For Dr Sarah Goddard, Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory has always been called home, and having the opportunity to move back to work as a GP, surrounded by family and well-known faces, has been a dream come true.
“I guess I am working my dream job. Having the opportunity to work and help my community is so rewarding and being home makes me very happy,” she said.
Tennant Creek is a remote town, with many surrounding cattle stations, roadhouses, and a large Aboriginal community. As there is such a large distance between hospitals and specialist treatment, the patients’ Sarah sees can have complex issues, from chronic disease to acute illnesses, but their personalities and big hearts are what make the job enjoyable.
She's happy to have returned home and is currently in her second year of training, working at both Tennant Creek Hospital and Tennant Creek General Practice.
“I choose ACRRM when I was in medical school because rural medicine was always the path I wanted to take. Plus, being an ACRRM registrar I was able to return to my home community and undertake my training,” she said.
Being an Aboriginal woman, Sarah is very passionate about Indigenous health and being involved in management and education.
Most recently, Sarah was chosen to represent her peers as a Registrar Ambassador at this year’s Rural Medicine Australia conference (RMA), being held in Darwin on 25-27 October 2018. RMA attracts a diverse and collaborative community of junior doctors, students, educators, academics, and medical practitioners who are passionate about generalist medicine in rural and remote communities.
Sarah is happy to be an ambassador as she loves the lifestyle and real-life medicine she gets to see. She’s looking forward to attending her first RMA to meet people with the same passion for rural and remote medicine that she has.
“I can’t wait to build some new support networks and learn the tricks of the trade from others,” she said
Sarah wishes to promote rural and remote medicine especially the Northern Territory. She would like to be able to share her story and inspire people to travel to the NT and experience the rural and remote lifestyle in conjunction with working in the community.
“Rural and remote medicine gives you amazing work life balance, but it also allows you to experience real life medicine, and the ability to really challenge yourself. I’d highly recommend it to anyone.”
About Rural Medicine Australia
Rural Medicine Australia (RMA) is the peak national event for rural and remote doctors of Australia and internationally, hosted by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA).
This year, RMA will be held at the Darwin Convention Centre from Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 October 2018.
The conference will deliver a packed program full of innovative and informative presentations, workshops, and events, and features a full complement of exhibitors.
RMA Website: www.ruralmedicineaustralia.com.au