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The allure of rural medicine – 14 Junior Medical Officers sign up for country practice
12 January 2009
Elizabeth Leprince and Charles Coulton love rural medicine.
They are two of the 14 Junior Medical Officers who will commence their careers as doctors at Tamworth Hospital this week.
Charles, originally from Warialda, has an interest in pursuing surgery in a regional setting while Elizabeth decided to take up medicine after experiencing first hand the difficulty rural communities face in finding a resident GP.
They join 72 new graduates who will commence their first year of supervised training in health service sites across the Hunter New England Health region.
These new recruits, or Junior Medical Officers (JMOs), commence their week of formal orientation this week at Tamworth Hospital and John Hunter Hospital before participating in local site orientation at rural and metropolitan sites throughout the Hunter New England Health network.
Medical Education Co-ordinator for Tamworth Hospital Christine Van Wamel said the doctors’ first week would include a series of workshops and seminars to orient the group to hospital procedures and staff.
“The orientation program showcases the superb skill set of our specialists as well as programs developed by Hunter New England Health skills laboratories area-wide,” Ms Van Wamel said.
“Workshops will cover ward etiquette, patient safety, admissions and discharges, as well as a series of presentations across hospital departments, including pathology and pharmacy.”
Ms Van Wamel said a positive aspect about this year’s JMO intake is that half spent time training here at Tamworth Hospital and have decided to stay based on their positive learning experiences.
“Seven have undertaken clinical practice at Tamworth Hospital before this year and many of the JMOs are originally from the New England region, so it’s great to see so many have come to love Tamworth or are returning closer to home to continue their training,” Ms Van Wamel said.
“We welcome this year’s cohort to the Hunter New England Health team and wish them well for their training.”
Contact: Emma Gibbs
Phone: (02) 6767 7137 or 0428 114 767
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