GPs in training hone vital rural emergency skills

From snakebites to quad bike rollovers, all sorts of emergencies will play out in front of dozens of GPs in training in an isolated NSW community this Wednesday (October 16).  

Thankfully, all the scenarios on a working farm on the outskirts of Dubbo will be simulations as part of a collaboration between The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) and the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section (RFDSSE). 

Media are invited to attend Farm Day for photos, filming and interviews  

• Time: media are asked to arrive at 11.15am

• Location: 50L Narromine Road, Dubbo 2830   

• Interviews are available on the day with Associate Professor Kerrie Stewart, RFDS GP Dr Paul Lunney and RFDS Critical Care Educator, Michael Cook. Contact: Jacky Porter – 0415 709 792 

Designed to give the GPs first-hand experience of a farm environment and the hazards rural patients face, the all-day workshop will provide hands-on emergency treatment training under the watch of RFDS clinicians.  

There will be scenarios including poisoning, electrocution, quad bike rollovers, snake bite, a limb injury from dangerous farm tools and gunshot wounds. 

RACGP NSW and ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman said the event is part of the hugely varied preparation for the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program, which is funded by the Federal Government. 

“The RACGP trains 90% of Australia’s GPs and more rural GPs than any other organisation, and this provides a wonderful insight into the incredible variety working in a rural general practice can give,” Dr Hoffman said.   

“It is a unique role, giving GPs the chance to build long-term, meaningful relationships across the community, as well as deal with many different situations.   

“There is no other medical specialty quite like it, and we are proud at the RACGP that around 90% of AGPT participants are satisfied with the quality of overall training.” 

Around 24 GPs in training from across the Western NSW region will take part, with the scenarios replicating those they could be called on to handle until the RFDS arrives to assist. 

Associate Professor Kerrie Stewart, the RACGP’s Regional Director of Training, Western NSW & ACT, said the event helps doctors understand the communities they live and work in, as well as practise their emergency medicine skills.  

“The GPs in training are from a variety of backgrounds and some may not have been on a farm before,” she said. 

“This event allows them to develop their understanding of injuries and health issues they may encounter in rural communities, as well as get a sense of the pressures on farmers. 

“It’s an amazing event, and you can almost see their confidence increase as the day goes on. It’s also a great example of collaboration between the RACGP and the RFDS and helps everyone understand how primary care can work hand in hand with the wonderful work of the flying doctors.”