Doctor What? Doctor Where? Stories of Rural Medicine in Victoria

The VRGP is a statewide end-to-end training program that allows future rural generalists to train, work and live in rural and regional Victoria. And one of the great benefits to this program is the support and guidance on offer for anyone looking at becoming a Rural Generalist in Victoria. You can find out more about the VRGP, or get in contact with their coordinators, by heading to https://www.vi...

As part of their studies at Monash Rural Health, all medical students complete a six-week Scholarly Intensive Placement during their final year. These placements allow you to focus on a particular medical or professional practice issue in-depth, by taking part in scholarly activities, such as analysing relevant literature, collecting data, reviewing policies, or developing new resources. Thanks fo...

There's so much to learn before you even start your first research project. In this episode we'll cover some fundamentals of research to get you started.  Hear from researchers about what it takes to get started in research with fundamentals like ethics applications, and methodologies. For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https:/...

If you're finishing medical school and heading towards your Internship, we've made this episode just for you! To help start this exciting phase of your career, we sat down with four junior doctors in the GRIT program - Gippsland Rural Intern Training at LRH, Latrobe Regional Health in Gippsland - to reflect, tell stories and hear about lessons learned. For more information about the study...

So you're thinking about becoming a GP, or perhaps even taking it to the next level and becoming a Rural Generalist. Well there's a lot of exciting things happening with this specialty right now. The return to College-led training, Rural Generalists potentially becoming a protected title, and lots more new things to look forward to. If you're thinking about a GP fellowship you'll a...

Juggling a career in medicine and raising kids is tough, but it can be done! In this episode you'll hear from parents who have had children at all different stages of their journey through medicine, from medical school all the way to fellowship exams. For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health The N...

Learning about cultural safety is the best way to help address the poorer health outcomes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face. Hear from New Zealand first nations speaker Abe Ropitini from VACCHO, as well as a GP working in Indigenous Health in Bendigo about how this simple, yet effective element of practicing medicine can help build trust and help address these unequal health outcom...

You've probably heard of medical conferences, and maybe attended some. In this episode we're going to show you five ways conferences can be incredibly useful at any stage in your career, as well as how to get the most out of these events. For more information about the study and training opportunities across regional Victoria, head to https://monash.edu/medicine/rural-health The North West...

At first glance, adventure sounds like something that shouldn't be a part of healthcare. But it's a key part of practicing medicine and probably something that drives you to pursue this career too. Whether it's getting hands-on and learning new medical techniques or working with limited resources to treat patients, your adventure in rural medicine is out there. For more information abo...

Talking about these issues as a doctor can be really tough. In this episode we explore some of the available support services, and hear from a doctor who has experienced mental health issues, sought assistance and found they're better off now. Contact the Victorian Doctors Health Program on 1300 330 543 or visit their website: https://vdhp.org.au/ Contact the Victorian Medical Benevolent Assoc...

Australia's universities are a really attractive place for international students to receive an excellent education, and that includes our medical schools and training pathways.  This episode's guests are training to become doctors in regional Victoria and the experience they've had along the way has exceeded their expectations. For more information about the study and training opportu...

There's a lot you can do to develop hands-on skills early on in your training journey with a clinical placement in a rural setting, then developing these early career skills further through internship. Hear how these junior doctors developed these skills, as well as a passion for rural medicine in the latest episode of Doctor What? Doctor Where? Stories of Rural Medicine. For more information...

Every specialist pathway is different, and in this double bumper episode you'll hear from doctors training and working regionally about how they successfully achieved entry to the college training program of their choice, and how they knew this was the specialty for them! These speakers were recorded at a careers night organised by members of the Bendigo Health HMO Society and supported by the...

Every specialist pathway is different, and in this double bumper episode you'll hear from doctors training and working regionally about how they successfully achieved entry to the college training program of their choice, and how they knew this was the specialty for them! These speakers were recorded at a careers night organised by members of the Bendigo Health HMO Society and supported by the...

Dr JuMP is a free coordinated medical mentoring program designed to support Medical Students, Junior Doctors and Registrars in regional Victoria. Whether you're an established practitioner or just starting out, this program is helping regional medical professionals to connect and grow. Find out more at https://www.drjump.com.au/ For more information about the study and training opportunities a...

Monash Rural Health's DRIVERS Conference is an ideal opportunity to present research at the beginning of your career. Get a taste of what to expect at this year's DRIVERS conference by hearing from the Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee from this year's conference, as well as how the conference has built on the legacy of the inaugural conference in 2021. DRIVERS 2022 is happening on Saturday 22...

Monash Rural Health's DRIVERS conference is an ideal opportunity to present research at the beginning of your career. Get a taste of what to expect at this year's DRIVERS conference by hearing from early career doctors who presented at the inaugural conference in 2021. DRIVERS 2022 is happening on Saturday 22 October! Tickets are available now, head to monash.edu/medicine/drivers to come along. Fo...

We've heard from doctors all over regional Victoria that training and practicing in rural health lets them get more hands-on experience. Combining that with AMA Victoria's Emerging Leader Program is a brilliant combination to establish your early career. That's what Dr Thang Dao is doing as an Intern at Latrobe Regional Hospital who has just wrapped up the first stage of the Emerging Leader Progra...

AMA Victoria's Emerging Leader Program is a great way to advance your career. Right from the beginning, the skills this program develops not only leadership skills like the name suggests, but also a whole range of professional skills to give your career an excellent foundation. This episode's guest Dr Ruby Marslen completed the Emerging Leader Program last year and says the wide range of skills co...

Quality Improvement is a great way to take your career to a new level, but it might seem daunting. Large scale projects in this field can take up to a decade to complete, so it's easy to set it aside for a later point in your career when you're more established. You might be surprised how easy it can be to get involved in established quality and improvement projects, or even pursue smaller initiat...

Having a fantastic experience working and training in medicine in regional Victoria is really important, but you might have some hesitation about the lifestyle aspects of living in a regional city or rural town. The range of interests you can pursue in regional Victoria are far beyond anything you can do in a metro city. From snowsports in the state's east, to mountain bike riding just about anywh...

Gathering hands-on experience while studying can be an enormous challenge, so you might be surprised to learn how easy this can be when working as a Personal Care Assistant in Aged Care. Hear how easy it can be to start working in these roles while studying medicine from Deakin University Medical Student Cathy King, as well as Monash Rural Health Researcher and Educator Dr Fiona McCook. For more i...

Making the jump from medical school into your early years as a doctor can seem pretty daunting, and there's so many things to learn along the way. Learning from classmates and colleagues a year or two ahead of your journey can be a brilliant way to prepare for this next step, and in this episode Dr Katie Blunt talks about her experience with a near-peer program supported by Monash Rural Health and...

It's never too early to start building a brand for yourself as a doctor. Whether it simply gives you an edge in applying for a job, or you're wanting to be a leading public voice in your area of medicine, it's an aspect of any profession which can be incredibly powerful if done correctly. Monash Rural Health Communications Manager Stephanie Swain delivered a workshop dedicated to online branding a...

Medical training pathways can be a significant challenge to develop, particularly when you're trying to build experience within an area of medicine you're interested in, or you're trying to follow a specialist pathway in the regions. In this episode, Head of School of Rural Health at Monash University Professor Shane Bullock outlines some of the resources on offer to help you forge your own pathwa...