Dr Danielle Alan

Like most Rural GPs I wear many hats but my most important outside of work include “best Aunty” to my nieces and nephew and “mummy” to my fur baby Pickles – a 2.5yo Mini Poodle.

I currently live and work in the Brisbane Valley. 3 years ago I was diagnosed and treated for stage 3 renal cancer. This significantly impacted on my work and I am now studying towards my Medical Administration fellowship and working as the Deputy Director of Medical Services for West Moreton Health.

For me it is the relationships you build in General Practice through cradle to grave medicine. We are so priviledged to meet and share the very best and the very worst days for our patients. It is about sharing that journey and walking alongside them, helping them to navigate the trials and tribulations they encounter and being a familiar face who holds their best interests at heart.

I was born in the western suburbs of Sydney and spent some of my teenage years in Rural northern NSW. My family then moved to the Brisbane Valley in 2001.

I was a travel agent for 10years before I decided it was time to grow up and get a real job. I then studied nursing and worked as a Rural RN in the South Burnett. My dad was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in the last semester of my nursing degree and I helped care for him. Just prior to him dying he gave each of his 4 daughters a task to complete for him. He had always wanted to be a mechanic but didn’t think he was smart enough so ended up driving trucks. My task was to sit the GAMSAT – he didn’t care if I passed or failed, the task was to not die wondering. The rest as they say is history and from the time I entered Medical school I was always going to be a rural doctor.

Again, the connections that you make. As a GP Registrar I worked at several practices including in Esk, Highfields and Fernvale. I had a group of patients that followed me between all 3 practices driving up to 1hr or more to see me.

I think the biggest thing for me is knowing that I can make a difference because I know the patient and they know me. When you encounter a GP patient in the emergency department and the patient and their family know you, you know them there is a trust and connection that you cant develop any other way.

This particular highlight involved a GP patient who presented to the emergency department of the rural hospital. I knew him well as he was my patient. He presented on a Saturday morning with a 5 day history of altered taste and gastro symptoms. He had a fever, rigors and was dehydrated. I took some bloods, started fluids and admitted him for observation. A few hours later his blood work results revealed a significant neutropenia and an acute AKI. He was transferred to our referral centre where he stayed for 4 days. I was following up his results as there was no discharge summary and noted his platelets were <40. Knowing this patient I phoned him to check in and he wasn’t aware of this result, in fact he had been out chopping wood and it was sheer luck that he had reception. I asked him to see me the next day to repeat his bloods. On those results we had 3 blood lines decreased and he was diagnosed with a rare Leukemia. Because it was caught early and referred early to haematology he was able to make a full recovery.

I want to be a strong voice for our rural General Practice New Fellows. I want to ensure that the transition from registrar to fellow is smooth and well supported. I want to advocate for our rural patients and communities to ensure they are not left behind or forgotten in the decision made at a federal level.

My registrar training journey was longer than most. I had lived in my rural community for 10 years prior to graduating medical school. I knew I wanted to work in this community and took an appointment as a MORPP working both in the hospital and general practice. The General Practice here was privately owned and so it was not as simple as working for 1 boss. I also had issues with supervision standards and so made the decision to complete my GP training at a more supportive practice 1 hr away. This meant that my training time was part time and the time I was working in our small rural hospital was not counted as there was no supervisor onsite. I could have left my community to complete training sooner but that would have meant leaving the community without a regular doctor at the hospital and reliant on a locum workforce.

I completed my training with an amazing practice closer to my home and continued to work in both hospital and General Practice. I took on the role of Clinical Director for 4 rural services and still worked as a GP and medical officer in the hospitat. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with Stage 3 renal cancer requiring surgery and immunotherapy. I suffered with some treatment side effects and unfortunately have not been able to resume my general practice work as yet. I chose to look at other ways I could make a difference and that included taking on the presidency of Rural Doctors Assoc of Qld in 2024/25, joining the RACGP Rural Faculty and now undertaking my fellowship in Medical Administration.