Dr Dodds reflects on his motivations to pursue a career in rural medicine.

“Growing up in rural Tasmania has made me aware of the issues facing access to health services and delivery of health care in rural areas.” Dr Dodds says.

“The diversity of work available in rural health is very appealing and the communities and places available to practise in are amazing.”

Dr Dodds is currently training to Fellowship on the fully funded Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program and his day-to-day tasks involve meeting his core generalist training requirements as part of the ACRRM curriculum.

“I have primary responsibility on the Obstetrics ward, including after hours on call in conjunction with senior registrars. The opportunity to assist in patient deliveries, caesarean sections and neonatal medicine is rewarding and will assist me in my future practice.”

What attracted Dr Dodds to ACRRM was the depth and rural focus embedded in the curriculum. 

“It allows for community-based care to be delivered in a safe and timely fashion,” he says.

“The opportunity to change path depending on community need is appealing and being able to bridge the gap between community and secondary health care.”

When asked about his career highlights so far, Dr Dodds talks fondly of his time as an intern in Queenstown. an old West Coast mining town with a small population.

“I completed a rotation in a small hospital/general practice in Queenstown (Tasmania). It was a great experience managing patients who were sometimes quite unwell, in a resource limited setting with significant transport issues to the next major centre.” Dr Dodd says. 

“I was given great autonomy with support from experienced Rural Generalists. The morning would begin with managing inpatients, would change to preventative health or women’s health in general practice to emergencies such as chest pain and trauma come afternoon time.”

When reflecting on his dream workplace as a rural and remote GP, Dr Dodds admits he’s still trying to work it out. 

“I think it would be a Rural Generalist hospital that had good peer support. Hopefully it would be a seaside location with a mix of general practice, inpatient care and emergency medicine,” he says.

Dr Ben Dodds is an ACRRM Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) registrar. If you’re interested to find out more about training to Fellowship on the AGPT Program, visit our website.