lucky record number of medical interns in NSW will make their first rounds at Dubbo Hospital.
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Twelve fresh faces were sent to the regional city as a total of 959 graduates were linked up with the coveted positions key to the start of their careers.
Medical internships are all-important but in chronic undersupply in Australia, the Australian Medical Students' Association has warned again recently.
As the peak body renewed its lobbying of the federal government, one of the first patients of the interns at Dubbo this month was ready to declare a healthier outlook in his state.
Dubbo MP Troy Grant said NSW employed more interns than any other state or territory in Australia.
It guarantees intern positions to all domestic medical graduates of NSW universities and also provides internships to many graduates from interstate universities and, where possible, international full-fee paying graduates.
This year 959 intern training places were available - an increase of 32 from the previous year - which NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said represented a commitment of more than $105 million each year.
Mr Grant met with some of those who seized the opportunity.
"I welcome the 12 interns who have travelled from both near and far to undertake further medical training here in Dubbo," he said.
"We have a great hospital that has a commitment to caring for our community and I'm pleased to see these interns learning from the best."
An internship is a compulsory year of training after graduation which is necessary to continue practising in Australia and to gain general registration.
During their one-year internship the graduates will complete compulsory terms in the specialties of medicine, surgery and emergency.
The interns will rotate through metropolitan, regional or rural hospitals, as well as GP practices, which health minister Jillian Skinner says will expose them to a range of medical scenarios.
Fifteen medical graduates will start their internships at Orange, taking the Western NSW Local Health District's total new additions to 27.
Hunter New England's intake increased dramatically to 112 interns, up from 63 the previous year.
Hunter New England prevocational junior medical officer network manager Jeanette Chadban said it was to deal with the high number of students graduating.
The Newcastle Herald reported last week that in 2012 it had revealed student doctors training in the city were being forced to look overseas for work placements due to a lack of internships in the state health system.
