The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has recognised two exceptional people for their contribution to general practice in rural and remote Australia, a general practice registrar and medical student.
The RACGP Rural Registrar of the Year Award and Medical Student Bursary awards will be presented as part of GP16 – The Conference for General Practice, taking place in Perth this week.
2016 RACGP Rural Registrar of the Year Award
Dr Fintan Andrews based at a practice in the WA coastal town of Broome has been awarded the 2016 RACGP Rural Registrar of the Year Award.
The award is presented to a general practice registrar who has demonstrated a deep commitment to rural general practice, learning and education and service to rural patients and rural communities.
Dr Ayman Shenouda, Chair of RACGP Rural, said that Fintan’s passionate commitment to rural and remote general practice was admirable and made him a worthy recipient of the award.
“Dr Andrews is completing a Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP) and is in his second year of general practice training in Broome, this plus his diploma in obstetrics make him ideally suited to be a rural GP,” Dr Shenouda said.
“Fintan is passionate about the extraordinary challenges presented in rural general practice and is stimulated by the variety and complexity of the work involved.”
2016 RACGP Rural Medical Student Bursary
Maeve Barlo, a final year medical student from the University of Western Australia, will be presented tonight with the 2016 RACGP Rural Medical Student Bursary.
The award is presented to a medical student who is a member of a student rural health club at an Australian university who has completed an essay on a topic chosen by the RACGP.
This year’s essay topic asked students to discuss how the landscape of rural primary healthcare is changing with the increasing use of digital technology and social media in media practice.
Dr Ayman Shenouda said Ms Barlow’s essay is a creative and thoughtful muse on how the Australia of 2036, where digital medicine is omnipresent, will judge the challenges and opportunities facing us today.
“Ms Barlow paints an optimistic and exciting picture of a future that has solved many of the teething problems of rural digital medicine where all Australians have access and an understanding of the best of digital medicine,” Dr Shenouda said.
“I sincerely hope Maeve’s vision develops into a reality, it certainly would make a hugely positive difference to the nation’s rural health,” he said.
GP16 – the RACGP’s annual conference for general practice – runs from September 29 - October 1 2016 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Visit the GP16 website for more information.