Rural

By Dr David RivettBeing a rural GP with hospital rights is a highly satisfying and challenging career path and despite all the gloom and doom about doctor shortages, I am certain many of tomorrows doctors will find it gets under their skin once they give it a go.

I am pecking away at a keyboard having just completed a Sunday ward round. The mix of patients has been stimulating. Two non-STEMIs to find coronary care beds for, a recurrent conscious VT, several CCFs, several infective exacerbations of COAD, several exacerbations of chronic renal failure due to sepsis, some post CVA patients recovering, a PUO, a gross cellulitis, a severe mastitis, a few fractures, and some mental health patients and alcoholics detoxing. Just an average group - many ageing with multiple co-morbidities, but all thankful to be getting treatment close to home.

Job satisfaction is high among rural GPs and this stems from multiple factors aside from the enjoyment of a clinical smorgasbord of multiple illnesses. Being part of a clinical team that supports one another is a large positive, and being fairly paid under the RDA NSW award is another.

The RDA NSW award, unlike the MBS, is indexed annually by an honest formulary, so that rebates rise as practice costs rise. This results in a rise of 1-2 per cent p.a. greater than the phony MBS indexation formula and, over time, this has added up such that consultation rebates now stand above 150 per cent of the MBS.

Other attractions of life outside the urban confines are many. One does not spend hours in traffic commuting. When one does visit the city it is usually for serious fun or education upgrades, often well subsidised by Federal grants. One gets a sense of belonging in rural communities, unlike suburbia where all too often one’s neighbor is a stranger. Raising kids in a rural environment is a positive for the whole family, even if higher education means a return to the city.

Recreational pursuits are many and varied. Just last week I had an entertaining start to the day with my new stud bull having injured his penis in some rough sex. The vet advised me to apply a steroid and antibiotic cream to the injured part for a week. Further, he advised a daily application of sunscreen to prevent sunburn to the portion unable to retract. Fortunately for me, cloud cover and rain negated the need for a morning application of sunscreen. ‘Ken’, the bull, has now fully recovered and is back in action. And, yes, I did maintain proper hand hygiene. And, yes, we are now best mates.