SEVEN new faces will serve the wards of Mount Gambier Hospital for the next year as part of Flinders University’s Junior Doctor Program.
Having just graduated from university, the interns are now preparing for their first role in a hospital setting.
The introduction of an extra general practitioner rotation this year has allowed an additional two interns to take up placement at the regional health facility.
Interns will spend the next 12 months learning from medical staff at the hospital in the emergency, general medicine, anesthetic, surgical and GP departments.
South East medical services director Dr Christopher Tan said the interns would play a vital role at the hospital.
“It’s beneficial for the hospital, the community and the interns,” he said.
“Having extra hands at the ready is always a positive thing, especially in regional areas like Mount Gambier.
“With closer knit teams it allows the interns to take on more responsibility than they would have the opportunity to in a metropolitan hospital.”
Dr Tan believes the intern program at the hospital is also important for retention of doctors in rural communities.
“The partnership with Flinders University and the hospital is quite important as it gives the young doctors a taste of regional living while completing their training,” he said.
“It’s the first step to getting doctors working in regional health services permanently.
“Mount Gambier Hospital is great as we can give them a good amount of broad experience they might not get in the city.
Intern Donald Shivakkumar said the group was excited to start their journey in the South East.
“I think we’re all really looking forward to absorbing as much information as possible over the next year,” he said.
“Mount Gambier is a great place for us to do our intern year as we get more attention from the specialists than we would get elsewhere.
“Plus we get to do more anesthetics and GP rotations which is great.
“I think it’s just an overall great experience and we’re all really looking forward to it.”
