Want to find out more about the rural training journey? This is the podcast to listen to! Doctors David Townsend, Skye Kinder, Nicholas Faint and Phoebe Thornton share the real stories of their rural psychiatry training journeys.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has received Australian Government funding under the Specialist Training Program to deliver this activity. 

Dr David Townsend is a stage two psychiatry registrar currently working with the WA Country Health Service in a new Medical Education Registrar role to help develop and launch the new Rural Psychiatry Training WA program. He was a multimedia designer, photographer, and branding & marketing consultant prior to embarking on a career change into Medicine. Dr Townsend advocates for using digital technology and innovative approaches to develop world-class Psychiatry training in rural and remote communities.

Dr Nicholas Faint is a fourth-year psychiatry registrar completing advanced training in addiction and consultation-liaison psychiatry in Brisbane. He completed his medical training in Western Australia graduating from UNDF in 2015 and completed Stage 1 and 2 training at an Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP) Training Post in Albany. Dr Faint has previously held the position of vice-chairperson for the Western Australia Association of Psychiatrist in Training (WA APT) and sat on the Trainee Representative Committee (TRC). He is passionate about rural psychiatry and is a member of the Regional, Rural and Remote Steering Group.  

Dr Skye Kinder is a passionate advocate for rural and other marginalized patients and their communities. In addition to her clinical work as a doctor in the field of mental health, she is a prolific writer and award-winning speaker and health commentator. Dr Kinder serves on the RANZCP Section of Rural Psychiatry and is a representative on the RANZCP Regional, Rural and Remote Training Steering Group.

Dr Phoebe Thornton's desire to practice as a Rural Psychiatrist on completion of her training has led her to take a training post at Albany in Western Australia. Dr Thornton is determined to be part of a sustainable and accessible rural psychiatry workforce that can provide services comparable to those provided in metropolitan areas. Working in a rural setting has strengthened her commitment to rural psychiatry and she firmly believes it is a privilege to care for the people in these communities.

Topic suggestion:
If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Disclaimer:
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics. The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement. By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.