Monto among towns to benefit from Queensland’s new rural doctors cohort
The Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway (QRGP) is celebrating the 2020 cohort of 19 doctors who have completed their rural generalist training and are now delivering care to rural and remote communities across the state.
Long-term rural generalist and QRGP Medical Director Dr John Douyere said these rural generalists were specially trained to meet the diverse health needs of rural and remote Queenslanders.
“To become a rural generalist requires a minimum of five years in the training pathway, undertaking a wide variety of clinical training and developing the advanced skill set needed to support the health needs of rural communities,” he said.
“This includes advanced skills training in a specialty discipline such as obstetrics and gynaecology; anaesthetics; mental health; paediatrics; internal; medicine; emergency medicine; Indigenous health; or surgery.
“Our rural and remote communities are in great need of doctors with well-rounded clinical experience, so having a broad generalist training base complemented by an advanced skill in a specialty area means rural generalists can provide the care rural and remote communities need.”
Monto-based rural generalist Dr Thomas Battisson is one of this year’s cohort of 19 doctors who are working in rural and remote locations across the state. Dr Battison is working at Monto Hospital using his advanced skills in emergency medicine.
“I’m looking forward to providing care to people from Monto and surrounding areas,” he said.
Dr John Douyere said many QRGP trainee doctors had already made a positive impact within the communities where they’d lived and worked in while training.
“There’s no doubt that they’ll join the many rural generalists who continue to deliver valuable care to those who need it most,” Dr Douyere said.
“QRGP supports more than 300 doctors across Queensland so it’s very pleasing to see rural communities reaping the benefits of a strong rural generalist workforce.”
