Do You Have What It Takes to Be a GP in a Remote Area?

As you may know, certain jobs in the medical profession are in very short supply in the most rural areas of Australia. So much so, that some health boards are looking outside the country for their expertise and have persuaded state and federal governments to relax immigration rules accordingly. You may be in school and wondering what type of career you should pursue in the medical field and may see this as a significant opportunity, to put yourself in demand and help you to command the best career prospects possible. What do you need to know as you consider a position as a GP and how do you go about following this path?

GP Responsibilities

In short, a general practitioner has responsibility for providing comprehensive medical care to the community that they serve. They need to be fully competent in general medicine and provide this care in an office, home, hospital, care home setting or sometimes simply by electronic means.

They have to be able to diagnose conditions and health problems in a wide range of patients and provide a continuing care process for those who have chronic conditions. They need to help prevent the development of disease through immunisation, screening and health education and they have to be able to respond to emergencies when needed.

Sometimes the GP will need to attend to hospitalised patients or may need to develop competencies in certain, more specialised fields of medicine. This will be especially important in communities that are very remote and cannot rely on a very developed hospital service.

Starting off

This journey begins as a medical student, typically in a university medical school and a five to six-year journey towards the MBBS or equivalent. You would then qualify and enrol as an intern for valuable experience.

Next Phase

You could look for "primary rural and remote training" experience at an accredited post, and this could include an aboriginal medical facility, a hospital or an existing general practice. Typically, you would be expected to get a broad range of experience here, including several months in primary care, an equivalent amount of time in a hospital emergency room and up to a year of experience in rural and remote locations.

Getting to the Top

During this time, you will be assessed on a progressive basis and will need to complete a number of different, education models online. So long as you complete all these processes to full satisfaction, you can then qualify as a general practitioner, with particular specialties if appropriate.

What's Available?

To give you an idea of where you could go, look at some of the currently advertised GP jobs in your chosen area. This will help give you some inspiration and enable you to start on the long road towards full competency.

For more information, contact a company like GP Recruitment Australia today.