“I jumped around a lot of different departments and specialties over the past few years as a junior doctor as I never really knew what I wanted to do. There was no one area that ever really “clicked” for me.” Dr Koh says. 

“Of course, there were certain areas that I enjoyed more than others - I really enjoyed acute medicine and the procedural skills, variety, complexity and the job satisfaction that came with intensive care medicine, emergency, obstetrics, paediatrics and anaesthesia. I didn’t feel like any of those were an exact fit for me and I missed various aspects of the other specialties.

“I felt that pursuing an ACRRM Fellowship would allow me to peruse medicine in a meaningful way and still provide me with the aspects of the various specialties that I had enjoyed.” Dr Koh says 

During their Fellowship journey, ACRRM registrars spend 12 months deep diving into one of 12 Advanced Specialised Skills from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health to Paediatrics, Anaesthesia, Palliative Care and Surgery (24 months). Dr Koh says while she hasn’t yet decided on her advanced skill, she is currently working to solidify current skills. 

“I am upskilling myself in certain areas due to increasing community needs e.g., mental health, emergency medicine, palliative care. I have a lot still to learn and I’m very open to growing each day.”  

Dr Koh reflects on what she is enjoying most about her ACRRM Fellowship Training. 

“I enjoy the variety and the sense of aiming to manage patients well and keeping people out of hospital where possible. In a rural setting in particular, going to “town” is not as simple. There are still a lot of barriers, and a lot of inequity and injustice. 

“I also really enjoy generational health, seeing families, understanding their unique dynamics and needs. However, most of all I enjoy meeting people exactly where they are in their life, in their time of need, with no judgement.” 

If you’re interested in finding out more about Fellowship training, click here.