Thirty five first year doctors join the Wide Bay team
Thirty-five junior doctors will start the next stage of their medical careers at Bundaberg and Hervey Bay hospitals this month.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles has welcomed the 27 Bundaberg Hospital and eight Hervey Bay Hospital intern doctors to the Queensland Health family, with 781 commencing across the state.
“These doctors are not just reshaping the lives of their patients, they’re reshaping their own,” he said.
“Health care is a true commitment to Queenslanders.
“Sometimes the work will be hard; sometimes tiring; sometimes heartbreaking. But there won’t be one single day the work of these doctors doesn’t improve the lives of others.
“Congratulations to the junior doctors, and I look forward to seeing them hard at work in hospitals across the state.”
The new interns will participate in a week-long orientation program to familiarise themselves with each hospital, its services and clinical practice and procedures before beginning rotations through a variety of units that may include general medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and additional elective terms in other specialised areas.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Acting Chief Executive Scott McConnel welcomed the new interns as an important investment into the future of health care across the region.
“The significant increase in number of interns starting their practice here in the Wide Bay delivers on long-standing promises to attract doctors to the regional areas of the state,” Mr McConnel said.
“Interning at WBHHS facilities gives these young doctors a range of clinical experiences, providing a great foundation for their careers, and also benefits our local communities because it bolsters the size and knowledge of our clinical team.
“Having these doctors join our team is also really important to the long-term recruitment of medical staff. We know that the more time a student or junior doctor spends in a regional area, the more likely they are to stay in or return to a regional area later in their career.
“Our junior doctors will also benefit immensely from our goal to increase the amount of training in medical and allied health disciplines locally, which is outlined in our strategic plan, Care Comes First… Through Patients’ Eyes.”
