Rural doctors receive a boost to their career development
Thirty-two junior doctors in Gippsland and North West Victoria have received extra funding for their professional development, thanks to the Rural Resume Boost Bursary Program, delivered by the Monash Regional Training Hubs.
These bursaries, sponsored by the Gippsland and North West Victoria Regional Training Hubs, are designed to help junior doctors access resources, training and professional development activities, to strengthen their career prospects for specialty training. Applicants had to be living and working in Gippsland or North West Victoria, demonstrate a specific learning need directly relevant to their career ambitions, and intend to practice rurally.
Successful bursary applicants were selected from across Victoria through a competitive process, with successful applicants awarded a bursary based on merit for activities such as attending specialty conferences, completing advanced skill training, purchasing equipment, or publishing research.
Thanks to the bursary support, Dr Grace Yap from Latrobe Regional Health in Traralgon was able to attend and present research she completed through Latrobe Regional Hospital at the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) conference in Adelaide this year.
“This work was essential to my training as a respiratory registrar, and I am so grateful to the support of the Gippsland Regional Training Hub in helping me thrive in my training. I will endeavour to bring the knowledge and skills I have acquired to improve the respiratory health of patients in the Gippsland region."
Registrar Dr Emma Adams from Bendigo Health will use her bursary to attend the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Regional Symposium in 2025, following on from attending and presenting at the 2024 conference. Emma is committed to rural healthcare, following her experience within the Obstetrics and Gynaecology program at Bendigo Health.
“I have seen first hand, the stark differences in availability of health care in more rural areas. This is what sparked my passion to work towards being able to provide high quality, equitable health care to women closer to their homes.”
Dr Noah Pallot, a Victorian Rural Generalist Program intern at Central Gippsland Health Service used the bursary to help subsidise his attendance at the recent Rural Medicine Australia (RMA) conference in Darwin.
“My attendance at the conference allowed me to connect with colleagues from different backgrounds and regions giving me a deeper understanding of what rural medicine looks like across Australia, these connections will serve as mentors and friends who I look forward to seeing at future conferences and will no doubt help guide my career as I progress through my training and beyond.”
Image from RMA2024 courtesy ACRRM
Director of the North West Victoria Regional Training Hub, Associate Professor Janelle Brennan, said that being able to support local doctors to boost their resumes and get into specialty training programs was a key part of the Regional Training Hubs’ mission to nurture a sustainable local medical workforce.
“Through these bursaries, we are helping to overcome some of the barriers rural health professionals experience in gaining access to speciality training programs and conferences. We are proud to support local talent and give them training and opportunities that will help support them in their future careers.”
The Rural Resume Boost Bursary Program will open again in late 2025. Subscribe to the Hubs Highlights quarterly newsletter to be notified of future application dates and other professional development opportunities.
Monash Regional Training Hubs
The Monash Rural Health Regional Training Hubs facilitate speciality 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.