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Across the divide
rural health workforce
NEWS FROM RURAL HEALTH WORKFORCE AUSTRALIA AND THE RURAL WORKFORCE AGENCY NETWORK
MAKING HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBLE
ISSUE 10, JUNE 2014
WORKFORCE
AGENCY
CELEBRATES
25 YEARS
OF SERVICE
Page 2
MEET OUR
NEW CEO
GREG MUNDY
Page 3
Barunga High School students brush up on some healthy skills under the supervision of University of Adelaide dentistry student Julia Bradshaw.
Barunga was one of the Top End high schools visited last month. Picture: Diana Carli-Seebohm, Northern Territory Medicare Local.
GROWING OUR OWN
Program plants seeds of health careers
GO RURAL
CAMPAIGN
LAUNCHED
As a high school student, Darwin-born
Larrakia man Ian Lee thought that becoming
a doctor was out of reach. Now the
second year medical student has been
telling Indigenous secondary students
that a career in medicine is possible.
Mr Lee last month took part in the
Northern Territory Medicare Local’s (NTML)
Rural High School Visits program, along
with seven other health students from
universities across Australia.
The group visited Top End secondary schools
to share the challenges and rewards of
pursuing a career in health as well as
providing advice on health career pathways.
Mr Lee hopes to become a general
practitioner after he graduates in 2016.
“As an Aboriginal man training to become
a doctor, I am hoping that young Indigenous
kids might change their thinking so that
they might think it is possible for them to
become a doctor too.”
Mr Lee also praised Flinders University
for offering an alternative entry pathway
into medicine for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people.
“As an Aboriginal man, I had never
considered medicine as a career for me,”
Mr Lee explained. “But not only was I able
to gain entry into this course, but I also feel
that I am able to complete it.”
NTML Chief Executive Officer Debbie
Blumel says the school visits are starting
to see a return of health professionals
to the Territory, not only from the students
who have been visited but also from
Rural Health Club members who take
part in the visits.
“This is important to ensure that we
develop the next generation of the
NT’s health workforce.”
Previous participants now working in the
Northern Territory include Dr Sam Goodwin,
director of medical services at Tennant
Creek Hospital; Alice Springs pharmacist
Ellen Pedler; graduate nurse Alice Corbyn
at Alice Springs Hospital; and registered
nurse Jules Galliers who is working for
One Disease in Arnhem Land (see our
back page story).
Rural Health Club members involved in last
month’s visit included Mr Lee, Simon Baker
Jones (medicine, James Cook University
in Cairns), Meg Bransgrove and Kimberley
Vincent (nursing, University of Canberra),
Annie Rose (medicine, Deakin University),
Julia Bradshaw (dentistry, University of
Adelaide), Kaitlyn Herrmann (occupational
therapy, University of South Australia) and
Danielle Kennedy (speech pathology,
University of Newcastle).
Kimberley Vincent is returning to the NT in
October to do her final nursing placement
in Alice Springs and has applied to do her
graduate nursing program year in the NT.
Page 4-5
OUTREACH
SPECIALIST
TAKES OFF
Page 7

2. Across the Divide
In Brief
Rural Health West celebrates
25th anniversary in style
New model of care
for remote SA
The South Australian remote Eyre
Peninsula communities of Kimba, Elliston
and Cleve have welcomed three new
GPs who started working in a new model
of medical service delivery earlier this
year. The three GPs work as a team
serving the three communities, giving
people choices and certainty. This
innovative workforce solution developed
by the RDWA has attracted recent
Australian graduates and addresses
the issues of distance and sustainability.
New recruits in Queensland
Fourteen new GPs started working in
rural Queensland recently thanks to the
recruitment efforts of Health Workforce
Queensland. The communities include
Weipa, Sarina, Emerald, Gladstone,
Kingaroy and Bundaberg. Health
Workforce Queensland will provide
ongoing support to the doctors.
Smithton gets a new GP
A town in far northwest Tasmania has
a new GP thanks to Health Recruitment
PLUS, the state’s Rural Workforce Agency.
Dr Daryl O’Connor started work recently
in Smithton and has already settled well
into the community.
Aboriginal health scholarships
Rural Health West has provided three
scholarships to support Aboriginal
health workers and medical receptionists
working with Aboriginal Medical Services
in Western Australia. The health workers
are being supported to compete Certificate
IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Primary Health Care Practice.
