Dr Harwood’s passion for educating young registrars comes from over 25 years as an ACRRM examiner, travelling interstate to examine candidates for ACRRM on a regular basis.

Dr David Harwood received an Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 2022 Distinguished Service Award for his significant contribution to rural and remote medicine and general service to his community.

Why ACRRM?

I was grandfathered into ACRRM in 1996, with over 18 years of rural practice under my belt, encompassing many aspects of procedural work. It is the diversity of practice available away from large cities, in a career that tests my skills and knowledge daily, supported by the ACRRM curriculum that drew me to engage with ACRRM. My involvement in the ACRRM exam process brings me such delight - seeing the new highly skilled registrars and Independent Pathway exam candidates achieve the necessary levels of competence to embark on their careers.

What does rural generalism mean to you?

Rural generalism represents the great privilege of offering cradle to grave care in your community. This type of practice has become more focused on the finer development of different skills needed in rural and remote communities, with the appropriate acknowledgements of that training. Whether one has achieved an Advanced Diploma in Child Health, obstetric care, anaesthetics, adult internal medicine, or mental health, they should all be incorporated into a Rural Gneralists’ holistic practice in their community.

I am sustained in my rural practice by its variety and the ongoing care of my patients, with the daily step into the great unknown, often occurring as a patient presents with a new problem.

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