Mastery: General practice is a profession that tests all of your skills as a doctor. Some days, you find yourself immersed in your community, helping out with all of the things that make life happen. Other days, you feel like Sherlock Holmes, investigating and noticing the little things other people don’t and piecing together signs to get to the right diagnosis.

Autonomy: Being a GP is empowering. You get to be involved in many different areas of medicine and make a positive impact on a huge variety of people. You can choose the areas you enjoy or that interest you most and further specialise, in rural health, obstetrics and gynaecology, aerospace medicine, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health or refugee health, to name a few.

Add in the flexibility of being in demand wherever you go, the balance of life and career, and perhaps one day owning your own business.

Purpose: General practice is complex, subtle and rewarding. No other medical specialisation challenges you in the same way while putting you squarely in the heart of your community, helping such a diverse range of patients. You form deep connections with people and make a huge difference where it matters most. For many doctors, general practice is the essence of why they got into medicine in the first place.