Geraldton Health Campus receives five new doctors who will kickstart their careers with 12-month internship

Geraldton Health Campus is one of the WA regional hospitals to receive graduate doctors, with five junior medicos to kickstart their careers with a 12-month internship in the Mid West.

WA Country Health Service (WACHS) welcomed a record number of graduates to become junior doctors in the regions, with 25 medical interns spread over four regional hospitals.

Geraldton Health Campus will receive the largest number of interns ever received, with five graduates in one hit. Other regional hospitals include Bunbury Regional Hospital, Albany Health Campus and Broome Health Campus.

The young doctors attended an orientation on Monday, hosted by WACHS’ medical education unit. As an intern, the junior doctors will be qualified to provide emergency and general medicine, perform general surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics and psychiatry.

Geraldton junior doctors will develop research skills through local audits and short scholarly projects. Successful intern applicants receive a three-year contract and can transfer locations once the internship is completed.

To ease the transition to regional WA, interns receive accommodation subsidies, travel allowances and one-one-one mentor support.

WACHS chief executive Jeff Moffet said he understood workforce pressures were “pretty well-documented” and welcomed the graduates.

“We’ve worked really hard to attract a record number of medical interns and I know these new doctors will be highly valued members of the communities they’re about to live and work in,” he said.

“We’re also committed to fostering their talent and providing them with ongoing professional development opportunities. We know that supporting the next generation of doctors will ultimately support the ongoing health and vitality of country communities.”