Variety, tough cookies and a narrow escape: Junior doctors enjoy the best of both worlds in Narrogin

The fifth and final cohort of junior doctors to undertake rotation at Narrogin Health Service for 2023 have said their goodbyes after enjoying a memorable 11 weeks in the area. Dr Andrew Mancini, Dr Anum Ali and Dr Phuong Nguyen returned to Perth on January 12, 2024, after working through harvest and engaging in rural medicine and country life. “I enjoyed seeing the wider variety of presentations,” Dr Mancini said. “Here there are a lot more generalists, the GPs have a wider scope of practice.” Doctors practising in regional areas often do not have the same level of access to consultants and specialists as those in city hospitals and Dr Nguyen enjoyed the change. “It’s like there’s a doctor for the right lung and a doctor for the left lung,” he said. “The main thing for me is to look at the person as a whole, to get a holistic picture.” While stationed in Narrogin, Dr Nguyen enjoyed exploring the countryside after work and making memories in Dryandra Woodland National Park. “It was beautiful, so many big kangaroos running like horses along the fences of the farms,” he said. Dr Ali also enjoyed getting out and about with her young family. “I’ve got two kids and they explored Lions Park, we’d go there on the weekends to play,” she said. “We also went to Foxes Lair, they’re small so we did the smallest walk possible and they enjoyed that, my kids really enjoyed seeing the wildlife.” Getting to know the people of the area was an eye-opener for the doctors. “What struck me most is the people,” Dr Nguyen said. “They were very welcoming, everyone, the patients and the staff; working here has been fabulous. “Another thing I noticed is that the people here are tough, they would say ‘I’m a tough cookie’, especially the farmers.” As 2024 gets under way a new five-term rotation will soon begin and in the coming weeks five medical students will arrive in town for a year-long placement at NHS — the most to ever be hosted by the regional hospital at once.