Destination Medicine Podcast

For doctors Dani Smith and Rory Hampstead, building careers in medicine has also meant making deliberate choices about the life they want outside of it.

Now based in Dubbo with their two children, Dani is completing her emergency medicine training at Dubbo Base Hospital, while Rory works as a rural generalist. They share how their careers have evolved alongside their relationship and growing family, why a stint in Sydney prompted them to rethink their priorities, and how Rory's decision to change specialty pathways helped them create a more sustainable life.

They also reflect on the changing culture of medical training, the importance of flexibility for rural doctors, and why sometimes "surviving, not thriving" is perfectly okay.

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Dr Sonja Kauffman and Dr Chris Hayward hadn’t planned to build their lives in rural Australia. After meeting at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, what began as a six-month rural placement eventually became a life and career they couldn't imagine leaving behind.

In this episode, they share how they've navigated two medical careers, raised a family, supported each other's ambitions and discovered that rural general practice offers not only exceptional professional opportunities, but a stronger sense of community, connection and balance than they ever expected.

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Associate Professor Andrew Dean has built a career around emergency medicine, education and a passion for regional healthcare. Based in Ballarat, his work has taken him into communities across western Victoria, supporting rural clinicians, teaching generations of medical students and junior doctors, and exploring how mindfulness can help healthcare professionals manage the pressures of medicine.

Andrew has long championed the opportunities available beyond metropolitan practice. He shares why emergency medicine became his calling, what country life has given him and his family, and why the best doctors bring humanity, communication and self-awareness alongside clinical expertise.

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Randall Greenberg's path into medicine was anything but conventional. After leaving school unsure of his future, a chance encounter led him into psychiatric nursing before eventually studying medicine and discovering a passion for rural healthcare. Today, he is Deputy Head of the Dubbo Rural Clinical School, an Intensive Care Specialist at Dubbo Hospital and held a multitude of healthcare hats besides, along his journey through medicine.

In this episode, Randall reflects on the unexpected turns that shaped his career, why regional medicine has kept him inspired for decades, and the profound privilege of caring for patients and families during life's most critical moments. He also shares the lessons he's learned through teaching, mentoring and building critical care services across rural and remote Australia.

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For those preparing for the GAMSAT and considering a future in medicine, this encore episode offers valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of the journey ahead.

Lucas Quinn spent years as a nurse before finally making the switch to medical school. As a mature-age student it has been a steep learning curve. Life’s a challenge as Luke strives to “co-prioritise” studies with his commitment to a young family. But finding a balance between home and studies is still the ultimate aim for Luke as he starts a two-year internship in Alice Springs. 

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Infectious Diseases Physician Dr Aiveen Bannan has spent almost two decades building a career in infectious diseases at Port Macquarie Base Hospital in New South Wales, proving that highly specialised medicine can thrive in a regional community. From patient care and public health to teaching the next generation of doctors, she shares why regional practice has offered her a rewarding and varied career.

Aiveen reflects on the importance of collaboration, mentoring and maintaining balance in a demanding profession, while explaining how strong professional networks and a supportive community have helped shape both her career and family life.

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Dr Gabe Sanchez never expected psychiatry to become his calling. After training as a pharmacist and pursuing a career in general surgery, he made the difficult decision to change specialties in pursuit of a career that better aligned with his values, family life and long-term goals.

Now a psychiatry registrar at Wagga Base Hospital, Gabe reflects on finding purpose in regional medicine, the rewards of teaching and mentoring, and why choosing rural practice has allowed him to build both the career, and the life, he was searching for.

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With 2027 RDN Cadetship applications now open, this episode is a timely reminder of where the opportunity can lead...

Dr Nicholas Ireland’s journey through life to becoming a NSW Regional Doctors Network Cadet has been a long and demanding one. Expelled from boarding school in year 11, he first became a sheet metalworker on what he describes as a subsistence wage. But it was while he was working as a FIFO welder on oil rigs off the Western Australia coast that he realised he had to do something else with his life. So he quit and applied for a university foundation course and got such good marks he was accepted into medicine via a rural pathway. This boy from the bush, supported professionally and financially by the cadetship program, is now well on the way to achieving his childhood dream of becoming a rural generalist doctor, planning to settle with his wife in Dubbo.

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Lachlan MacMillan's route to medicine has been anything but traditional. After leaving school to become a carpenter, he spent years working across rural and remote Australia, from cattle stations and horseback tours to conservation work in the Kimberley, before a series of medical emergencies sparked an unexpected passion for healthcare.

Now studying medicine through the School of Rural Health in Dubbo, Lachlan reflects on the family support, mentors and life experiences that helped him pursue a career he once thought was beyond his reach.

His story is a powerful reminder that there is no single pathway into medicine, and that sometimes the most rewarding journeys are the least expected.

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ENCORE: This Thank a First Responder Day, we proudly replay this episode, celebrating those who serve and support our communities every day.

Soaring to the heights of rural and remote medicine — and not just in RFDS planes — Dr Jessica Martyn has enjoyed an extremely varied and exciting career. Dr Martyn, who is now the Head of Unit at the Port Augusta Hospital Emergency Department, has a passion for emergency medicine and regional healthcare that was shaped by her unique upbringing, hands-on medical placements, and early career experiences. From growing up with a search-and-rescue pilot father to working in Alice Springs, Jess shares how the challenges and rewards of rural medicine have fuelled her commitment to regional communities, and how living and working outside the city offers unmatched opportunities and lifestyle benefits.

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