The new recruits join the 145 GP registrars working in Western NSW, alongside 21 who are already training in Dubbo.

Nina Dowling, one of the new registrars, said she was looking forward to starting on the path to specialising as a GP.

“I’ve always been passionate about rural health and preventative medicine so it seemed like a perfect fit,” Dr Dowling said.

“The fact that I could complete all of my training rurally was a drawcard. Having worked at Dubbo Health Service and lived here for the last couple of years, I’ve really enjoyed working with the local patients and my colleagues here.

“Everyone has a can-do attitude and I think we’re really lucky to have such a hardworking group of health professionals in the area.”

To specialise as a GP doctors undertake three to four years of additional training in a combination of hospital and general practiced settings.

In NSW and ACT it’s coordinated by training provider GP Synergy.

GP Synergy education and training director Vanessa Moran said she was delighted to have filled 100 per cent of the available training places in Western NSW in the latest intake.

“Welcoming and supporting new doctors into rural communities, as well as developing robust rural training pipelines for doctors who want to continue their training in Western NSW is critical to building a strong and sustainable rural primary care workforce,” Dr Moran said.