MEDICUS MARCH 2016

O P I N I O N

Country calling

Dr Sophie Doherty Intern, Fiona Stanley Hospital

T he start of the internship year is a scary time for everyone. It suddenly seems as though the past six years of medical school have not actually prepared you for real life as a real doctor. In fact, my entire first week of orientation was spent thinking: “What if I make a terrible doctor?” Last year, when deciding on internship placements, I chose four terms at Albany Health Campus (AHC) as my first preference. This is a hospital I had never visited, and as the big move drew closer, I began to doubt my decision. Was I crazy? After all, I am not bonded, and don’t really have to go bush. What was I doing? I worried that at a crucial point in my career (i.e. the start), I wouldn’t be comforted by the familiar, and would be without the support structures I enjoy here in Perth. However, in spite of my initial fears, I can report that after just over a month here in Albany, I would recommend the move to absolutely anyone. My first term is General Medicine and includes a Monday to Friday timetable with one ward cover shift per week, during which I cover all medical patients in the hospital for four hours on my own, with a senior doctor on call. In addition, I am also a member of the MET team for Code Blues hospital- wide. Certainly, this was a lot to take in while attempting to familiarise myself

with a new hospital and the logistics of the day-to-day operations of a medical team. Daunting as it was at the beginning, I quickly realised that my time at AHC was going to be an amazing learning experience, allowing me some degree of independence while being fully supported and never feeling alone. I have every opportunity to grow my skills in clinical decision-making, with all the support structures in place to ensure I never make a decision with which I feel uncomfortable. The beauty of being placed in a country hospital is not only the total of 10 minutes’ travel time each day (plus saving a bundle on fuel) but also the community that you quickly become a part of given smaller staff numbers. Knowing a majority of the nursing, allied health and administration staff by name and interacting with everyone makes achieving good quality patient care a lot easier. There is great trust between the nursing staff and doctors, something we are able to develop with each passing day. Moreover when someone knows you well, it gives them greater cause to help you if need arises. Just last week, I found myself in a situation with a deteriorating patient who needed to be moved from the ward to a monitored bed in HDU. Orchestrating the MET call, portable X-ray, investigations and immediate

management became a lot easier with the nurse coordinator at my side that day, helping me to manage the situation. While this may seem a small gesture, it reduced my stress, calmed me down and helped ensure that everything was done for this patient in a timely fashion. A smaller hospital and great sense of community among the staff at AHC have helped ease me into life as a junior doctor here. I have excellent support structures and there’s always a familiar face to turn to if I ever find myself out of my depth. I haven’t entirely made up my mind about a future training pathway (at this stage, I don’t believe I am headed down the GP road), however I know that wherever I end up, spending time in a country hospital would definitely be on the agenda. ■ I have every opportunity to grow my skills in clinical decision-making, with all the support structures in place to ensure I never make a decision with which I feel uncomfortable

Continued from page 44

DiTs more than a line of budgetary expenditure

Dr Chris Wilson

administration units on constructive changes that improve patient care, not

just the bottom line. In their employ is a dynamic group of DiTs who should

be seen as an asset, not just a line of budgetary expenditure. ■

M A R C H 2 0 1 6 M E D I C U S 45