Medical students, interns and RMOs

>> Gia Cavalieri, intern, Mackay Base Hospital:

I grew up in a small town called Port Fairy in south west Victoria which is a quaint little town on the coast. My first exposure to medicine was just getting to know the GPs of that town.

>> Kay Mbalamweshi, medical education registrar, Mackay Base Hospital:

When my family moved to Australia we moved to Adelaide and that's where I did my undergrad. Part of the reason why I've stayed at Mackay is because of the rotations that I've gotten. You work with these really fun people where you learn it's not just about how you put the needle but it's about the song and dance you do before you put the needle in.

>> Marie Tran, intern, Bowen Hospital:

It is awesome to be in a rural area. There's a lot more autonomy and responsibility and we're programmed to do everything we can where we are.

>> Jacqueline Liaw, intern, Bowen Hospital:

Often you are the first line doctor, you manage them from the get-go. That also boosts confidence and clinical reasoning.

>> Shivam Khanna, intern, South Side Medical, Mackay:

I guess there's more opportunity to step up in a smaller hospital than there would be in a larger hospital.

>> Shawn Steckle, intern, Mackay Base Hospital:

Mackay's the gold nugget of Queensland that no-one knows about. There's lots of opportunities if you're willing to work hard this is a place you're going to advance yourself very fast.

>> Gia Cavalieri:

I was fortunate enough to spend the first 7 months working in Proserpine. I think just the variety here, it's just fantastic.

>> Jacqueline Liaw:

You see different things everyday, like tropical diseases. We do get cases that are severe.

>> Shawn Steckle:

You hear about it coming in and you get excited like oh, that's going to be a shark bite, this is going to be really interesting.

>>Gia Cavalieri:

Lots of irukandji stings in summer, which I had never heard of before moving up to Queensland.

>> Shivam Khanna:

It sounded like it was something weird and wonderful, kept us guessing for days.

>> Shawn Steckle:

Certainly lots of snake bites, I'm sure that's a much higher rate than down south. Thankfully none of them have actually been envenomated bites.

>> Marie Tran:

Oh wow, it's like here's some rheumatic heart disease, like I thought that never existed except for in the books. But it's like nope, up here it's pretty common.

>> Gia Cavalieri:

It's been really good to have a dedicated day every week to sit down and have a diadactic teaching session about a particular topic, or it could be a simulation session.

>> Kay Mbalamweshi:

We're trying to encourage a lot more on the ward learning, a lot more individual learning.

>> Shivam Khanna:

I feel like the culture's such that people want to help you.

>> Gia Cavalieri:

The team there is not just a team but they turn into your family.

>> Marie Tran:

The water's so inviting it's like a magnet.

>> Shawn Steckle:

We did the horse shoe loop in Bowen. The bay area is beautiful.

>> Shivam Khanna:

We live in a beautiful area. I've been to Finch Hatton a few times as well to swim in the gorge.

>> Kay Mbalamweshi:

There's a particular beach that I really love and I take a hammock and I will stay there for an entire afternoon.

>> Shivam Khanna:

And of course we live right next to Airlie Beach, the Whitsunday Islands nearby.

>> Marie Tran:

I love blowing ring bubbles. It's like my favourite thing to do.

>> Gia Cavalieri:

The lifestyle is a huge factor. I can ride to work if I want to. I don't have to drive like for a hour. It's just a much more pleasant way to live I think.

>> Kay Mbalamweshi:

I really like dancing. I chose the rock'n'roll group because they're just so much fun.

>> Shivam Khanna:

I've made some new friends that I'll have for the rest of my life by coming here.

>> Gia Cavalieri:

I honestly couldn't have picked a better way to kick off this career.

[Text on screen: To discover your medical training opportunities at Mackay Hospital and Health Service visit nqrth.edu.au.]

[Mackay Hospital and Health Service logo and Queensland Government logo appears on screen]

[Text on screen: This video was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health as part of the Regional Training Hubs initiative. Produced in partnership with norther Queensland health care providers and James Cook University.]

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