We understand that pursuing a career as a rural generalist can be both rewarding and challenging. To ensure your journey is as smooth and fulfilling as possible, we are committed to providing comprehensive wellbeing and support services to program participants.
As a doctor it is important for you to maintain your own health and wellbeing, this includes seeking an appropriate work-life balance.
Overwhelmingly the value you derive from your exposure, experience and training from the NT Rural Generalist Pathway will depend on you. You will encounter many opportunities for learning, but initially relatively few of them will be presented to you formally.
The extent to which you learn from your experience will depend on:
- How clear you are about what you want and expect to learn and experience.
- How confident you are in seeking your exposure (having a go – not just observing), learning through experience.
- Asking questions.
- Learning and understanding rural models of care,
- Where relevant research topics that are new to you.
- Seeking and being open to feedback from those supervising and working as part of the rural multi-disciplinary team.
- Reflection on your rotation and experiences.
- Being organised and prepared to take advantage of opportunities presented.
- Seek assistance if things are getting on top of you (work or personal).
No one understands your situation as well as your colleagues/peers who are going through the same/similar experiences as you. Share and talk about the highs and lows of your experiences. Share any concerns and discuss appropriate action/s if a situation needs to be addressed with the appropriate people such as the RG Program Manager, your Term/Clinical Supervisor, your own General Practitioner.
Your Health is Important
The Medical Board of Australia's 'Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia' - Oct 2020 states that to achieve good medical practice involves you -
- Having a general practitioner.
- Seeking independent, objective advice when you need medical care, and being aware of the risks of self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
- Seeking help if you are suffering stress, burnout, anxiety or depression.
- Making sure that you are immunised against relevant communicable diseases.
- Not self-prescribing.
- Recognising the impact of fatigue on your health and your ability to care for patients, and endeavouring to work safe hours wherever possible.
- Being aware of the doctors’ health program in your state or territory which provides confidential advice and support through the doctors’ health advisory and referral services.
- If you know or suspect that you have a health condition or impairment that could adversely affect your
judgement, performance or your patient’s health:- not relying on your own assessment of the risk you pose to patients.
- consulting your doctor about whether, and in what ways, you may need to modify your practice, and following the doctor’s advice.
Where and when you need it there are groups that you can get professional and confidential assistance from - see below
Provides all NT government employees and immediate family members with professional and confidential counselling services free of charge.
EAP can provide you with assistance in dealing with personal issues and problems, which may impact on your work performance.
The aim is to provide you with support to identify or resolve matters early. Don't wait until you have reached crisis point to access these services.
Go to the NTG Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment website for more information regarding Support and Counselling.
Rural Generalist Program career navigators have all worked and trained in the NT either as prevocational and/or vocational trainees, fellows and now as Rural and Senior Rural Generalists. Between them and individually they provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide and assist others wanting to become a Rural Generalist particularly in the NT.
The opportunity to connect with a Career Navigator is offered at all entry points along the NT Rural Generalist training pathway as well as before you enrol in the specialist college programs to assist in making your career decision. They are contactable in the first instance through the Rural Generalist Coordination Unit, and you can see their profiles here.
Career Navigators support interested medical students, prevocational and vocational doctors in training by discussing with you your academic, personal and professional goals to assist you to achieve your career as a Rural Generalist. They provide an ongoing mentoring resource for all doctors interested in considering making an investment into a career in rural medicine and for those who have fully committed to the NT Rural Generalist Program.
Regional hospitals where they are used as the base for your rural rotation you will have a Medical Workforce Coordinator (or equivalent), who can assist you with what your entitlements will be for their region eg FIFO travel requirements. Ensuring you have accommodation for the duration of your rotation. If you need assistance for a personal matter, they may be a first point of contact in location. They will also be the central point/contact for information about setting up your Medicare provider number if you haven’t already organised this prior to commencing your rotation. They will usually send you a Welcome email prior to commencing the rural rotation and provide you with useful information about your rotation at their location.
Is the designated person at your placement location and are responsible for managing your work experience and progress throughout your rotation. Your Term Supervisor is also responsible for ensuring the adequacy and effectiveness of supervision and support for you to function safely within your primary health care rotation. They should ensure that you are orientated/inducted into your base location and primary care sites that are part of your rotation. They will follow up with the primary health care site/s that are within your rotation, if more than one site, they will discuss with you the skills, knowledge, and experience to be gained during your rotation and may provide formal and informal performance appraisals and feedback during the rotation.
The term supervisor for these rural generalist rotations is most often your base locations Director of Medical Services or a nominated senior General Practitioner/Rural Generalist/Rural Medical Practitioner for where you are working. If you find that you are not receiving the support and feedback that you require, speak to your base locations Term Supervisor in the first instance, if this does not improve the support you are receiving or you feel that you cannot discuss this with the location staff, contact your employing hospitals rural Director of Clinical Training. This can be further addressed via the NT Rural Generalist Coordination Unit staff as well. If you are a prevocational rural trainee there will be formal catch ups with an RG Career Navigator during your rotation as well as at the end of your rotation to check how your rotation went and collate any feedback both positive and constructive to quality assure the rotation for future rural trainees.
May also be involved in your day-to-day supervision and may be able to share experiences and provide feedback where appropriate. Use them to understand the rural and remote environment where you are working. They can help as well with what lies ahead for when you enrol in a specialist training program.
Senior medical staff who are accredited by a GP Specialist College to provide supervision to GP Trainees/Registrars are a great source for discussing your career aspirations with. They may also be a senior clinician/General Practitioner working in a regional hospital and may as well provide primary health care services in a primary health care clinic/centre. They may be a rural generalist (RG/SRG) or rural medical practitioner (RMP/SRMP) or a general practitioner who delivers primary health care in a community and may also work for an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) or Private General Practice. These clinicians are considered role models and valuable to use as mentors as well throughout your rural generalist journey.