First Year Doctors begin 2020 internships

Today 36 junior doctors are embarking on the first steps of their medical careers at Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service facilities.

The new interns, 27 who are based at Bundaberg and 9 at Hervey Bay, are participating in a week-long orientation program to familiarise themselves with each hospital, its services and clinical practice and procedures.

After completing orientation, the doctors will begin rotations through a variety of units that may include general medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and elective terms in other specialised areas.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Board Chair Peta Jamieson welcomed the new interns to the team and wished them well as they took the first steps in their medical careers.

“Having 36 first year doctors join the WBHHS team is greatly encouraging as it builds our workforce and is an investment into the future of our hospitals and services,” Ms Jamieson said.

“Our junior doctors will 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.

“On behalf of the Board, I wish them all the best as they embark on this exciting step and start their first year as a medical profession.”

Of the 36 doctors, 19 are funded by Queensland Health and the other 17 are funded through Commonwealth programs.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Acting Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said the WBHHS clinical team was looking forward to the first-year doctors joining them as they are an important members of our clinical teams.

“It’s fantastic to have a number of first year doctors join the team and gain experience at our hospitals as we hope many of them will have a passion to practice long term in the region which is our goal,” Ms Carroll said.

“Starting their career at WBHHS facilities provides a great foundation for these doctors’ careers as they will have close contact with senior consultants and clinicians, as well as a diverse range of clinical experiences with our patients.

“Having them on our team also benefits our local communities because it provides additional doctors and adds new knowledge to our clinical team.”

WBHHS Acting Executive Director of Medical Services Dr Simrat Sachdev said having a strong cohort of first year doctors was also important to the long-term future of the WBHHS medical workforce.

“Our team is excited to work alongside this group of first years so they can sow their knowledge into them and build them into the next generation of clinical leaders both locally and beyond,” Dr Sachdev said.

“A healthy junior doctor program is linked to successful long-term recruitment for regional health services as the more time a student or junior doctor spends in a regional area, the more likely they are to choose a career path that keeps them in the area or sees them later on return as a specialist.

“Our medical team is looking forward to working alongside these first years and passing on our our knowledge and expertise to them.”