Junior doctors learn about rural health care during Narrogin Health Service term three 10-week rotation

Narrogin gave three junior doctors a taste of rural life, with the challenge of working in an under-resourced environment a common theme in their experiences. Narrogin Health Service has farewelled its term three rotation junior doctors Connor Burrows, Ben Trinh, and Cynthia Chhoa, who completed their 10-week placement from June 10-August 16. Dr Chhoa and Dr Trinh work at Joondalup Health Campus, and had never experienced regional health care before coming to the Wheatbelt. Dr Trihn said rural placement in the emergency department strengthened his desire to work in health care because treating the same patients and their families elevated his connections and communication skills. “I liked working with a small team because everyone knows your name,” he said. “It’s been challenging compared to the bigger hospitals in the city. “There’s fewer resources here, but that makes you appreciate how difficult it is for people in rural areas who struggle to access things like scans and bloods. “If you don’t have this experience, you don’t know how difficult it is for doctors to manage patients here.” Dr Chhoa was the residential medical officer alongside Dr Burrows, and was shocked by the challenges rural hospitals faced. “It’s an interesting experience as I’ve never done any rural terms before,” she said. “It was tricky calling the different specialists and imaging because it doesn’t come as quickly, but overall it’s a good experience and the staff are fantastic.” Dr Burrows came to Narrogin to try his hand in the general practitioner’s office before starting his basic physician training. “I’m based in Perth currently at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital but in the long term I want to move out of the city,” he said. “I did another rural term in Port Hedland last year, and wanted to come and work in Narrogin to learn more about the rural setting. “With less resources, you can’t rely on investigations, especially when unavailable, and you see a wider variety of presentations, so it’s good for clinical experience and you have to operate more independently.” The junior doctors said they felt welcomed by the staff and community, and if they had their time again they would join local groups and connect with medical students.