Search the Community

Hi all, I am hoping to move back to Australia later this year with my husband and two children (aged 12). I was hoping there might be someone on here who is nursing in either Mackay or Townsville. I interviewed with Queensland health a few weeks back. Interview went well and I was asked to submit areas of interest along with my paperwork. All paperwork is now in and I have put down Mackay or Townsville as my top choices. My specialty area is emergency nursing. I lived in Mackay a few years ago and would love to move back there. I have some really good friends in the are and my husband would likely be able to find work in the area also. Would love to hear from any nurses working in these areas to get a feel of what the work is like compared to the Irish healthcare system.

Hi All, I have questions regarding the businesses that sign off 88 days of rural work, I am currently going through the process of looking for rural work and am trying to sort my options as to what places qualify with the ability of signing off rural work. I understand that the business have to be located in a "rural" postcode and have to be in the below areas, and have an ABN -Plant and animal cultivation -Fishing and pearling -Tree farming and felling -Mining -Construction Are there any other requirements needed from the businesses to be able to sign off the 88 days of rural work? Can I work for two separate employers to cover the 88 days if work for any reason dries up at one of the employers? Does the business have to be registered as a rural company in any capacity or can I just undertake work that fits within the requirements using any company? If my payslips from the employers are listed as 7 days i.e 1st to the 7th but I have only worked 3 days due to the employer not having work on the other days, does that mean I can submit that as 7 days worked or do the actual days I have worked need to be disclosed? Any advice would be greatly appreciated with this

The Australian Medical Association has released a paper outlining ways to get more doctors into the bush. The ‘Position Statement – Rural Workforce Initiatives’ outlines what the AMA says is a comprehensive five-point plan to encourage more doctors to work in rural and remote locations and improve patient access to health care. It says at least one-third of all new medical students should be from rural backgrounds, and more medical students should be required to do at least one year of training in a rural area to encourage graduates to live and work in regional Australia. The plan also proposes initiatives in education and training, work environments, support for doctors and their families, and financial incentives. “About seven million Australians live in regional, rural, and remote areas,” said AMA President Dr Michael Gannon, announcing the initiative. They often have more difficulty accessing health services than their city cousins. “They often have to travel long distances for care, and rural hospital closures and downgrades are seriously affecting the future delivery of health care in rural areas. For example, more than 50 percent of small rural maternity units have been closed in the past two decades. “Australia does not need more medical schools or more medical school places. Workforce projections suggest that Australia is heading for an oversupply of doctors,” said Dr Gannon. “What is required are targeted initiatives to increase the size of the rural medical, nursing, and allied health workforce. There has been a considerable increase in the number of medical graduates in recent years, but more than three-quarters of locally trained graduates live in capital cities. “International medical graduates make up more than 40 percent of the rural medical workforce and while they do excellent work, we must reduce this reliance and build a more sustainable system.” The AMA Rural Workforce Initiatives plan outlines five key areas where it believes governments and other stakeholders should focus their policy efforts: Encourage students from rural areas to enroll in medical school, and provide medical students with opportunities for positive and continuing exposure to regional and rural medical training. Provide a dedicated and quality training pathway with the right skill mix to ensure doctors are adequately trained to work in rural areas. Provide a rewarding and sustainable work environment with adequate facilities, professional support and education, and flexible work arrangements, including locum relief. Provide family support that includes spousal opportunities/employment, educational opportunities for children’s education, subsidies for housing/relocation and/or tax relief. Provide financial incentives to ensure competitive remuneration. “Rural workforce policy must reflect the evidence. Doctors who come from a rural background, or who spend time training in a rural area, are more likely to take up long-term practice in a rural location,” Dr Gannon said. “Selecting a greater proportion of medical students with a rural background, and giving medical students and graduates an early taste of rural practice, can have a profound effect on medical workforce distribution. “Our proposals to lift both the targeted intake of rural medical students and the proportion of medical students required to undertake at least one year of clinical training in a rural area from 25 percent to 33 percent are built on this approach. “All Australians deserve equitable access to high-speed broadband, and rural doctors and their families should not miss out on the benefits that the growing use of the internet is bringing.”