Background
General practitioners are ideally placed to address drug and alcohol problems in the Australian population. Lack of adequate undergraduate and postgraduate training has been suggested as a key barrier limiting their involvement in addiction medicine.
Objective
This article describes the establishment and operations of an advanced rural skills training program at the Lyndon Community – a rural drug and alcohol treatment organisation in New South Wales.
Discussion
An addiction medicine rotation offers general practice registrars the opportunity to develop skills and experience in psychosocial interventions as well as physical and mental health issues common in the treatment population. Registrars participating in the Lyndon Community program perceived that the training period had influenced and enhanced their future practice.
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