AMAV VICDOC SUMMER 2023 - Magazine - Page 59
ADVICE TO YOUNG DOCTORS
CONSIDERING PRACTISING IN
REGIONAL OR RURAL VICTORIA
—
Get out there and try it. Find the community that
is the right fit for you and where you feel supported.
The camaraderie between people in regional and rural
areas is particularly special and help is only a phone
call away. There are so many guidelines and other
forms of assistance for you; and you will be challenged
medically and professionally rather than referring cases
off to someone else around the corner. This builds
your confidence, and it does feel that you are making
a difference to patients’ lives. We are certainly still
close to our friends in Melbourne, so you need not
worry about missing social activities. If we want to go
to shows, then we make a day trip or a weekend of it.
Above all country Victoria offers so many beautiful
areas if you are into bushwalking or into water sports.
It is a gorgeous place to live.
CONTINUED FUTURE ADVOCACY
REQUIRED TO IMPROVE RURAL
AND REGIONAL HEALTHCARE
—
In rural general practice, the financial rewards are
not as great compared to other members of the
medical profession. The bulk billing rebate has not
kept pace with inflation, and it is now at a level
where it is impossible to run a quality practice and
bulk bill everyone. Unfortunately, many people in
rural communities are from lower socio-economic
backgrounds and cannot afford to pay some of the
full private fees. It is exceedingly difficult to bill
these patients when you know their situations.
So, the federal government really needs to
invest in that area.
Also, the medical profession needs to respect
general practice and rural general practice particularly.
It is often perceived as an easier career option
when in fact, it is not. I can see why young doctors
might believe that being a specialist in a big city
hospital attracts prestige and money. The medical
profession needs to change this. Our universities
need to demonstrate it - because medical students
and graduates spend a lot of time in big city hospitals
and they think that is what medicine is about but a
lot of the important work actually happens in the
community and in primary care and I don’t think
we see enough of that when we’re being educated.
TRANSITIONING TO RETIREMENT
—
Prior to COVID, I had a retirement plan. I wanted
to pull back my hours. I reduced my days in general
practice to 3 days a week and I planned to stop my
VMO work at the hospital, along with the on-call
work, and doing births in the middle of the night.
I wanted to slowly transition into retirement,
although I had no definite idea about when the
point of retirement would be reached.
However, life happens when you are making
other plans and during COVID, I was diagnosed
with breast cancer. Treatment caused me to stop
work completely and afterwards, I did not feel
inclined to go back. I discovered that my posttreatment energy levels were low and unpredictably,
I found that I did not miss medicine as much as
I had expected. This really surprised me because
it had been my whole life for 40 years. I had the
realisation that I was moving on. I thought,
“I have done all that. It is behind me and now
it is time to do something else.” So, on reflection
the cancer diagnosis and treatment were the
turning point. It made the decision for me
and my thoughts and readiness for retirement
naturally evolved from there.
ADVICE FOR DOCTORS CONSIDERING
THE TRANSITION TO RETIREMENT
—
Transitioning to retirement can be overwhelming
of course but it can help doctors approaching this
time to think about the range of skills they have.
Are there things you are enthusiastic about that can
be developed? What are the new ways that you can
continue to connect and contribute and do the things
that you might not have had time for in the past.
For me, being a grandmother and spending time
with my grandchildren is important and I have
the time to do that now. As I get more energy,
I will explore what I can do volunteering within
the community as well.
I have met other retired people, and I have the
time to invest in and develop new friendships.
Together, we have been making sure that we keep
our bodies and brains active. I am relearning how
to play the piano, attending French classes, and
doing seniors ballet!
It’s a new chapter and one that I intend to enjoy
as much as I can.
VI CD O C SPRI N G 2022
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