Getting surgeons to the bush. How to promote rural surgery to trainee surgeons in Australia

Dr Susan Velovski, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia*
A/Prof Hamish Foster, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia
Dr Robert Simon, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia
Dr Sally Butchers, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia
A/Prof Austin Curtin, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia
Dr David Townend, Lismore Base Hospital / St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Australia

Rural and Remote Surgeons are a scarce commodity with 60% in the pre-retirement phase of their surgical career (¹). There has been little succession planning so that regional centres are prepared and do not face “surgical crisis” each time a surgeon retires.

This paper describes some of the methods that have been used by the current group of practicing general surgeons in Lismore to try and promote general surgery as a career pathway to medical students, residents and registrars who rotate to Lismore Base Hospital.

Topics include development of an emergency surgery ( “Surgery Family Friendly”) roster, development of clinical innovations such as “Fast Track Bowel Surgery” in a regional setting, the development of cancer and trauma multidisciplinary teaching, the response to “in-house teaching” in private consulting rooms, training in minor operations, procedural skills, and social interactions between consultant and trainee staff and families.

(¹)Birrell, B. (2005) The Surgical Workforce Report At :
http://www.surgeons.org/Content/Navigation Menu/College Resources?Publications?Activity Reports/Surgical_ Workfor_2005_2.pd

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