Think local, go global
Dr Ian Cameron, CEO of the
New South Wales Rural Doctors Network,
is one of the contributing authors to an
international, open-access guidebook
on rural medical education that was
launched on 5 April at the 12th Wonca
World Rural Health Conference in Brazil.
Health Atlas a first for NT
For the first time in the Northern Territory,
population health information has been
brought together and presented in a
single publication. The Northern Territory
Medicare Local Health Atlas 2014 provides
a visual snapshot of health and social
indicators across urban and remote
regions of the NT. The atlas is an essential
resource for those making decisions
relating to population health.
Celebrations in Beaudesert
Health Workforce Queensland was one
of a number of stakeholders working
with the Beaudesert community to have
birthing services returned to the town.
Its contribution included a solutions paper
and the mapping of regional maternity
units. The community celebrated when
Queensland Health Minister Lawrence
Springborg officially opened Beaudesert
Hospital’s new maternity ward on 5 March.
Rural Health West Chairman Grant Woodhams, Gabrielle
Woodhams, Winthrop Professor D’Arcy Holman, Rural Health
West CEO Belinda Bailey, Dr Kim Hames WA Deputy Premier
and Minister for Health, and Stephanie Hames.
MORE than 250 GPs and health agency
representatives joined Rural Health West
to celebrate the organisation’s 25th
anniversary at a gala dinner dance in March.
The guests were entertained by the Western
Australian Doctors’ Orchestra, with the majority
of members being practicing doctors.
Western Australia’s Deputy Premier and Health
Minister, Dr Kim Hames, launched a commemorative
book, recording the organisation’s history and
its achievements.
Originally established as the Western Australian
Centre for Rural and Remote Medicine (WACRRM)
in 1989, the organisation was appointed as WA’s
Rural Workforce Agency in 1998 before changing
its trading name to Rural Health West in 2007.
Rural Health West is supported in its efforts
through funding from the Australian Government,
and the WA Department of Health.
“We have grown immensely in the last 25 years,” said
CEO Belinda Bailey. “However, our core focus remains
the same: meeting the needs of people - be they
health professionals providing much needed services,
or the rural communities of Western Australia.”
RHWA Chair Ian Taylor, Sandy Taylor and Professor Richard
Murray, President of the Australian College of Rural and
Remote Medicine.
Along the way, Rural Health West has
pioneered a number of initiatives, including:
• Helped establish the SPINRPHEX and WAALHIIBE
student rural health clubs. SPINRPHEX was created
in 1990 and is the first club of its kind in Australia
• Began comprehensive education and training
program for rural GPs in 1993
• Established locum support program for rural
GPs in 1994
• Introduced the Western Australia Doctors’
Service Awards in 2008
• Partnered with the Eastern Wheatbelt Group
of Shires in 2010 to develop sustainable models
of health care delivery.
WA doctors awards
Rural Health West has presented awards
to 21 rural GPs and specialists who have
been recognised for their dedication and
outstanding service to rural and remote
Western Australian communities. Among
the winners were Dr Rosemary Lee for her
work in the Cocos Islands and Dr Peter
Lines for his dedication to the town of
Narembeen. The awards were presented
by His Excellency, Mr Malcolm McCusker,
Governor of Western Australia.
AMA WA President Dr Richard Choong, Carolyn Choong, former WA Health Director-General Kim Snowball, Rural Health West Life
Member Dr Felicity Jefferies and Mandurah GP Dr Willie Walker.

Across the Divide 3.
Study explores rural career decisions
What makes an Australian-trained student or
junior doctor from a major city want to go rural?
Researchers will also explore the timing of
such decisions and who influences them.
Introducing
our new CEO
That is the key question that will be answered
by a new research project undertaken by Rural
Health Workforce Australia in partnership with
the University of Queensland.
Twenty one urban-based medical students
and 45 urban-based junior doctors will be the
subject of the comprehensive, qualitative study –
results of which will be available later this year.
The study will examine the decision-making
process of young people in the medical
workforce pipeline, looking at what factors
students and junior doctors take into account
when deciding where to practise.
The results will be used to inform strategies for
engaging with young people at various stages
of the workforce pipeline – whether they be
a medical student, intern, prevocational doctor
or registrar.
Interviews and focus groups will be conducted
in three capital cities by the University of
Queensland’s Institute for Social Science
Research. The institute was selected after
an open tender process conducted by RHWA.
