I spent my second semester of 2021, or 17 weeks, at the Breed St Clinic in Traralgon. In this time, I ‘parallel consulted’ which meant two days a week, I had my own list of patients. This was the first time I’ve seen my own patients and it felt like diving into the deep end of a pool. It was just me, what scraps of knowledge I could dredge up from one very COVID affected clinical year, and my patient. I blundered blindly through my first few days reassured that after each of these frankly terrifying encounters, my supervising GP would step into the room and cover anything I had missed/couldn’t do myself. With each consultation, I learned something new, about clinical medicine and about the type of doctor I want to be. By the end of the semester, rather than basically having to re-do the consultation, my supervisors would listen to my handover and management plan and agree.
This placement also made me, for the first time, feel like this career I had chosen was right for me. There’s something special about having ownership and clinical responsibility for a patient and then doing a good job for them. I wanted to spend that extra time finding a psychologist with their books open or squeezing in an appointment at the end of my day. It renewed my love for medicine which had been worn down by over a year of zoom classes and lockdowns. This placement also well and truly substantiated the stereotype that patients are nicer in the country. All of my appointments ended with ‘thank you’s or even better, a compliment about me to my supervisor. It also stood me in remarkably good stead for my OSCEs which were all on conditions I had seen and managed in my own patients.
I’d be remise to neglect to mention what it’s like living in Traralgon. Most importantly, with low COVID-19 case numbers in rural Victoria, I lived under less strict restrictions than my colleagues in Melbourne. This meant I was able to enjoy the many cafes and restaurants Traralgon has to offer – my favourite being ‘Food and Co’ which offered a lovely garden to study and sip coffee in. I also became a regular at the local gym and nods and smiles from other regulars made me feel like part of the community, and a gym buff. I lived in student accommodation which was an adventure in and of itself. I was living with three other medical students who I met for the first time when I moved into the house. These three strangers became a place to debrief after a long day, my study group and my friends.
I can’t recommend rural general practice more highly – I have learned more in this rotation than any others, felt like part of the community and experienced a taste of the rural lifestyle. I express my sincere gratitude to the RACGP Rural Bursary for allowing me to share my experiences and fund my placement.