Name - Jean Littlewood
Year - V
Location - Broken Hill
What did you do on your rural GP placement?
In 2017 I did a GP placement in Broken Hill in the far west of NSW. In my time there I assisted in a Super Clinic and was able to follow patients through all of the allied health appointments as well as the GPs and nurses. It was particularly valuable to watch newly diagnosed diabetes patients visit the dietitian and exercise physiologist. I was also able to assist with flu clinic and watched a number of procedures.
Tell us about your mentors & the clinic environment?
The GPs in the practice were incredibly busy but still took the time out to include me and call for me if they had an interesting case or something to teach me. All of the staff in the super clinic were helpful and one of the nurses even drove me around town and showed me around after the working day had finished.
Give us a quick rundown of the town – what is there to see/ do/ eat and drink?
Broken Hill is 5 hours from Adelaide and a 2hour flight from Sydney. It is an old mining town with a lot of history from that aspect. There is a village about 20km out called Silverton that has a lot of art galleries an old pub. It has a number of students living there in all sorts of medical degrees – I was lucky enough to catch up with some of these students who all really loved the experience. There is a café that all the students go to in the main street and there are a number of nice other restaurants and cafés. Everyone is extremely friendly so if you are having trouble finding something you can just ask anyone.
What did you find most rewarding about your rural rotation/ placement?
The placement was incredibly rewarding because I was able to see how much people loved their town and how resourceful all of the health workers were. Transferring patients from the hospital had to be done via the Royal Flying Doctor to Adelaide, which is huge compared to other centres. The people in Broken Hill are so friendly and if you are looking to experience resourceful medicine and be wholeheartedly welcomed, Broken Hill is the place to go!
Why would you encourage others to complete a rotation/ placement rurally?
Going rural (especially if you are not from a rural area) is an invaluable experience that every healthcare worker should experience. Having an understanding of where people come from and the situations in which they live is hugely important especially in a medical profession. Being from the country I know how amazing it is and I always want to show people my home and the beautiful people that live in it. Broken Hill was an amazing place to go and the people there were incredible.
Broken Hill (map)
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