You’ve probably heard stories about life in rural medicine. Some doctors say it’s the best thing they ever did, by positively enriching their careers. Others worry about the variety of work and whether a rural hospital is a cul-de-sac for their professional development.
So what’s the truth?
Rural medicine isn’t for everyone - but for many Australian doctors it represents one of the most rewarding careers in medicine. It’s not simply a job you turn up to and leave behind at the end of the day. It’s work people fall deeply in love with: broader scope, stronger relationships with patients and communities, and a sense of purpose that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.
Why do doctors fall in love with rural medicine?
For doctors working in rural or regional Australia, it’s all about people and purpose.
This is extremely valuable work, where every individual doctor can make a lasting impact on the health outcomes of real, in-need communities. Doctors are some of the most important professionals in these places, working with families sometimes across generations to improve lives and be there for all those important moments.
Plus, what really excites a lot of rural clinicians is that this isn’t purpose-driven work which requires a sacrifice in salary or career. In fact, rural medicine is often what pushes doctors forward in their profession – giving them access to higher earnings, more diverse case work, more experience and a massive amount of job satisfaction.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a serious difference in people’s lives, leaving your mark on a community while stepping forwards in your career, a permanent or locum rural healthcare position could be for you.
Life in a rural healthcare setting...
What is the hospital culture like?
Every rural community is different, so each placement comes with its own opportunities and challenges.
Larger towns may run similarly to the city hospitals you're used to, depending on the size and the needs of the community, though with less competition for advancement among doctors.
That said, it’s extremely common for rural doctors to work in much smaller facilities. Here, compact teams grow into tight-knit families, where everyone knows everyone and people work collaboratively to solve problems.
In this setting you’re likely to develop very strong working relationships with other experts, and experience more opportunities for growth and advancement – put your hand up for something and you’ll probably get it!
What is the work like?
You might think that you’ll gain less experience as a rural doctor, but this isn’t true – the opportunities are where you make them.
Patients in rural settings often present later, with more complex health concerns, and may come from very diverse backgrounds. This makes for varied work, where you’ll be able to see and do a bit of everything. This should help you to fine-tune your career, advancing your goals more quickly than in a more competitive setting.
What are the hours like?
Rural doctors are usually free to fit their work around their lifestyle (a fact which is especially true for locum doctors).
What hours do you want to work each day? Will you do weekends? What days will you reserve to go on adventures with your family? It’s up to you. After all, rural living is all about living.
What are the patients like?
Doctors are the pillars of any small community, known by everyone and trusted to help with both the little problems, and the big.
They usually find that they build longer-lasting, deeper connections with patients and their families in a rural healthcare setting. This is especially true for clinicians who work in one place for many years, watching babies become children, children become parents and parents become grandparents, supporting them each step of the way.
While there can sometimes be higher rates of healthcare avoidance in rural populations, we find that these communities tend to highly trust their doctors – seeing the same face every time helps them to build that connection with you, and when you’ve developed that trust patients are usually more honest as a result. People care a lot about the doctor they have in a country town.
So, is a career in rural medicine right for you?
A career in rural medicine isn’t right for everyone, but for those who desire greater purpose in their role, love the idea of building deeper connections with their people and place, and who want to advance their career at the same time, it’s an enormous opportunity.
Six reasons to consider a career as a locum or permanent rural doctor:
You’re looking for a new challenge as a doctor in Australia
You want to make an impact
You want to work with more diverse cases
You want to try new experiences and advance your career more quickly
You love the outdoors and feel you’d fit well into a smaller community
You want to earn more as a doctor
How to get rural doctor work in Australia
This part is easy.
All across the country right now, hundreds of communities are in desperate need of experienced healthcare professionals like you. But you don’t need to know how to find them all – that’s why we’re here.
At Prescript Recruitment, we help great doctors find impactful work. But our service is so much more than just recruitment – think of us like your personal concierge, connecting you to new opportunities, organising travel, ensuring you have a car and accommodation, helping you understand what to do when you get there, where your kids might go to school, who you’ll work with, how you’ll keep up your professional development ... and beyond.
Our mission is to make it as easy as possible to do good work in Australia. Want to start creating an impact of your own? Check out the available opportunities today.
hello@prescript.com.au // 1300 755 495
