GPs advocate diversity and benefits of general practice

Dr Michael Azzi is a GP in Western Sydney, but his job can look very different, depending on which day you see him.
 
He splits his time between working in general practice and volunteering for Street Side Medics, a mobile medical clinic for those experiencing homelessness.
 
Dr Rachel Van Zetten is also a GP but works 3400 kilometres away in the remote town of Esperance in Western Australia, spending her time seeing patients across a general practice and hospital setting.
 
They are two of several GPs participating in the RACGP’s ‘Become a GP’ campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the diversity and benefits of a career in general practice and rural generalism.
 
‘General practice can be one of the most fulfilling, but also the most flexible careers in medicine and it allows you to shape your work around your passions,’ Dr Azzi told newsGP.
 
‘You have the privilege of caring for entire families, from newborns to younger married couples, all the way up to elderly grandparents.
 
‘You get to manage the wide variety of conditions like acute illnesses, chronic disease management, preventative care, and I also have a strong interest in things like workplace injury management and musculoskeletal medicine – you can really build your own focus.’
 
For both Dr Azzi and Dr Van Zetten, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a GP is continuity of care.


Dr Michael Azzi volunteering at Street Side Medics.
 
‘I can see a patient in general practice, I might see my own patient in emergency, and then I’m admitting them to that ward,’ said Dr Van Zetten.
 
‘You see a problem or an issue or a person from the start and you have time to follow that through and look at that in evolution and you know where that person sits. You just don’t see them for their disease or their diagnosis.
 
‘Instead of being systems focused and thinking about the lungs or the heart, I’ve got the whole person at mind and people really appreciate that.’
 
Just last week, the RACGP welcomed a long list of workforce and training funding pledges from the Albanese Government ahead of the looming Federal Election.
 
This included $265.2 million to expand GP training with 200 additional training places per year from 2026, growing to 400 by 2028, $204.8 million to fund salary incentives for junior doctors to specialise in general practice, and $43.9 million to provide paid parental leave and study leave for GP trainees.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said previously that the college remains committed to building a strong general practice workforce which sets the next generation of GPs up for success.
 
‘What this means is removing the barriers for doctors choosing general practice as a career, providing support to GPs and advocacy so that we are valued and want to remain in the workforce,’ he said.
 
‘[We are] preparing us for the future health system through claiming our scope or adapting to changing technology and finally making sure the rest of the health system is able to function with the growing focus on general practice.’
 
Applications are now open for the 2026 Australian General Practice Training Program, closing on 8 April 2025.
 
More information is available on the RACGP website.
 
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