Road to Rural GP Program
Medical training opportunities in rural South Australia
Country Health SA Local Health Network (CHSALHN) provides many opportunities for medical trainees to experience life working and living in rural South Australia.
About Country Health SA Local Health Network (CHSALHN)
CHSALHN,is one of the largest Local Health Network regions in Australia. It oversees the rural public health system in South Australia and provides high quality health care to 29.2% of the state's population that reside in rural and remote South Australia. The Country Health network incorporates 65 hospitals and 240 health services sites.
Why train in rural South Australia?
Training in rural South Australia can be a great experience:
"As someone who had never lived in a rural location prior to medical school, I never thought I would leave the city after graduation. I completed a 6-week student rotation in Anaesthesia in Mount Gambier and was immediately drawn to the field of Anaesthesia and the welcoming nature of the staff at the hospital. Although I had already secured an internship in Adelaide, it didn't take much convincing when I was approached to be one of the first cohort of interns at Mount Gambier Hospital.
As much as the fact that a term of Anaesthesia drew me to the Mount, I found that I was provided a well-rounded and unadulterated internship, where medicine was not siphoned into different subspecialties, as it inevitably does in the tertiary hospitals of the city. My clinical judgement was challenged when managing patients with the scarcity of resources in a rural environment and I learnt to appreciate that sending patients to a city for further management is not necessarily in the best interests of the patient.
Professionally, moving to the Mount did not affect my career aspirations. I pursued a career in the popular specialty of Anaesthesia and have succeeded in obtaining my Fellowship. On a personal note, the internship allowed me to have a great work-life balance and I made many friendships within the community that continue to this day.".....Dr Scott Ma, Specialist Anaesthetist, Intern 2006
Opportunities to train and work in rural South Australia
CHSALHN provides opportunities to complete medical training in rural South Australia, during all stages training:
PGY1/Intern Year
During the intern year there are two opportunities to complete training in rural South Australia:
- Intern positions
There are six 12 month internships based at the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service - Prevocational General Practice Placement Program (PGPPP). The PGPPP is funded by Australian General Practice Training
The PGPPP provides well supervised and educational general practice placements for junior doctors. During the 12 month internship, interns are required to complete three core and two non-core rotations. Depending on the parent hospital, a PGPPP placement may count as either a core or non-core rotation. Click here to find out the hospitals that provide PGPPP rotations to rural general practices.
Who to contact and key dates
- Applications for an Internship position open in May each year
- The process is managed by the SA Institute of Medical Education and Training (SAIMET)
- Information on the key dates and process is available at SAIMET
- The PGPPP is managed by the South Australian Regional Training Providers Adelaide to Outback ane Sturt Fleurieu
Registrar
The Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program offered in rural locations provides 3 - 4 years of full time training for registrars to move from general registration to specialist general practitioner registration.
There are over 50 rural and remote South Australian practices that participate in the AGPT. For a complete list of the practices and their location, please refer to Adelaide to Outback and Sturt Fleurieu
Who to contact and key dates
- Applications open in April each year
- The program is managed by the South Australian Regional Training Providers Adelaide to Outback and Sturt Fleurieu
Advanced Skills Training Posts - Anaesthetics and Obstetrics
For General Practitioners wishing to continue their training and gain advanced skills, CHSALHN provides opportunities to compete the Diploma in Obstetrics and the Diploma in Anaesthetics in rural locations. CHSALHN currently offers a Diploma in Obstetrics at Port Augusta Hospital and Gawler Hospital and Diploma in Anaesthetics at the Lyell McEwin Hospital.
Who to contact and key dates
These positions are advertised by SA Health
Please refer to the SA Health Careers website