THE region’s primary care workforce will soon be supported by six junior doctors, with applications opening for the Rural Generalist Training Pathway this week.
Delivered as part of the State Government’s $20m Rural Health Workforce Strategy, the six positions will be based in Mount Gambier, along with primary care-based procedural rotations in Naracoorte.
The positions are designed to provide trainee medical officers who have just completed an internship and are either in rural generalist training or looking to work in rural general practice with a hospital experience.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the pathway was a significant step towards strengthening the future of the regional medical workforce.
“It is clear the most urgent health workforce issue we face is the shortage of rural doctors, particularly in the more remote areas of South Australia,” he said.
“Our vision is to strengthen and grow the rural health workforce by attracting, training and retaining rural doctors to sustainably meet the health needs of communities both now and into the future.
SA Health’s Rural Support Service Rural Trainee Medical Officer manager Reece Johnson said the training networks provided a rewarding clinical experience tailored to rural generalist training requirements.
“A Road to Rural Intern Program run by the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency has also been successfully expanded, allowing 40 metropolitan medical interns the clinical experience of working side-by-side with the rural general practice workforce,” Mr Johnson said.
“We are continuing to progress the implementation of a coordinated Rural Generalist Training Pathway and look forward to working to secure the rural medical workforce we need for the future.”
