First Rural Generalist Fellows awarded

Five South Australian doctors were the first to receive official recognition through the college’s new Rural Generalist (RG) Fellowship last weekend.
 
At a ceremony, the first Rural Generalist Fellows received certificates confirming their success from RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements.
 
He congratulated the new fellows, and said he has no doubt they will go on ‘to do great things serving their rural communities across South Australia’.
 
The new qualification, which was introduced this year in place of the previous Fellowship in Advance Rural General Practice (FARGP), provides specialist GPs with additional skills for working in more isolated communities.
 
These include emergency medicine and surgery, as well as in mental health treatment, obstetrics, child health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and internal medicine.
 
Associate Professor Clements said the careers made possible through the Rural Generalist Fellowship are ‘extremely rewarding’.
 
As well as the chance to expand emergency and surgical skills, it offers GPs the chance to develop ‘very fulfilling’ patient relationships, according to Associate Professor Clements.
 
‘You get excellent opportunities to provide holistic care and see the results of your work in the community, from caring for patients from birth to adulthood, to seeing older patients’ health improve with your advice, such as managing chronic conditions,’ he said.
 
Two of the new Fellows are husband and wife Dr Gerard Considine and Dr Melanie Considine, who work as GPs in neighbouring towns – Burra and Clare respectively – in rural South Australia.
 
Dr Melanie Considine expressed a similar view to Associate Professor Clements.
 
‘Probably the most gratifying feature of rural practice is the long-term relationships that you can build with your patients,’ she said.
 
‘You truly get to know them and their families, in the context of the local community and so you can tailor their care to be more appropriate for them as individuals.’
 
Another new Fellow, Dr Susie Keynes, is now working as a rural generalist with the Royal Flying Doctor Service based in Port Augusta and flies out to conduct clinics in remote areas.
 
Dr Keynes said her job, which combines primary care, emergency care and obstetrics, also involves building relationships in areas where health services are scarce.
 
‘I was nearly born on a Royal Flying Doctor Service [RFDS] plane, so when I had an opportunity to join the RFDS, it just grabbed me,’ she said.
 
‘I really like the mix of primary healthcare and emergency care which requires you to be able to adapt, and I’ve been able to build connection with communities that have a hard time getting connected to healthcare.
 
‘The lower visibility of general practice has been heartbreaking, but it’s where the longitudinal work of keeping people healthy happens.’
 
She was unable to go to the ceremony in person.
 
The other new fellows were Dr Chirag Patel, who is based in Whyalla, and Dr Laura Sharley from Victor Harbour, who was also unable to be present.
 
Associate Professor Clements says with the chronic workforce shortages, there are many more areas where GPs with advanced rural skills would be warmly welcomed.
 
‘As rural GPs, we are highly valued by our communities,’ he said
 
‘Our Rural Generalist Fellowship is a fantastic option for doctors working in rural areas who want to expand their skills and experience more variety, or doctors who want to move from the city for a career with a high-impact and a focus on holistic community health.’
 
Launched on 1 July this year, the Fellowship is designed to facilitate training and help make rural generalism a more attractive career choice.
 
The training offered was updated to line up with the National Rural Generalist Pathway, part of a $62.2 million Federal Government commitment set out in 2019–20 to train and retain more rural generalists.
 
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