Regional medical careers and lifestyle explored at Rural Training Pathways Congress in Gippsland
Over seventy representatives from regional health services, specialty medical colleges, health workforce and community organisations, current medical students and junior doctors attended the second Rural Training Pathways Congress in Gippsland on Friday 24 November 2023.
Following the success of the inaugural congress in Mildura, the 2023 event was hosted by the Gippsland Regional Training Hub in Traralgon. With a focus on ‘Rural Health Futures’, the Congress provided a full day program exploring how specialty medical training can be strengthened in regional areas.
“This event was a way to bring together all relevant stakeholders from across the community, those involved in the delivery of healthcare in Gippsland and the specialist medical colleges, to encourage collaboration towards improving training for specialists in the region,” explained Associate Professor Rob Dawson, Director of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub.
“Getting everyone in the room is critical to understanding what the needs are - of the community, the health services, or the workforce - and driving these conversations forward.”
The day began at Morwell Innovation Centre, with a welcome from Kellie O’Callaghan, Chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Interim Regional Body for Gippsland. Dr Derk Pol, Director of Cardiology at Latrobe Regional Health and one of the first graduates from the Monash University graduate entry medical program in Gippsland, gave an inspiring keynote address sharing his career journey. He shared lessons from mentors throughout his career, the benefits of being trained locally and keeping strong connections to the community he’s serving, now delivering high-quality cardiac care to the region.
This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on rural health futures from diverse perspectives - Dr Kathryn Kirkpatrick from the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria, Jane Anderson the Latrobe Health Advocate, Ash Munro from the Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Health East Gippsland, Angela Jacob from the Gippsland Primary Health Network and current psychiatry trainee, Dr Madeleine Leung from Mildura Base Public Hospital.
An interactive workshop in the afternoon focused on identifying the community’s major healthcare needs, college accreditation processes, and different potential models for rurally-based training. Associate Professor Hieu Pham and Dr Madeleine Leung from Mildura Base Public Hospital, who presented on developing an end-to-end psychiatry training pathway at the inaugural Congress in Mildura, provided an update on how they overcame barriers when implementing their successful program. New training models developed through the Victorian Rural Generalist Program in Gippsland, the College of Intensive Care Medicine and the Royal Australian College of Physicians’ Regional, Rural and Remote Physicians Strategy were also shared. Facilitated by Dr Lisa Hall, the discussions also explored bigger picture considerations for recruiting, training and retaining rural doctors - such as accommodation, connection to community and ‘whole of family’ support.
Medical students and junior doctors in attendance also had the opportunity to tour Latrobe Regional Health’s newest facilities and hear from local GPs and Monash alumni, Dr Aimee Kellow and Dr Jacqueline McDonnell, about the diverse career opportunities in general practice and rural generalism and training pathways through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). Medical student Brienna Allman also shared her experience as a mentee in the DrJuMP Medical Mentoring Program and highlighted the need for more Gippsland-based doctors to sign up to mentor the next generation of rural doctors.
For Monash medical student, Liela Peterson, attending the Rural Training Pathways Congress cemented her interest in working rurally in the future.
“I now have more of an understanding of the RACGP and ACRRM pathways. I can do a lot more community-based practice than I thought I could. I’ve realised there’s also more specialty than I thought. I’m still tossing up between them but both seem very viable for me. It’s exciting because now I have even more options to think about!”
She looks forward to asking more questions during her general practice rotation next year.
“It’s been a great day - socially and academically. Events like this make it so much easier to approach people, ask questions and consolidate information. I’m really glad I came.”
The Congress also gave attendees from outside the region an opportunity to experience Gippsland’s hospitality with lunch at the Traralgon Butter Factory and dinner at De Grandi’s Winery.
The Gippsland Regional Training Hub looks forward to working with stakeholders to continue the important discussions from the Congress and advocate for more rurally-based training pathways and dedicated training places for rural students and doctors.
“We know our rural communities have so much to offer - rewarding careers and a great lifestyle - but there’s still more work to be done to build local programs to create a sustainable medical workforce,” said Associate Professor Rob Dawson.
Monash Rural Health Regional Training Hubs
The Monash Rural Health Regional Training Hubs facilitate specialty training and career development opportunities for junior doctors, to help them live, work and train rurally. The Monash Regional Training Hubs are supported by the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program.