The study builds upon insights gained through the
Go Rural careers campaign run by RHWA and the
state and territory Rural Workforce Agencies.
Go Rural hits the right
note for Senator
Greg Mundy is the new Chief Executive Officer
of Rural Health Workforce Australia (RHWA), the
peak body for the national network of state and
territory Rural Workforce Agencies.
Greg joins RHWA after three years as CEO
of the Council of Ambulance Authorities, the
peak body representing providers of public
ambulance services in Australia and New
Zealand. Before that he was CEO of Aged and
Community Services Australia.
Greg is also a Board Director of the National
Rural Health Alliance and a Council Member
of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals
Association. He started work at RHWA on
5 May and is based in Melbourne.
What attracted you to the role at RHWA?
This role ticked the boxes for me. I have worked
in and around different parts of the health
system for the greater part of my working life
and workforce issues are never far from the
surface wherever you go in health. I haven’t
ever lost the ‘fairness instinct’ either. So rural,
health, workforce makes three ticks for me.
From what you have seen so far, what
impresses you most about the work done
by RHWA’s member agencies – the Rural
Workforce Agencies?
I like the deep-seated recognition that
successful workforce outcomes are about
support as well as placement and that people
have a range of professional and personal
needs that must be satisfied.
Senator Bridget McKenzie joined the group at Buda historic house and gardens in Castlemaine. She is flanked by long-standing
local GP Dr Geoff Courtis and Annu Chakrabarti, a third year medical student at Deakin Univeristy and NOMAD Rural Health
Club member.
Melbourne-based doctors and students hit the
highway to health in Central Victoria on Saturday
5 April for a Go Rural bus trip organised by RWAV,
Victoria’s Rural Workforce Agency.
They met country doctors in Castlemaine and
Bendigo, heard about Aboriginal health and were
treated to an impromptu bagpipe performance
in honour of Senator Bridget McKenzie who called
in to support the Go Rural campaign.
The Go Rural bus visited Castlemaine Health,
the Tristar Medical Group in Eaglehawk and
Bendigo and District Aboriginal Corporation.
Local doctors who volunteered their time to talk
to the students and registrars included Dr Jayant
Banerji, Dr Robert Long and Dr Geoff Courtis.
Dr Courtis, aware of Senator McKenzie’s Scottish heritage,
breaks out the bagpipes in her honour. Goes to show you
can be anything you want to be as a rural GP.
Would you care to comment about human
rights in the context of rural people’s access
to health services?
I believe in fairness. In health I think we should
always have a strong focus on quality and
effectiveness – outcomes for patients and
populations. The current distribution of
resources supports none of these as well
as it should for rural Australia.
What can the health sector do better
to address this issue?
We are working on it and need not to give up.
Collaboration is essential across the sector to
make sure rural people get the frontline health
services they deserve.
What can health students do for the
country and, conversely, what can the
country do for them?
They are our future health workforce and we
need to nurture them.
What motivates you?
Making a positive difference.
Do you have a particular philosophy that
underpins your approach to life?
Don’t panic!

4. Across the Divide
Rural Workforce Agencies are getting behind the national Go Rural campaign with a series
Community opens its arms to Go Rural travellers
The people of Grenfell showed tremendous
hospitality to the Go Rural group. This Facebook
post, from local resident and Western NSW
Medicare Local’s Tabitha Jones, gives an idea of
how the community got involved in the event…
“I would just like to say a massive thankyou to the
amazing Grenfellites that gave a hand to host the
Go Rural students on the weekend. They enjoyed
their Grenfell experience!”
“To the Weddin Community Native Nursery, thankyou
for your insight and nursery tour with a warm cup
of tea on such a freeezing day!! To the Grenfell
Pharmacy and Matty West thankyou for the drop
in and your time and input and for your ongoing
dedication to improving health in our community!”
“To the Grenfell Record and Peter Soley - thanks for
helping lead the tour and your local knowledge - it
was greatly appreciated! To The Loaded Dog Café
thank you for your flexiblility, catering pizazz and
dedication to making great food in Grenfell but
most importantly excellent coffee!!”
The team rugs up around the fire in a farm shed. Picture:
courtesy The Land newspaper.
“To Dr Akhiwu and Shelley thankyou for the surgery
tour, inspiration and again dedication to health
in Grenfell!! To Alicia Hendy thank you for sharing
your Go Rural insight and for bringing HR but more
importantly amazing vegies and olives to Grenfell!!
