Being a GP in regional Australia requires a special skill set.
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That’s the view of three Dubbo-based doctors – two training to become general practitioners and one (Dr Vicky Owen) newly returned from maternity leave – who work at the Narromine Shire Family Health Centre.
GP registrars Dr Sharn Cummings and Dr Samiya Chowdury will be based at the centre for six months as part of their training, under the supervision of Dr Neil McCarthy and Dr Sam Wakista with the assistance of Dr Niro Wickramasinghe and Dr Champika Narasinghe.
“You get to do some things you might not see in the city,” said Dr Cummings, who has previously worked at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital.
He remarked at the sheer number of patients – almost 10,000 – on the clinic’s books.
“We don’t just look after Narromine, we look after how ever many towns within a few hundred kilometres,” he said.
“There’s more chance of doing some procedural things and there’s also a great opportunity to see Aboriginal patients that you don’t get to see in the city, which is really valuable experience as a doctor.”
Dr Vicky Owen, who studied through Sydney University’s School of Rural Health before relocating to Dubbo, said the practice’s links to the Narromine hospital meant the doctors’ scope of practice was broader than in metropolitan areas.
“The medicine here is much more interesting than in the city,” she said.
“GPs here have a lot more responsibility … because the specialists aren’t available.
“It is a nice town and it’s nice being in a practice that works with the hospital and you can be involved in every aspect of the community’s health care.”
“It’s a whole other world of medicine than in the hospital,” added Dr Cummings.
“You tend to lose things in medicine when you aren’t doing it, so we get to do all of it.”
Rural GPs work collaboratively with nurses, and allied health staff such as dietitians, podiatrists, mental health workers, psychologists, diabetes educators, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and Aboriginal health workers in community and hospital settings.
“With the health care workforce ageing, it is vital that the incumbent doctors pass on knowledge and experience of rural health care practice to new GPs and allied health personnel,” practice manager Wendy Harding said.
Dr Chowdhury, who previously worked at Sydney’s Blacktown Hospital, said the interaction with older patients was also great experience.
“This GP centre is very good, my colleagues are very good and the Macquarie River is beautiful!” she added.