Internship Guide 2020

No matter where you go as an intern in a lot of ways you will do the same job. There will be good things you
will like doing, and there will be bad things you don’t like doing. The choice to go rural has less to do with the
work you will do, and more to do with the environment in which you will do it.
Tamworth is a fantastic environment to intern in. In terms of lifestyle, there are some big draw cards. Parking
is free and bountiful, rent is super cheap and the commute just doesn’t exist. Tamworth has a club for every
sport known to man (even a bouldering gym), numerous spots to brunch, the trivia is on point and nothing is
ever more than 10 minutes away. I love every single one of these things, but none of them are why I chose to
go to Tamworth.
I went to Tamworth because I knew at Tamworth I would be cared for, supported and respected. No matter
where you go, starting internship is a super stressful experience. But at Tamworth, you aren’t just another
number in the multitude of new interns. Tamworth is small enough that you are truly visible, which means your
cares, concerns and struggles are seen, heard and cared about. The staff genuinely care about our wellbeing
and our concerns and I have never felt like there was no one to turn to. If you need help, it will be given. Our
education is prioritised, we don’t work nights as JMO’s, our overtime is paid, and we receive all our ADO’s.
In fact, our amazing JMO manager also will by default roster ADO’s to Monday’s or Fridays for sneaky long
weekends. Being a smaller group of junior doctors means you quickly become close with all the people you
work with, so you always have a friend around to share the good and bad with.
While Tamworth is small enough for you to get seen, it’s also big enough to offer great clinical exposure.
Tamworth Hospital covers all major departments and will give you exposure to a wide range of patients at
different stages of illness and disease. I started on orthopaedics, and within a few weeks I had already had
opportunities to go to theatre and clinics that no one I know on orthopaedics in a metropolitan centre has had.
If you are interested in surgery, there will be opportunities to go to theatre. If you are more physician orientated,
Tamworth is well staffed with many well-respected physicians, including multiple national examiners.
Tamworth ED department is well known for being great to train in. Basically, no matter what you want to do
you can’t go wrong. And the hospital staff, from the admin, the DPET and the staff specialists, will be wanting
to support you in those ambitions all the way. People who intern at Tamworth have gone on to be accepted
into SRMO jobs all across the country (including major metropolitan centres like Sydney and Melbourne) and
to nearly every training pathway.
If you intern rurally, I genuinely believe you will come out the other side a strong, more competent and more
experienced doctor than your metropolitan peers. But importantly, I also believe that you’ll have a lot of fun as
well.
Dr Rachel Henderson
Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital (PGY1)
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