Ariah Steel is a GP registrar working in the Murrumbidgee Rural Generalist Training Pathway, which suits her specific skills to work as a rural GP.
The training program ensures that the GPs are trained to deal with a range of situations you may face on a day-to-day basis, working in a regional health environment.
Under the Murrumbidgee Local Health District program, Dr Steel works three days a week in GP clinic, one day in the local hospital emergency department and is on the on-call roster.
Dr Steel says the program allows her to interact more closely with patients, providing them with excellent, holistic care.
“The best thing is I may see a patient who has come into emergency over the weekend and instead of referring them back to their GP during the week, I am the GP they follow up with when I am working in the clinic.”
Dr Steel rotates through a number of hospitals and GP clinics throughout the local health district on a four-to-six-year contract.
The employment contract is just one of the reason’s the program has been a success, but the main reason is the training and variety and challenges it provides to these junior GPs.
Ariah grew up in Sydney and attended Notre Dame University, but she is staying
in regional NSW.
“I travelled an hour and a half to get to uni every day for six years, whereas now in Deniliquin I live a one-minute walk away from work,” Ariah said.
“Not only that, I really love having diversity in my role and would hate to be doing the same thing every day.
I love that working here I get to work in the ED, I work in the clinic, I do some obstetrics work, I love the variety.
“I love the community. Every morning you go for a walk with the dogs, you go to the same coffee shop, everyone knows you.
“You develop really good relationships with people in the community.”
For more information about the program, go to https://youtu.be/dkc636pwAUk.
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