Opening up opportunities for general practice registrars

Receiving her award in 2017, Dr Josie Guyer expressed gratitude and high hopes for her future in general practice.
 
It would seem her career has so far provided success and variety. Continuing her part-time work at the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation medical centre in Campbelltown on the outskirts of Sydney, before moving to a mainstream practice in Liverpool, Dr Guyer is soon to begin a new part-time role as a registrar medical educator with GP Synergy, as well as recently sitting her Fellowship exams.
 
Dr Guyer credits her Growing Strong Award as contributing to growth and building confidence in her career.
 
‘[The award] definitely opened up opportunities for me,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘During the application process for the registrar medical educator [with GP Synergy], the award was acknowledged ... Many people have also told me they recognise me from GP17 when I won the award which has been great.
 
‘I think mostly the award helped me to feel part of great support network, which then enabled me to feel empowered and motivated to persevere with my studying for Fellowship exams.’
 
Despite moving on from Aboriginal health in the interim, Dr Guyer has plans to return.
 
‘I found my work at Tharawal very rewarding, but have since moved into a mainstream practice – mainly to give me broader exposure to different presentations, such as migrant health,’ she said.
 
‘My passion has always been to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and I’m hoping to continue to do so in the future.’
 
When offering advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander general practice registrars, Dr Guyer bases it on her experience.
 
‘I would encourage all registrars to apply for this award, as the knowledge gained from attending the conference was amazing and networking with the other GPs was awesome,’ she said.
 
‘I think it is important to have a plan about your training time in general practice – have a study plan and a time frame of when to sit exams.
 
‘Also, make use of the support available to you such as IGPRN [Indigenous General Practice Registrars Network] and AIDA [Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association]. They offer not only knowledge but mentoring with other GPs, which is invaluable.’
 
The Growing Strong Award was established in 2017 through the generous donation of Dr Nathan Pinskier and Mrs Susan Pinskier, to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander general practice registrars.

Each year, RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health awards a Fellow, member of the RACGP or an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has contributed to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The 2019 awards will be announced at GP19 in October.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander general practice registrar RACGP Awards