To the incredible Denise Yates and Michael Yates
of D.A D.A. Yates Photography + Design for the
art, inspiration and your ongoing creativity and
dedication to making Grenfell cool!!“ To Stuart Jones
for your amazing patience and quick thinking to
moving the picnic to a beautiful campfire in the
shed! It was an incredible backdrop to enjoy lunch to!!!
To the Grenfell MPS for hosting the clinical sessions.
“To Dr Bullock for her ongoing commitment to
nurturing the next generation of doctors and
incredible vision for the future of rural GP!! To the
NSW Rural Doctors Network for allowing Grenfell
to showcase our town and the amazing network
of health professionals and incredible locals that
we are surrounded by and to share our love for our
community and rural living!”
“To the Western NSW Medicare Local for giving me
the opportunity to be a part of the event! Every effort
does not go unnoticed and the enthusiasm, support
and community spirit that you showed was amazing
we are truly lucky to live in a rural community with
such spirit and sense of community.”
“We hope the students found that the rural
experience has struck a chord and they will consider
Going Rural at some time in their medical career!”
Hands-on experience in Central West NSW
Thumbs up for rural practice…Anita Shirwaiker (Newcastle), Jaislie Anderson (UWS), Larry Lam (UWS), Karolina Kerkemeyer (Notre Dame), Ivonne Lichtenberg (Notre Dame), Rebecca Irwin (ANU),
Dr Ros Bullock (Cowra GP) in the bandaging workshop. Picture by: Marian Dover, ROUNDS Rural Health Club.
Rural medicine took centre stage when 15 second
year medical students travelled to Central West New
South Wales for their Go Rural experience on 2-4 May.
The trip took in Cowra, Canowindra and Grenfell
and was hosted by the NSW Rural Doctors Network.
“This campaign showcases the professional
and lifestyle rewards of rural medicine, including
access to some of the best training opportunities in
the country,” said NSWRDN CEO, Dr Ian Cameron.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for medical
students to learn about how rewarding a career
can be in rural practice.”
The students arrived in Cowra on the Friday and
spent time at the Kendal Street Medical Service and
the Cowra District Hospital where they were put
through some clinical training by local GP
Dr Ros Bullock.
On Saturday, the group met experienced medical
practitioners in Grenfell and then enjoyed dinner
in Canowindra prepared by the local branch of the
Country Women’s Association.
The tour continued on Sunday with a visit to a
local farm and native plant nursery.
“Rural general practice is a great choice for young
people who want to make a difference and now
is a good time to consider a move as the Federal
Government is offering incentives up to $120,000
to Relocate,” Dr Cameron said. “But it’s more than
just the money - we want to let people know
about how the country is a great place to raise
a family and connect with a community which
values their skills.” The students came from
the universities of Western Sydney (UWS), Notre
Dame, Newcastle, Wollongong and Australian
National University.
Dr Bullock and Newcastle University medical student Joshua
McLarty during a clinical skills session at Cowra Hospital.

Across the Divide 5.
of events that showcase the professional and lifestyle rewards of a career in rural medicine…
Healthy business tips to help future GPs
Practice management consultant Danny Haydon with Burnie Rural Clinical School
students Brodie Carlon, Gia Remash and Elodie Moreau.
Ambulance Tasmania’s Piaf Redmond with students.
Twenty four medical students from the University
of Tasmania received a crash course in the business
side of general practice at Coles Bay during a
weekend Go Rural event run by Health Recruitment
PLUS, the state’s Rural Workforce Agency.
They swapped their stethoscopes for calculators
as they learnt the finer points of contracting,
human resources and information technology to
help prepare them for a successful future serving
Tasmanian communities.
The mastering of emergency skills gives
“young doctors the knowhow to practise
confidently in rural settings
”
The students had a break from the classroom
on Sunday morning when volunteers from
Ambulance Tasmania ran an emergency skills
session, featuring hands-on experience with
teaching dummies and resuscitation equipment.
“We’re particularly grateful to Ambulance
Tasmania for their involvement,” says Peter Barns,
CEO of Health Recruitment PLUS. “The mastering
of emergency skills gives young doctors the
knowhow to practise confidently in rural settings,
and more importantly may actually help save
somebody’s life one day.”
