Insurance claims: what you and your patients need to know
November 9, 2017
Kicking career goals
November 9, 2017
NEWS
The recent emphasis on doctors’ health and wellbeing has shone a spotlight on the importance of having your own GP.
HOWEVER, for doctors-in-training – particularly those working away from home on rotation – visiting their regular GP can be difficult.
With this in mind, AMA (NSW) started a directory of GPs who are interested in taking on doctors as patients.
We’re hoping this directory will provide easier access of care for junior doctors and remove some of the barriers that may prevent medical professionals from seeking help when they need it.
Within hours of inviting members to sign up to the directory, AMA (NSW) received dozens of responses from willing GPs. Among them was Dr Victoria McCartney, a GP in Nowra.
Dr McCartney recently attended a GPTEC conference in Sydney which featured a presentation from Dr Leanne Rowe, who discussed the importance of hospital-based doctors having their own GP.
This echoed her own experiences with medical students and doctors-in-training who work at her rural hospital for three, six and 12 months at a time.
“I’m mindful that while many doctors might have their own GP, while they are here they might be quite dislocated from that support service, and also from family. So in rural and regional areas where doctors are seconded there probably needs to be an extra effort to make sure they can locate some services that are open to them. So I was delighted that AMA (NSW) thought to get a registry going so there was a bit more of an apparent preparedness of GPs to take up this cause.”
Dr McCartney’s own son is currently a resident, and she notes that in some ways young doctors today face greater pressures than their predecessors.
“One difference is there is a lot more variation in age, so there’s a lot of pressure to get through and start earning money to be the family breadwinner. Also, health is more complex and their role within the hospital is more complex.”
In light of recent mandatory reporting discussion, Dr McCartney notes that, “If someone is looking after their health in an appropriate way that’s not an impaired doctor, that’s a sensible doctor.”
If you’re interested in joining AMA (NSW)’s registry, please fill out your information here.