The practice of some earlier country doctors has helped inspire a medical intern, one of a group of new recruits to start at Dubbo Hospital this year.
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The eight junior doctors who gained a highly-sought after placement had their first day of two years of training at the health service on Monday.
As the excited next generation of doctors began the next step in their careers, one of their number revealed the origin of his interest in medicine stemmed from the Narromine practitioners he observed as a teen.
“There were a couple of GPs in my home town that I was really impressed with the way they went about their business with patients and that inspired me to go down that path,” Angus Webb said.
As Dr Webb prepared to follow a similar path, he told of his excitement at being one of eight successful applicants from 50 interviewees for the positions.
“It’s excellent, to be close to home again and contributing to the community I grew up in,” he said.
“It’s definitely important to me personally but also I feel it’s good to be able to give back to the community that I was raised in.”
The next stage in Dr Webb’s career coincides with the redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital.
The $91.3 million stage one and two of the upgrade was opened a year ago, and the schematic designs for the $150 million stages three and four were revealed late last year.
Dr Webb said he was very happy to be at a hospital that was being redeveloped.
Fellow intern Michelle Jayasuriya shared his enthusiasm for the hospital’s changing face, saying it had been a significant factor in her decision.
“Some of the areas I’m interested in are women’s and children’s health and particularly with the new maternity ward… those kinds of things were certainly, they appealed to me when I was researching the hospital,” she said.
While Dr Jayasuriya, who grew up at Orange, was pleased to return to a rural location, colleague Nick Yeo was having a new experience.
He is in his fourth year in Australia, having completed the first half of his degree in Malaysia.
Dr Yeo arrived in Dubbo from Sydney 10 days ago, and said he was looking forward to exploring the city.
“I’m very blessed, very fortunate to get a job here,” he said.
The interns have been selected through NSW Health’s Rural Preferential Recruitment program, coordinated by the Health Education and Training Institute, which determines the number of places available.
Dubbo Hospital prevocational education and training director Dr Jeniffer Fiore-Chapman said it was a great time to welcome the new interns.
She said the hospital’s redevelopment played just one part in the demand for placements.
“Particularly when you deal with the younger generation, they want to see things nice and new,” she said.
“So the hospital redevelopment is a drawcard, no doubt.
“But I also think the type of medicine they get to see working a rural area and the challenges of delivering health care with the distances, the lesser resources compared to metropolitan areas, it’s challenging but very rewarding as well.”
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
