The North West Hospital and Health Service has welcomed five new medical interns who have chosen to start their careers in Mount Isa.
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Our 2020 interns come from Brisbane, Cairns and Canada and will complete five rotations across a wide range of specialities.
Acting Chief Executive for the NWHHS, Dr Karen Murphy, said the NWHHS is a hot spot for medical internships.
"The NWHHS was oversubscribed with applications for 2020, with many graduates putting the NWHHS as their first preference," Dr said.
"The five interns we accepted, all put the NWHHS as their first preference and they are all very excited about being here.
"The opportunities we provide at the NWHHS appeal to many interns who want to pursue a rewarding career in rural and remote medicine."
Dr Rebecca Fatnowna is one of this year's medical interns from James Cook University in Cairns, she chose to study at the NWHHS because of its reputation for being hands on and its focus on Indigenous health.
Dr Fatnowna is of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
"Both of my grandfathers' are descendants of the Kuku Yalanji people near Mossman and Port Douglas, and my grandmothers are from Moa Island and Ugar in the Torres Straits," Dr Fatnowna said.
"I'm very passionate about Indigenous health and rural medicine and I couldn't think of a better place to kick-start my career than at the North West HHS."
Dr Murphy said having a strong cohort of first year doctors is important to the long-term future of the NWHHS and praises the work of NWHHS Director of Clinical Training, Dr Uli Orda and Senior Medical Education Officer, Sabine Orda who work together to enroll junior doctors.
"It's incredibly encouraging to see all five of our interns from last year choosing to stay on in Mount Isa to continue their training," Dr Murphy said.
Dr Jay Short completed his intern year at the NWHHS last year and has chosen to stay on and continue his training.
"My experience as an intern last year was amazing, I can't say enough about the excellent support we had and the great work/life balance we received," Dr Short said.
"When I talk to other people from other hospitals, it seems to be a bit of a different story. It makes me appreciate how supported we are at the NWHHS. We're really valued and really well looked after and that's part of why I have decided to continue my training here.
"This year I am spending time working in the Emergency Department to get my emergency certificate then doing anaesthetics and spending time in the Intensive Care Unit.
"There's so many opportunities here and it's a great place to work, it's turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made."
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