Currently working as a Resident Medical Officer in Mt Gambier, South Australia, Vienna will begin her Rural Generalist Fellowship training this February.  

And, while not a conventional start to a Rural Generalist career, it’s one she couldn’t be more excited about. 

“I’ve also been accepted into the Diploma of Rural Generalist Anaesthesia, which I can undertake in Mt Gambier,” Vienna explains. 

“The joke I always tell is that I got into medicine by accident. “But rural generalism is flexible and offers so many opportunities to learn, undertake a broad scope of medicine and advance my career.  

“With ACRRM I have the freedom to be my own doctor and my own person, even if that dream lies among the stars. 

“I am truly motivated by the chance to explore space medicine, and ACRRM has mentors in that area whom I admire. 

“Recently, I was commissioned by a local Australian publisher, Smith Street Books, to write an informative deck of cards, available in all major book shops in Australia, the UK and the USA. It is called The Solar System, and it tells the scientific and human story about our place in space, including our neighbouring planets, moons, and other celestial bodies.” 

The move to Mt Gambier, in the beautiful Limestone Coast region, has also enabled her to see more, do more, and be more in her early career. 

“I grew up in Adelaide and studied at The University of Adelaide. I moved to Mt Gambier to start my internship two years ago.  

“I felt that I didn’t get enough rural experience during medical school nor enough experience working in a team context. 

“I’ve also always loved the country, and I was keen to experience the lifestyle, and discover who I want to be. 

Vienna explains that there is a lot more for her to do in Mt Gambier, professionally and socially, than there was living in Adelaide. 

“Being rural, I definitely get to experience more.  

“Here, I feel like I am part of a team, and my role is valued.  

“I’m also enjoying being a part of the local community.  

“My main hobby is long-distance running and trail running, and Mt Gambier has unique geology, volcanos and fresh-water lakes. “It’s like an adventure park to me. 

“I’m also in the local symphony orchestra, rehearsing weekly and performing two concerts a year.” 

She also appreciates that being within a four-and-a-half hours' drive to Adelaide, or a one-hour flight, she never feels isolated.  

“The whole stereotype that there is no connection with metropolitan areas is just not true. 

“I can visit friends and family quite easily.  

“There is no need to go anywhere else for my training; it’s all here. 

If her passion and energy for rural generalism is not enough, Vienna has sound advice to those considering a career as a specialist rural General Practitioner or Rural Generalist. 

“Don’t be disenfranchised by your medical student experience of being at the back of the ward round. As soon as you become a doctor, you become more useful,” she says. 

"Being rural, I am already an important part of the team and I experience more. I have more opportunity to practice my humanity.

"I certainly like being in a smaller hospital environment where there is less hierarchy and bureaucracy. 

“The human body is roughly the same everywhere on Earth, but it’s what's around your role in medicine and where you live and work that makes this career special.”