If there is someone who epitomises the remote in 'rural and remote medicine' it has to be Dr Patrick Owens, Royal Australian Navy Medical Officer.  

After struggling to pick a specialisation during his rotation, Patrick turned to rural and remote medicine, where he could put the skills he has learnt in the Navy to the MacGyver-like settings of rural and remote locations.  

“I'd be in hospital, and I'd be doing emergency and I’d think this is the best. Then I’d go and do general practice for a bit and that would be so much fun. Then I went and did mental health and thought I'd like to have some mental health in my practice. I just liked everything.”  

When the opportunity to follow the rural and remote path opened up, it was a no brainer for Patrick.  

“Practising medicine in the middle of the ocean requires you to draw on all your ingenuity and every inch of resourcefulness to provide the best possible healthcare for your crew. Knowing that you’re days away from the nearest hospital tests your mettle but it also provides the drive you need to do the best for each and every person you see. 

“The remote space is where I want to stay. The Navy gives me great opportunities to do that. As long as they keep giving me opportunities that make life more interesting and let me write an interesting memoir at the end of it all, I'll keep doing it.  

“If you are after an exciting career then the Australian Defence Force and a Rural Generalist pathway is worth considering.”  

For more information on how you can get involved in a medical role in the ADFA, visit  
defencejobs.gov.au/jobs/healthcare-science-and-chaplaincy

Read Patrick's ACRRM member story here.