Echuca Regional Health has welcomed five new medical interns to the hospital’s staff.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
On Wednesday, January 22, the interns were in their second week at the hospital, and each of them said they were adjusting well to their busy roles.
Dr Courtney Lowry grew up in Swan Hill and undertook her studies at James Cook University in Townsville.
After graduating, she made the move to Echuca-Moama to be closer to home, and is currently on the surgery rotation.
Dr Lowry said her time as an intern so far had been intense but enjoyable, and that she was fond of the area.
“It was a bit of a struggle trying to find a rental, especially from Queensland,” Dr Lowry said.
“Otherwise, it’s been good. The town’s really nice, and everyone’s been lovely.”
Dr Callista Hansen is from Bendigo and has already spent time at the hospital during placements while studying at University of Melbourne.
Through her time at ERH, Dr Hansen found she enjoyed the rehabilitation ward, and has begun her internship in the same area.
“I’ve had a continuation of my relationship with the hospital, but also the community. It’s been lovely,” she said.
Dr Hansen and her partner have purchased a house in town and intend to stay for the next few years.
Dr Shamin Khan grew up in Singapore, attended medical school at Monash University in Malaysia, and has started her internship in general practice.
While studying, she did two rotations at Bendigo Health, and heard from surgeons at the hospital that ERH was a great place to learn.
“You’re not just doing one thing. You’re putting on multiple hats and doing a lot for patients, a lot of hands-on experience,” Dr Khan said.
Dr Khan has been adjusting to country living, but said her transition into town had been smooth, helped by friendly residents.
“I keep saying this to everyone: everybody’s really, really nice,” she said.
Dr Abdalla Omer is from Sudan, and met Dr Khan during his second year at Monash Malaysia, where they became good friends.
During his placement in Bendigo, Dr Omer was given a tour of ERH and decided to make the move after completing his degree.
“I loved the place, so I really wanted to come here,” Dr Omer said.
During his first week in Echuca, Dr Omer dropped his medical badge while cycling to work, and was chased down by a driver trying to return it to him.
“They were honking at me non-stop, and I was so scared, but they were like, ‘Hey, you dropped your badge’,” he said, with a laugh.
“It’s been absolutely amazing. The townspeople are so nice.”
Dr Omer is currently in the emergency department, which he said had been both challenging and enjoyable.
Dr Rebekah Hallett has lived all across the country, from Sunbury to the Northern Territory, and was part of the rural cohort of medicine at University of Melbourne.
She completed her aged care rotation at ERH, and heard it was a good place to begin a career in medicine.
“There’s opportunities for taking on a bit more management when you’re a junior in a small hospital, versus a big hospital where you can get a bit lost,” Dr Hallett said.
Starting in general medicine has been fun, Dr Hallett said, but has required a lot of concentration due to the amount of paperwork involved in the practice.
The interns will rotate across each practice every 10 to 12 weeks over the next year.
Director of Clinical Training Dr Kate Schultz said ERH’s medical intern program, which has run for over a decade, was integral to the hospital.
Each intern was chosen based on their competence and the opportunity for them to be trained as rural generalists, who are GPs that have training in additional skills.
“I’m a rural generalist obstetrician. So I can do ward rounds, work in the ED, catch babies, do C-sections, and I can stabilise a baby if need be,” Dr Schultz said.
“We’re the most cost-effective practitioners in the country.”
Dr Schultz said the rural generalist model provided the best service for patients in regional communities, partly due to the continuity of care.
“I get to take care of families, see people through their pregnancy, take care of the kids afterwards. I have one family that I take care of four generations of,” she said.
“I reckon it’s the best job in the world.”