ACRRM students, registrars and Fellows have one thing in common - a desire to See More, Do More and Be More. Whether they are working in central Victoria, on the rugged Western Australian coastline, in the tropics of North Queensland or the farmlands of New South Wales and further afield, they are committed to being the best Rural Generalist they can, supporting rural and remote people with excellent health care. Enjoy their stories here.
Many of our members at ACRRM have gone on to win awards. Check out our awards page here.
If you are an ACRRM Rural Generalist and would like to share your story, contact the membership team at membership@acrrm.org.au.
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Tell us about your journey into rural generalism. Why did you choose to be a Rural Generalist (RG), and why ACRRM?
I grew up in on a farm near Manilla New South Wales, about 50km from Tamworth. When I was in high school my parents suggested doing some work experience with our local GP (who had looked after me since birth), and that’s when my passion for rural generalism begun. During my time in his practice, I would often keep patients’ company while he was attending hospital emergencies. His labrador would frequent the practice and the nurses on the morning hospital round were lovely.
I chose to pursue ACRRM training because it embodied everything that I saw as a 17-year-old and everything I have seen in rural NSW throughout my life. Rural communities are challenging and varied places. They are full of interesting and resilient people, some of whom are the most isolated and hard done by.
I felt ACRRM really appreciated how incredible these communities are and provided a place in medicine that truly understood the uniqueness of rural Australia and aimed to tackle the big picture.
What does it take to be a Rural Generalist and do the work you do?
I think being a Rural Generalist is about being brave and about serving your patients and community in the best way you can. It is set apart from other specialties in that there is a huge range of knowledge and skills that one must possess. Not all of these may be your strengths but are necessary when getting the best outcome for your patients.
What AST are you considering? Why did you choose this AST?
I will be hopefully doing my AST in Broken Hill and have chosen palliative care. I think that palliative care fits into my passion for preventative medicine and holistic management of patients and their health needs. In my district there are no permanent palliative care physicians, despite having some of the most remote communities in NSW.
To not allow patients to die on their terms on Country or in their community is very sad and something that needs to be improved.
What advice would you give to medical students and junior doctors who are thinking about training as a Rural Generalist?
I think one of the biggest comments I hear about RG/GP is that there are particular specialties (within GP/RG) that they don’t like or don’t feel comfortable in. This is a totally normal feeling and not everyone who is passionate about rural generalism LOVES every single aspect of their work.
Becoming a Rural Generalist is about choosing your own adventure based on your passions, learning about the things you might not be as good at and improving those as best you can. It’s about working in challenging and varied locations, learning what you can do for a community and what a community can do for you.
There is so much to gain from a specialty that supports you in your goals from beginning to end. You will never be made to feel that you are not wanted. I would always encourage anyone to pursue a career as a RG and just give it a go - you will be amazed as to where it will take you.
If you’re interested in finding out more about fellowship training, visit our website.