Mr Barns said the overall aim of the weekend was
to give students an insight into what it takes to
run a successful practice. “It shows the importance
Health Recruitment PLUS places on creating
a positive environment for young doctors to work
in rural Tasmania,” he said.
“We know from experience that well-run medical
practices lead to happy teams, less turnover
in doctors and mean Tasmanian communities
continue to receive the medical care they need,
without disruption to service.”
Health Recruitment PLUS supports more than
200 general practices throughout Tasmania. Its
government-funded services include recruitment,
professional development for practice managers
and doctors, and family support.
The business sessions at the Coles Bay Go Rural
event were led by Danny Haydon, National Director
and Treasurer of the Australian Association of
Practice Managers.
Emergency scenario…reviving an infant. Note the two-finger chest compressions.
Medical students James Nolan and Ralley Prentice
take notes during the contracting session.
Expect the unexpected at a Go Rural event.

6. Across the Divide
Health club’s starring role in skills night
StARRH members practising their skills…(from left) Pawan Koirala,
Bernadette De Zylva and Khadijah Nadeem. Picture courtesy
Charles Darwin University.
More than 90 future nurses, doctors and allied health
professionals took part in a clinical skills evening in
Darwin organised by the StARRH Rural Health Club.
They tried their hand at suturing, cannulation,
physio taping and making pharmacy creams at the
Casuarina campus of Charles Darwin University.
The event attracted students from Charles Darwin
and Flinders NT as well as James Cook University
students on placement in the Top End.
“We’re really grateful to the professionals from the
Darwin health community who volunteered their time
to support and supervise the students,” said organiser
and StARRH vice president Khadijah Nadeem.
“The activities gave participants a taste of the skills
that will come in handy once they graduate and
start work in the NT. We also wanted to promote
teamwork and understanding between different
health disciplines.”
StARRH is one of 28 university Rural Health Clubs
that belong to the National Rural Health Students’
Network, which is supported and managed by
Rural Health Workforce Australia.
Media Bites
Collaboration in action with
different student groups
“Rural general practice is full of
variety and is a great choice for
young people who want to make
a difference”
RHWA’s Jo-Anne Chapman speaking to Rex
Airlines magazine.
“Ditching their stethoscopes
and rolling up their sleeves,
24 medical students were ready
to learn the practical side of being
a general practitioner”
WIN TV reporter Jessica Amir introducing her story
about a Go Rural event hosted by Health
Recruitment PLUS Tasmania.
“It’s more than just the money – we
want to let people know the country
is a great place to raise a family
and connect with a community that
values their skills”
NSW Rural Doctors Network CEO, Dr Ian Cameron,
quoted in The Land, 15 May 2014.
“We need to encourage young
people with incentives such as the
Give Them Wings health scholarship,
a partnership between the Royal
Flying Doctor Service Victoria and
Rural Health Workforce Australia”
Columnist Keith Lockwood writing in the Wimmera
Mail Times, 28 February 2014.
“We want to inspire young people
from the country to go on to uni
and study health courses”
RHWA’s Tony Wells speaking about Give Them
Wings in Swan Hill Guardian, 7 March 2014.
“My ultimate goal is to complete
the rural generalist program with
advanced skills in obstetrics”
Medical student Jerry Abraham, co-chair of the
National Rural Health Students’ Network, quoted
in the CareerOne section of the Courier-Mail, 25
January 2014.
The National Rural Health Students’ Network
reaches out across a variety of health disciplines.
It’s the only student body in Australia that
collectively represents people studying medicine,
nursing and allied health. This is a major strength
of the network and is particularly relevant given
the team-based nature of rural and remote
health. Friendships formed at the NRHSN’s Rural
Health Clubs are often the foundations of future
professional networks in the bush. So it’s not
surprising that cooperation and collaboration
underpin the way the NRHSN operates.
This was on show at the NRHSN’s recent Face2Face
student council meeting in Melbourne where other
student associations with an interest in rural health
were invited to take part.
Our picture above shows NRHSN members talking
to Audrey Irish, President of the Australian Dental
Students Association. The photo below is of NRHSN
members with Carol Mudford, Co-President of the
newly created Australian Student and Novice Nurses
Association. Both groups are concerned about a
shortage of graduate training positions in Australia.

Across the Divide 7.
