Being a rural GP, means being a key part of the community. It also provides you with great flexibility to balance the life you have outside of medicine.

In this episode, we have two contrasting stories; from Dr Tom Kefford, who became a GP to return to his hometown, to Dr Kingsley Rajasingham, a GP who moved to Gippsland 30 years ago, not knowing anyone. 

They discuss the benefits and challenges of being a rural GP.  For instance, how do you balance getting involved in the community, while keeping a professional distance? They also share their advice on how medical students and doctors in training can get the most out of their placements.

Guests:

• Dr. Tom Kefford -  GP in Warragul, VIC and Medical Educator with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

• Dr. Kingsley Rajasingham - GP principal at Central Gippsland Family Practice in Moe, VIC. 

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For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to the Monash Rural Health website.

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia.  Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here.

The transition from medical school to becoming an actual doctor can often be exciting and a little daunting.

Dr David McAlpine and Dr Reem Alameri are both medical interns in the Gippsland Rural Intern Training program, run through Latrobe Regional Health in Gippsland. However their journeys to get to their internships are very different, as well as their future career aspirations.

In this episode, we hear how they handled some of the challenges, from the paperwork to the days where the hospital is understaffed and even dealing with the emotion of caring for a patient who you know won’t survive.

Both David and Reem are incredibly generous and open in sharing their stories, including the highlights of the role - which continues to bring them both great passion and purpose.

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For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to the Monash Rural Health website.

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia.  Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here.

The first year when you can actually call yourself a doctor is obviously very important in a medical student’s career. However, the application process for where you will start your prevocational years has previously been opaque and sometimes confusing. 

After a significant review to make the process fairer, the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria (PMCV) has made multiple changes to the application match process. 

In this episode hear from:

• Julie Hatty - CEO, Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria

• Dr Adam Walsh, pre-vocational doctor at Barwon Health, Co-Chair of JMO Victoria, 

• Melanie Vellios - pre-vocational workforce co-ordinator at the PMCV.

This episode features advice on how to apply and preference the health services you would like to work for, including the Victorian Rural Preferential Allocation, and why the changes have been made.

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For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to the Monash Rural Health website.

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia.  Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here.

There’s a growing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in Australia, but like a lot of things in Indigenous Health, this workforce is a lot smaller than it should be.

As we’ve explored in previous episodes on cultural safety and other aspects of Indigenous Health, the importance of culturally safe healthcare and being treated by a doctor who’s a part of your community is a huge factor in addressing healthcare disadvantages that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders face.

Hear from a few Indigenous medical students and junior doctors to find out how they see this situation themselves.

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/

If you’re at the start of your journey into medicine, you might be considering the Bonded Medical Program - it’s a Government initiative to help address the shortage of medical professionals in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia.

In this episode you’ll hear doctors who have gone through this program talk about their experience with it and get some useful tips on whether this program is a good fit for your journey into medicine.

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/

There have been some major changes made to prevocational training with a new two year framework for PGY1 (interns) and PGY2 trainees. In this episode you'll hear from people involved in these changes from the top down.

You can find out more about the AMC Prevocational Framework by heading to amc.org.au/framework

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/

A career in rural medicine can involve moving to different towns and cities to complete parts of your training, so mastering the art of moving can really help make your overall experience much more enjoyable.

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs

In 2021 the John Flynn Placement Program for medical students ended, and in its place came the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program for PGY1 to PGY5 junior doctors. 

In this episode you’ll hear from people directly involved in the new program, and what it is doing to develop the skills of rural and regional trainees.

The Victorian Rural Generalist Program is the funding body for the The John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program. If you’re interested in participating, reach out to the VRGP on their website: https://www.vicruralgeneralist.com.au/contact

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practising medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/

In this episode we're taking a closer look at one of the ways doctors are getting to know more about cultural safety in Indigenous Health, the Joint Colleges Training Services

The JCTS is a joint venture of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, delivering shared GP training activities for the two colleges' respective fellowship training programs and several other developments in the development and delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

You can find out more about the JCTS here: https://www.racgp.org.au/education/gp-training/gp-training/joint-colleges-training-services

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practicing medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/

The VRGP is a statewide end-to-end training program that allows future rural generalists to train, work and live in rural and regional Victoria.

And one of the great benefits to this program is the support and guidance on offer for anyone looking at becoming a Rural Generalist in Victoria.

You can find out more about the VRGP, or get in contact with their coordinators, by heading to https://www.vicruralgeneralist.com.au/

For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health

The North West Victoria and Gippsland Regional Training Hubs have commissioned this podcast to help medical students and junior doctors learn more about training and practicing medicine in regional Australia. Find your nearest Regional Training Hub here: http://www.regionalmedicaltraining.com.au/regional-training-hubs/