Tamworth Hospital fostering rural medical careers

10 May 2010

Tamworth Hospital has a strong reputation for attracting and retaining young doctors, and a part of that success is due to the support they receive.

This year Tamworth Hospital will continue to support young doctors by holding a Careers Forum for junior staff on Tuesday 11 May. The day will allow senior staff specialists and Tamworth GPs to meet and speak with our Junior Medical Officers (JMOs) and Resident Medical Officers (RMOs).

Tamworth Hospital Medical Registrar Alex Honey, who attended last year’s Forum as a JMO, said the forum had been a great way of helping herself and her fellow junior doctors narrow down their options and decide what kind of career paths they wanted to follow.

“It was a good way for the JMOs to hear about all the different career paths they can take after their JMO training was over,” Alex said.

“I had already decided I wanted to be a medical physician, but the day was a great opportunity to speak to the senior doctors and learn about some of the finer points of their specialities.

“Many of the other JMOs were still undecided about their future careers, so the Forum gave them more information to enable them to make a decision.

“Tamworth doctors have a very good reputation both locally and across the state, so it was great to get some insight into why they have chosen to practice in a regional community.”

This year Alex will be one of the guest speakers for the Forum, and will talk about her experiences as a Basic Trainee in the Physicians Training Program.

The senior doctors will speak to the junior doctors about specialist options, their clinical experiences and training opportunities available in regional areas as well as rewarding careers in surgery, paediatrics, emergency and intensive care medicine, anaesthesiology, cardiology, obstetrics, pathology, eye surgery, orthopaedics, psychiatry, neurology and general practice.

Tamworth Hospital Medical Education Co-ordinator Christine Van Wamel said the Forum was an invaluable way to introduce junior doctors to established and respected rural clinicians from Tamworth.

“Tamworth doctors are renowned for their extensive knowledge and expertise, so it’s great to be able to show the junior doctors that a rewarding career is possible without going away to a city,” Ms Van Wamel said.

The Careers Forum will be held at the University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) Building at Tamworth Hospital tomorrow (Tuesday 11 May).

Media are welcome to attend for interviews at 1pm (during the lunch break).

Contact: Emma Gibbs

Phone: (02) 6767 7137 or 0428 114 767