Forty-five new doctors started the next phase of their careers with Darling Downs Health last week.
Darling Downs Health Acting Chief Executive Ms Shirley-Anne Gardiner welcomed the 2020 interns, who are undertaking their orientation training.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome 45 interns to Darling Downs Health,” Ms Gardiner said.
“They’ve started with orientation at Toowoomba Hospital and of those 37 will be continuing their intern year here, with others going to locations including Stanthorpe, Warwick, Clifton and Goondiwindi.
“It’s also great to see that 10 of this year’s cohort have chosen to join the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway, which prepares them for a career as a general practitioner in regional and remote locations.”
Darling Downs Health Director of Clinical Training Dr Sheree Conroy said the new doctors had a full program in preparation for starting ward rounds.
“The first week is a very important time because it gives our new doctors a chance to get a feel for how things happen within Darling Downs Health,” Dr Conroy said.
“In addition to getting to know each other they’ll also do practical sessions to develop core skills like advanced life support, they get an idea of the layout of the hospital, and we work on the skills they need to make sure they maintain their own wellbeing.
“Medicine can be a challenging career particularly in the early years so we let our young doctors know that our Medical Education team is there to support them at all times.”
Dr Conroy said the number of interns is a great testament to the quality of the experience Darling Downs Health provides to young doctors.
“Forty-five equals last year’s record in terms of numbers, but even more encouraging is the percentage of interns who choose to continue their training with us,” Dr Conroy said.
“Toowoomba Hospital is an excellent place to learn and to advance your career, so it’s no surprise that we have a number of senior medical staff who did their internships here, myself included, who have returned as specialists.
“We wish our 2020 interns all the very best for the year and look forward to guiding them through this exciting stage of their careers.”
