ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 38
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Escape to the country: Lessons from interviews with rural
general practice interns
Dr Jessie Andrewartha, Ben Dodds, Prof Lizzi Shires
University of Tasmania Rural Clinical School
Aim
In 2018, Tasmania piloted an optional three-month rural general practice term for interns. We sought
to establish a qualitative review of the strengths and challenges of this program, to support the
reconnection between junior doctors and general practice, and revive general practice pathways for
interested junior medical officers.
Content
Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews was used to generate six main themes. These were the intern
role, skill acquisition, the social experience of rural/remote placements, challenges experienced by
interns, placements reinforcing ideas of rural general practice and advice to future interns. Rural interns
were positive about the program, reporting intensive learning experiences from a range of clinical
environments. There were some challenges initially implementing the wave consulting model, which
highlighted the importance of practice staff being able to integrate interns into the environment. The
main difficulty faced by interns was isolation from peers/social support. Interns that were not interested
in a general practice pathway still appreciated the opportunity to rotate through general practice, but it
was important that they opted into the placement rather than being assigned.
Goals
• To present the findings of our 2019 paper to an international audience that may wish to implement
similar programs in their region.
• To discuss the challenges and the strategies to overcome, and the tweaks made to the program
since our paper was published.
• To contribute to the strategy for general practice recovery and revival among medical students
and junior medical officers.
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