I have previously reported to you that during the 2009-10 period RWAV is contracted by the Department of Health & Ageing to recruit and commence into practice 79 GPs and to ensure that 92.6% remain in practice in rural Victoria for at least one year from the date of commencement.

I am very pleased to report that as at 30 April 2010 we have recruited and commenced in practice 79 GPs of which 51 were as full Case Manager and 28 as partial recruitments.

Additionally a further 17 GPs have accepted a position, and are soon to commence resulting in a total of 96 GPs or 122% of the annual target.  A further 10 GPs have passed assessment and are seeking a position and another 128 GPs are booked in for assessment.

Our work is not done by simply placing a doctor in a practice. If the placement is managed correctly and there is enough continued support, the retention prospects are strengthened. Encouragingly, in 2008–09 RWAV had a 93% GP retention rate.

These are terrific results for the health of rural communities in Victoria.

Claire Austin
Chief Executive

For a more detailed view of the map above, click here.

Team Recruitment

It’s no secret that navigating the paths, paperwork and processes to work in general practice is complex at the best of times.

RWAV’s recruitment team includes Jennifer Hobbs and Alex Bodor who have significant medical recruitment experience.  Jennifer and Alex work with medical doctors from Australia and overseas to assess their suitability to work in rural general practice and identify the appropriate pathway into Victorian general practice.

Alex reflects on his candidate placements. “When it comes to placing doctors into Victorian general practices it’s more than eligibility, it’s also about suitability to the environment and conditions of the practice.”

“It is not enough to just place a doctor into a practice. Much more needs to be done behind the scenes to ensure doctors and practices fit together.  It is like putting pieces of the puzzle together to get the right picture”, said Alex.

Understanding the appropriate pathways into general practice is one of the much needed skills of medical recruiters.  The paperwork, the policy requirements and meeting statutory regulations are just some of the important work carried out at RWAV. 

Jennifer recounts the mix when considering candidates for placement. “The case management approach we take to candidates is our team’s number one rule.  It is very rewarding to find the right doctor for a Victorian rural community in need.”

Tips to make a recruitment difference

Recruiting GPs into rural practice is challenging and competitive - rarely is a doctor only considering one practice when looking for a position. Pam Audrins, RWAV’s vacancy case manager imparts some of the tips for preparing to meet a doctor.

BE PREPARED

• Time and effort is required to attract a doctor
• The key to success is good preparation

Use PRACTICE VISITS to “sell” your practice and location and to learn as much as possible about the visiting doctor.

• Ensure all doctors and appropriate staff members make the time meet and welcome the visiting doctor (and family) and the doctor is given a practice tour identifying the assigned consulting room.
• Arrange a formal interview to discuss the position in detail and clarify expectations. Communicating detailed accurate information clearly reduces the chance of later contractual disputes.
• Organise an informal lunch, morning or afternoon tea to enable both you and the visiting doctor to assess the cultural “fit”.  If possible, arrange an overnight stay for the visiting doctor (and family) and an evening meal with at least some of the practice GPs and their families.
• Take the doctor on a tour of the local hospital and allied health organisations, with introductions where possible to relevant staff.  
• Provide the doctor (and family) with a tour of the locality highlighting schools, suitable housing and community and sporting facilities.

Provide a DRAFT CONTRACT for the doctor to take away and consider. Be upfront and very clear about the terms of employment, income package and incentives that are on offer.  And just remember that your effort may be the difference in securing the doctor.

RWAV has helpful information sheets with guidelines to organising practice visits and introducing new doctors into your practice. We also provide assistance with preparations for a practice visit and support during the visit. For further information, please contact Pam Audrins on 03 9349 7805 or pama@rwav.com.au

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As a young girl growing up in Northern Ireland, Sinead Cassidy always imagined she’d be a doctor.

The one thing she couldn’t envisage, however, was that her career would take her to a life on the other side of the world in beautiful coastal Victoria, Australia.

When she graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 2003, Sinead went back to Belfast where she completed some vocational training. “I especially loved the general practice electives and the opportunity to work in Women’s Health within a general practice setting,” she says.

After a trip to Melbourne in 2006 for an anaesthetics elective, Sinead travelled around Australia and was very impressed with what she saw. So, when her partner David got a job as a surgeon in Frankston just south of Melbourne in 2008, Sinead decided to follow him out and find work as a GP herself.

Sinead researched career opportunities around Victoria using the RWAV website. “RWAV was extremely helpful,” she says. “I talked with them while I was still in Belfast, sent my CV and details over, then met with them when I arrived. They were a great support.”

Sinead started working with the Wonthaggi Medical Group in November 2009. And, she says, she couldn’t be happier.

“The practice is mixed in terms of case profiles and is very professionally run. It employs three GP registrars and two surgeons. There are three aged care facilities attached to the clinic and we have VMO rights to the local hospital. And I’m doing a lot of Women’s Health, which is great,” she explains.

“Plus we are a teaching practice and have regular staff meetings so there is a lot of emphasis on sharing knowledge and professional development.”

Sinead lives in the attractive coastal fishing port of Inverloch, some 12 kilometres from her work. She is a 90 minute drive from Melbourne.

“We go up to see friends and take advantage of everything that goes on in a big city,” she says. “We went up for the Australian Open Tennis and the Big Day Out.”

“When you consider that I work in a relaxed, rural environment, I live right at the beach with national parks all around me and have a major city close by, it’s a pretty good lifestyle.”

“I really enjoy the work I do and the way I live. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.”

The Powerful Potential of Cancer Screening

Prevention and early detection of cancer in General Practice - How, What and When?

Saturday 26 June 2010
10:00am to 2:30pm
100 Drummond St, Carlton

Presentations from the Cancer Information and Support Services & Victorian Cytology Service with special speakers:

Associate Professor Michael Jefford
Deputy Head of the Department of Medical Oncology
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Justin Tse
General practitioner
Clinical Sub Dean University of Melbourne

To register or for further course information contact Suzanna Zhang.

This is an accredited RACGP and ACRRM event and financial subsidies are available to eligible general practitioners.

To find out if you’re eligible for any reimbursements contact Lilya Sher.

10 year moratorium changes

Recent legislative changes have removed restrictions to eligible New Zealand permanent resident and citizen doctors who have obtained their primary medical education at an accredited medical school in Australia or New Zealand.

New Zealand doctors who obtained their primary medical education at an accredited Australian or New Zealand medical school are no longer classified as an ‘overseas trained doctor’ or ‘former overseas medical student’.

This means that certain New Zealand trained doctors will not be subject to the 10 year moratorium. 

For further information go to www.doctorconnect.gov.au

The 10 year moratorium starts when?

Previously, ‘overseas trained doctors’ were required to have both Australian permanent residency or citizenship and medical registration before their 10 year moratorium period commenced. Now, the Australian government has deemed the 10 year moratorium clock to start from the time the medical practitioner is first registered in Australia and will cease after 10 years if the doctor has become a permanent Australian resident during that period.

RWAV has just conducted our 100th Pre employment Structured Clinical Interview (PESCI) for 2009-10.  All International Medical Graduates applying for registration via the Standard or Competent Authority Pathway in Australia are required to sit the PESCI.

Your feedback is welcomed! Email Samantha at RWAV.