What led me to become a GP?
My grandmother was a nurse all of her working life. And so, I think her experience permeated my early childhood.
I studied applied science and then, public policy and management at Melbourne Uni. Got into the Treasury graduate scheme that included, an overseas post into Honiara, the Solomon Islands.
There it's a bit different. Almost everyone is a generalist.
They work in the hospital as well as community clinics.
So reignited my interest in medicine.
I did a rotation called the PGPPP rotation
And that's really what I think cemented my, plans to become a generalist.
You really get to do the fun detective work, working out what's going on with people.
That's really what the crux of primary care is about is keeping well people. Well, and rather than trying to, tighten the screws up as the wheels are wobbling, and they're ending up in the hospital system.
Well, firstly, of course, there's getting through your medical school training sets you up for whichever medical specialty you decide to go into down the, down the track.
In the ACT, I'm what's called an endorsed prescriber for opiate replacement therapy
So we're helping the ACT health specialists who do addiction medicine, to support people in the community who have addiction issues.
I find that's been really rewarding for me, knowing that you can make a real difference in someone's life, getting them from a really vulnerable position reengaging with society and and that's the role of the GP in this.
Is that provided longer term working with the patient through the, through the lifespan really. if you're if the sort of person who likes working with people, you're not afraid of a challenge and, and working with undifferentiated illness. Well, that's where the beauty of general practice is. You get to do all that early detective work.
What's the patient coming to you with what, what else might be going on that they might perhaps not talking about.
And that's our superpower I think is digging a bit deeper below the surface as to what might be going on there to work out what's the what's the way, the best way for, for that particular patient.
That's with you on that day I think. What what keeps me motivated to be is really, longevity with your patients. and it's very rewarding knowing that you're that trusted person in their life. We, we have the privileged position of hearing things that really no one else gets to hear.
Had families now where they've had their babies. The babies have grown up now, the mixture of kids, different ages. The kids have become young mums, young dads, and then through all the way through to elderly aged care. it's really that walking with patients over the longer term and just trying to keep the, well people well and those who are not well, we try and steer the ship back on, on course.