In search of work-life balance and a great place to raise a family, Dr Gillmore moved to the small northwest town of Cloncurry with her husband and two children in 2020. There she began work at the hospital and local GP practice as an ACRRM registrar in JCU's training program. Twice awarded ‘Queensland’s Friendliest Town’, Cloncurry lived up to its reputation, providing a warm welcome to the young doctor and her family.

“There’s a really strong community spirit in Cloncurry. I think there’s a palpable difference being in Cloncurry compared to a lot of other places. There is a really strong sense of unity,” Dr Gillmore says. 

With the community and lifestyle boxes well and truly ticked, Dr Gillmore discovered a hidden ‘secret’ about the town: Cloncurry offers a rich and rewarding early-career experience for GPs in training. 

“It has been a very rewarding experience coming to Cloncurry. I have found a real love for country medicine and enjoy every aspect of my work, which is something I wasn’t expecting,” she says.

Dr Gillmore says Cloncurry offers a broad scope of practice and diverse patient caseload, which provides the perfect opportunity for junior doctors to fast track their growth and competency.

“You see a lot of patients with significant chronic diseases that you wouldn’t necessarily see in city areas. You manage everything out here. You manage strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, paediatric issues, gout, arthritis.

You’re the rural GP, it’s up to you. There are only a couple of us in town, so if you’re on call then whatever comes through the door, you’re the doctor who handles it.

“The other day, a patient needed a lateral canthotomy (a rare but an emergency vision saving operation for orbital compartment syndrome). Another doctor and I performed the procedure, and it’s not something we would get the opportunity to do in a larger tertiary hospital setting.”

With plenty of long-term locals in Cloncurry, GPs have the opportunity to build strong doctor-patient relationships. It’s a facet of general practice that contributes to better health outcomes for patients and can also be incredibly rewarding for doctors, as Dr Gillmore has found.

“As a GP in Cloncurry, you manage every breadth and every facet of people’s health, both their mental and physical health. It is very rewarding to be part of your patients’ journey through life and health care.

“You’re seeing a patient through pregnancy, then you’re caring for the child as well. That’s the whole point of rural generalism, that if you stay here long enough you get to be part of the generations of these families, which to me is amazing,” Dr Gillmore says.

Cloncurry Hospital and surrounding health services like Ramsay Street Medical Centre form a part of JCU’s integrated training network in the North West. While the career and development opportunities are certainly there, so too is the need. Cloncurry needs more doctors to come train, work and live in its community, and as Dr Gillmore says, they’ll welcome you with open, grateful arms.

“The community has a ‘we’re all in this together’ kind of feel. They’re a really good bunch of people to be around,” Dr Emma Gillmore says.

Article originally published on the JCU website. Republished with permission.