North West Hospital and Heath Service (HHS) is pleased to welcome four new medical interns to the Mount Isa Hospital to gain valuable experience in a rural setting.

These medical graduates are currently completing a comprehensive one-week orientation program before heading off on rotations around the health service.

Health Service Chief Executive, Sean Birgan, wishes the interns well on this exciting phase of their medical career.

“Building and developing our own medical workforce is crucial to the continued advancement of healthcare in the North West region and is an important goal within our strategic plan Focusing on Valuing and Growing our People,” said Mr Birgan.

“Our annual medical intern program has proven highly successful in providing doctors at the start of their careers with valuable experience.

“In rural and remote communities such as the North West, they are exposed to a unique range of challenges that are not typically encountered in metropolitan areas, enriching their professional development and broadening their clinical expertise.”

Executive Director of Medical Services, Dr Anthony Bell, said this is an exciting time in the medical graduates’ career and the health service as clinical team members welcome new colleagues.

“At North West HHS we pride ourselves on providing the only accredited intern training in rural and remote health and are privileged to provide a comprehensive and supportive start to these doctors’ careers,” sard Dr Bell.

“These doctors have already dedicated years to completing their university training, and it’s great to see that a few of them actually did placements here during their studies.

“Their return for an internship shows that we offer just as many opportunities for professional development as any metro-based hospital, if not more.”

One such medical intern is Hannah ‘Abbie’ Lewandowski who attended Mount Isa Hospital in 2023 for twelve weeks of medical placement.

“I really enjoyed my placement out here because I like the smaller towns with smaller hospitals – you get to know the staff and the patients a little better,” said Dr Lewandowski.

“I loved that everything was so accessible, and you spend a lot of time outdoors in your spare time, it’s a great work life balance which was why I elected to come out for my medical internship.

“I’m most excited to do the obstetrics rotation out here, I’m passionate about women’s health and I think it’s essential that women in rural and remote communities have the opportunity to access these services.”

During the one-year internship, the four medical interns will be rotated through medical, surgical, obstetrics, and paediatrics to build their skills as doctors across multiple teams.

At the end of the year long internship, these young doctors can opt to complete their second-year internship with North West HHS or be transferred to another HHS.

North West HHS is committed to supporting these medical graduates in their transition from university into their careers as doctors, and ensuring they get a warm welcome to our community.