Helping dentists make the move
All for one, and one for all…here’s the team that’s working to bring more dentists to rural and remote
communities. Reps from RHWA and the Rural Workforce Agencies are supporting dentists to go rural
through the federally funded Dental Relocation and Infrastructure Support Scheme. DRISS includes
relocation grants up to $120,000 and the opportunity to apply for infrastructure grants up to $250,000
to help pay for equipment and fit-out of dental facilities. Find out more at www.rhwa.org.au/DRISS
Gippsland benefits from
fly-in kidney specialist
A Celtic touch at
Goolum Goolum
Irish-born GP, Dr Fearon Kelly, recently made
the move to Horsham to work in Aboriginal
health at Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative.
Having lived in Cornwall in England
for 15 years, Dr Kelly is experienced in rural
life. His decision to work in Aboriginal health
has enabled him to experience a completely
different culture in a new location.
Dr Kelly initially moved to Carnarvon, a small rural
town in Western Australia, where he developed
a passion for Aboriginal health. With four doctors
working at the local practice, Carnarvon was
relatively well serviced. Dr Kelly then decided to
move to a place of higher need for a GP where
he could develop a stronger continuity of care.
Dr Kelly contacted RWAV through Rural
Health West, the WA Rural Workforce Agency,
and found a ‘perfect placement’ at Goolum
Goolum, where he started work in February
2014. In turn, Goolum Goolum is delighted to
have secured Dr Kelly’s services, having been
trying to recruit a GP for several years.
Life in Horsham provides a great lifestyle
opportunity for Dr Kelly, who has joined the
rowing and running clubs. The local land council
held a specific cultural training course to improve
his understanding of the local Aboriginal culture.
He has started holding regular men’s health
sessions and recently helped with the opening
of another Aboriginal health clinic that sees
both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients.
Picture by: Valeriu Campan, Herald Sun.
Kidney specialist Dr David Hooke is one of the health
professionals who helped deliver more than 194,000
patient services last year through medical outreach
programs run by Rural Workforce Agencies.
Dr Hooke, who is based in Melbourne, is a familiar
face at the dialysis unit at Bairnsdale Regional
Hospital, but his travels also take him as far as Orbost,
Lakes Entrance and Yarram.
Dr Hooke flies his own plane to Gippsland for
these visits and occasionally transports patients to
Melbourne for further treatment. The son of an air
force pilot, he has always had an interest in flying. He
is a Wing Commander in the RAAF Reserve and has
twice been deployed overseas.
In 2002, he worked for one month at the UN Military
Hospital in Dili, East Timor, and from December 2004
to March 2005 worked with the Australian Medical
Detachment, 332 Expeditionary Medical Group, in
Iraq. His unit was awarded a Meritorious Citation in
the 2010 New Year’s Honours.
Dr Hooke normally works at Cabrini in Malvern and
the Monash Medical Centre where he provides renal
medical services. His affinity with the country began
while growing up on a soldier settlement block. These
days he and his wife Wendy have a farm at Neerim
South where they keep cattle and horses.
He was recognised last year for his 17 years of
distinguished service to the Gippsland community
with a Victorian Rural Health Award from RWAV,
Victorian’s not-for-profit Rural Workforce Agency.
The award was presented by Victorian Health
Minister, David Davis.
Twitter
Check out what RHWA has been saying
lately on twitter – or why not join the
conversation with our 4,000+ followers
@RuralHealthOz
Proud to celebrate World Oral Health
Day #WOHD2014 with incentives for
Aussie dentists to #GoRural rhwa.org.
au/DRISS
Plenty of young Australian health
professionals choosing to #GoRural
in WA. Find out why bit.ly/QTAoEV
Celebration of small town culture in
St George QLD bit.ly/S0eMY6 great
stuff by Josh Arnold showcasing
country students #GoRural
Here’s to all the rural docs, nurses,
allied health folk, paramedics & Indig
health mob working this Easter: caring
for their communities
Big twitter welcome to
@HealthWforceQld – attracting &
supporting health professionals
across the Sunshine State
@RuralDoctorsAus enjoyed today’s
catch-up, look forward to continued
work to advance rural health #GoRural
@MabelSurvey @RACGP @amacdt
fortunately it’s more than money that
attracts people to rural medicine –
lifestyle, community, total care
@senbmckenzie thank you for joining
the @RWAVictoria #GoRural group
today in Castlemaine #fantastic

Who we are
and what we do
Rural Health Workforce Australia (RHWA)
is the national peak body for the seven state
and territory Rural Workforce Agencies.
