Heather Pascoe’s It’s only the first week and so much has happened! At last, the day has come for me to set out for Camperdown. I have been in contact with the intern who’s currently there and she can’t speak highly enough of the PGPPP (Prevocational General Practice Placements Program) rotation. She has enthusiastically told me all about the fantastic teaching – how involved we get in the clinic and hospital – the independence but total support we get and the friendliness of the staff. The regular dinners and murder mystery nights sound great, too. It’s Sunday and I’m driving into Camperdown. It looks and feels like a really friendly country town. There are luscious gardens everywhere, beautiful old homes and people riding bicycles down the main street. There’s a delicious looking bakery and patisserie that instantly attracts my attention. I meet the Practice Manager at my flat and he apologises for being late – his tractor ran out of diesel. He tells me that he is there for me anytime, day or night … even if I need to call him at midnight, it’s not a problem. Standing at the front door of my flat, he points out a tree just across the main road – and just behind that is the clinic. And then there’s the hospital a little way up that road. Nothing is more than 5 minutes walk away … including the yummy bakery (which is going to get me into serious trouble!). There’s no need for a car over the next 11 weeks!
What a start to the day. Just walking outside and smelling the fresh country air sets the scene. Plenty DAY of time for a morning run then a leisurely bike ride to the hospital. Unfortunately, the two senior GPs are away at an all-day meeting and the two senior Registrars are off overseas. So, this morning, the round consists of me, the junior Registrar and the medical student. Together we run around and visit all the patients – afterwards, I stay back and finish up ordering tests and reviewing results. I feel completely out of my depth, but the nurses are so friendly and reassuring – they answer any questions I have. Then it’s back on to the clinic on my bike … I couldn’t be made to feel more welcome at the clinic. The Practice Manager spends over an hour and a half taking me through the workings of the clinic. I have my own consulting room with my name already on the door … how cool is that?! He has contacted all the pathology and radiology services and all the chemists in the area to inform them I am here and will be ordering/prescribing. I will be seeing my own patients under the guidance of the two senior GPs... Phew – that’s a relief! I think to myself. Everything I do will be checked and I will have ample time to ask questions. To start off, I will sit in with the GPs for a few consults to see how they like things done. And that’s not all! Not only will I get to consult – they’ll also arrange for me to go out with the RDNS and I’ll be able to see for myself whether the plans for patients I make are actually working … or not!!!
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A visit to some surrounding dairy farms is also on the cards. I am told how tough the farmers are out here. Just a few weeks ago, a farmer came in three days after an injury because he didn’t think it was urgent – on examination they discovered he had broken fibulas and bilateral haemopneumothoraces! But the cows must come first. There’s a sort of rural etiquette – if a farmer is in the waiting room and it comes to milking time, there is no question about what is more important, so he (or she) gets priority attention. I look at my watch and it’s 12.30 already! Lunchtime? I actually get a lunch break? What a change from the hospital. I’m assured I will get one every day from 12.30 to 2pm! This whole PGPPP rotation will be a fantastic learning experience, especially as I get two full hours each week – one-onone – with a senior GP. I will definitely make the best use of this valuable time and pick their brains to find out all about how to be a successful rural GP. This weekly session will depend on the patients we’ve seen and on my goals. As well as this, there is teaching for an hour on a Friday; all the Registrars at my clinic – and the other clinic in Camperdown – get together and hold a teaching session. Being willing and enthusiastic gets you lots of experiences. I was intending to be at the clinic all afternoon and planned to find my way around the computer system, however we receive a call from the hospital telling us that one of our patients was going to self-discharge. I volunteer to go up and sort out his discharge. So I hop onto my bike and sort him out … followed by attending one of our other patients who had a fall. Later that afternoon, the clinic is called about one of the patients at the nursing home who needs to be seen – so, I drop in to see what I can do to help.
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