Tell us about your journey into medicine. What made you want to pursue a career as a rural GP? 

Positive exposures to rural medicine as a student translated into then planning my junior doctor years around building skills to use as a Rural Generalist. I was lucky to be part of a cohort doing a full year in East Gippsland, Victoria, which built on the positive exposure I had had as part of my John Flynn Program Placements in Broome, WA. I related most to the clinicians I met in these settings, and am lucky to continue to have the opportunity to work with, and learn from them now more than 10 years later.

What prompted you to undertake the ACRRM Drug and Alcohol Addiction Education (DAAE) Program?

I saw the program mentioned in the Country Watch email. Subsequently a colleague and I were discussing a case that reminded me to go back and enrol in the program. When discussions about drug and alcohol use are initiated by patients, I am mindful of being ready to take the opportunity to respond in a timely way with appropriate (and local) options to support decreasing use and/or cessation. I’m always on the look-out for new approaches and resources to add to my toolkit to contribute to my confidence in doing this. Equally, I know that I am more likely to proactively start discussions about topics where I feel current in the ‘facts’ and have resources that I can rely on to quickly refer to.

How will you use these learnings and apply it to your local community?

The DAAE program includes links to a number of online resources that it was good to have the opportunity to familiarise myself with. I have since used them already in facilitating discussions with patients, in particular some of the brief intervention tools from the Insight website.

Has the ACRRM DAAE program online course helped build your confidence and/or reinforced your skill in recognising the harms associated with drug and alcohol use and being able to respond appropriately?

Completing the program was a reminder for me of the wide range of presentations that include an element of drug and/or alcohol use as an important contributor and/or result of the presenting issue. I am always mindful of how powerful the language we use can be in our discussions with patients, I liked the summary of useful phrases and reflection on this included in the program.

Why do you think drug and alcohol addiction education is important? How are the needs different in rural communities?

Drug and alcohol can be wrapped up in a wide range of presentations: an opportunistic discussion as part of meeting a new patient or a pre employment  or driving medical; a contributor to a medical condition; a concern expressed by a friend or family member; a specific request for assistance in withdrawing…

Feeling confident in our own knowledge of current recommendations, potential harms and support options means we can effectively provide brief interventions and advice to support individuals, their families and their communities. The needs will vary between all communities, urban, rural and remote, however the support services and structures may not be equitably distributed according to need.

What takeaways have you had following completion of the ACRRM DAAE Program?

Reminder of the importance of the language we use when talking about drugs and alcohol to patients, colleagues and friends. To ask about alcohol and drug use openly at any opportunity - and have some online resources that I have bookmarked and used to back myself up after starting these conversations!

What would you say to anyone thinking of enrolling in the course?

I found it very accessible and easy to work through the discreet modules over a series of sessions.

Did you need to have any skills in working with drug and alcohol addiction before you completed this course?

I think the course is pitched in a way that it can provide foundations and/or build on existing knowledge - with additional information and resources to dive into more deeply if you want to as you work through the modules.