Our not-for-profit Network is committed to
providing a skilled, sustainable health workforce
that meets the needs of Australia’s rural
and remote communities.
Our Network attracts, recruits and supports
health professionals across a geographically
diverse area of 7.5 million square kilometres
with a permanent population of 7 million.
We are also committed to the future
workforce through our support of the
National Rural Health Students’ Network,
which represents 9,000 students who
belong to 28 university Rural Health Clubs.
RHWA is funded by the Australian
Government’s Department of Health to whom
we provide policy and program advice.
The members of the Rural Workforce Agency
Network are the New South Wales Rural
Doctors Network, RWAV in Victoria, Health
Workforce Queensland, the Rural Doctors
Workforce Agency in South Australia,
Rural Health West in Western Australia,
Health Recruitment PLUS Tasmania and
the Northern Territory Medicare Local.
Jules Galliers with a local family who support her work in the community.
Young nurse embraces
remote health
Across Australia in 2012-2013,
our Network:
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Recruited more than 650 new
doctors, nurses and allied health
professionals for rural communities
and Aboriginal Medical Services
Facilitated 194,000 patient services
via outreach specialist teams
Supported 5,800 rural doctors and
2,000 rural practices
Handled 12,000 inquiries from
health professionals
Arranged locum relief for 1,000 rural
doctors so they could take a break
Supported 1,800 rural doctor families
Provided crisis support to 81 doctors
Engaged hundreds of medical,
nursing and allied health students
in positive rural experiences such
as rural high school visits, Rural
Health Club activities and Go Rural
career events.
It’s her fifth field trip to Arnhem Land, and registered
nurse Jules Galliers is kicking back in Maningrida,
a remote community 500km east of Darwin.
The weather is beltingly hot, the Arafura Sea is a
beautiful azure blue and she’s just helped airlift a
patient with complications from badly crusted scabies.
Such a contrast: tropical paradise and health conditions
that wouldn’t be tolerated in southern cities.
But it’s the perfect combination for Jules who is
happy to be using her skills to make a difference
where the need is greatest. Since landing a job
earlier this year with non-profit organisation
One Disease, she has been visiting places like
Maningrida running skin health clinics.
The aim is to eliminate
scabies. Left untreated,
the scabies mite causes
a terrible itch and constant
scratching can create sores
that become infected and
ultimately lead to serious conditions such as acute
rheumatic fever and long-term kidney problems.
It’s rife in remote Indigenous communities where
as many as 7 in 10 children have had scabies
before their first birthday.
“Seeing the number of health issues remote
communities face makes me even more motivated
to work with Indigenous people of all ages and
support them to lead healthier lives,” says Jules.
Originally from south of Perth, Jules’s journey to the
Top End started at university when she got involved
with the National Rural Health Students’ Network.
“Seeing the number of health
issues remote communities face
makes me even more motivated…”
Her studies took her to the University of Notre
Dame’s Broome campus where she became
president of the KRASH Rural Health Club, one
of 28 clubs that belong to the student network.
The club runs events with a positive rural focus,
takes part in Indigenous festivals and organises
activities such as clinical skills workshops.
While in Broome, Jules successfully applied for
the Northern Territory Medicare Local’s Rural High
School Visits Program. This takes Rural Health Club
members to schools where they promote healthy
living and talk about health careers with local
children. Participants also get to visit health clinics
in either the Top End or Central Australia.
This experience cemented
Jules’s desire to pursue
a career in remote health.
And two years later, here
she is in Maningrida.
And now, with the week’s
work done, she’s staying on for the weekend so
she can attend a local football match where she’ll
be barracking for the Crocodiles (not the real ones,
but the Baru Football Club).
“The side benefits of remote nursing are
amazing – it’s a privilege to sit down and yarn
with people about their lives and their families.
Plus you get to experience some beautiful
country,” says Jules who is now a proud NRHSN
Alumni member.
If you’re a health student, start your rural health
journey by connecting with the NRHSN and its
Rural Health Clubs www.nrhsn.org.au
rural health workforce
Contact us
Rural Health Workforce Australia
Suite 2, Level 5, 10 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004
Telephone 03 9860 4700
Facsimile 03 9820 8383
Email info@rhwa.org.au
Web www.rhwa.org.au
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