New research says doctors need stronger connections to keep them in rural areas
ABCDr Juliza Jahimin moved to Far North Queensland to begin working in a regional hospital four years ago. Key points: The study found doctors need longer placement times in rural areas to build a connection Accessing specialist support and training is a big challenge for those working in remote areas Professional satisfaction was similar for physicians in remote and metropolitan areas Since then she has worked in several different hospitals in the region and now works as a GP trainee in Port Douglas. The study, examining professional backgrounds, job satisfaction, training systems and how and where doctors learn their profession, found eight principals to help "build a sustainable rural physician workforce". "There is consistent evidence that shows that, if medical students are from rural areas, they're quite a lot more likely to end up practising as doctors in rural areas," he said. "Whereas, in rural areas, it's actually quite a lot more work to connect with people in that way," he said.
History of this topic
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