On feeling valued
I’ve been working in Melbourne for almost three years and I’ve recently starting looking into changing my job after moving house. As a female (and currently pregnant) GP, the response has been uplifti...
The brighter side of brexit
So after the shockwaves of Brexit have rippled around the world, how has this affected Australia? With only mild curiosity from those on the ground really. A few patients mentioned it in passing, but ...
Back-to-front and upside down – GP crisis oz-style
For years now, UK general practice has borne the brunt of government budget cuts and is facing a crisis. Many GPs, like myself, have chosen to leave the UK and move to Australia, for better weather an...
Difference between Australian and UK GPs? It’s in the DNA, mate.
How does a GP surgery only half-booked with patients sound to you? Nice, right? You’d have time to grab a cuppa and a biscuit, have a chat with your other work colleagues who’ve also got a few gaps, a...
The essence of medicine
I recently worked back in the UK for 6 months on a ‘reverse sabbatical’ from Australia. A few things had changed since I left in 2013 which made me quite anxious, and added a few challenges to my locu...
Going abroad? Have your appraisal on Skype!
If you are wanting to go and work abroad for a few months or years, with the intention of returning to the UK, you may have a sinking feeling about what you are going to do about your appraisals or yo...
Is it the same working in Australia as the UK?
The GP role across Australia is vastly different depending on where you live. In urban area’s it’s fairly similar to the UK. For rural doctor’s however, the job is a totally different animal. These...
Stay on the Performer’s List!
For anyone who wants to leave the UK for a short period (1-2 years), you may be wondering whether or not to come off the performers list. My advice based on personal experience? - STAY ON THE PERFORME...
What’s general practice like in Australia?
After 18 months of working in Australia I can honestly say it’s been a refreshing change. During my day I see patients, and that’s it really. If I need more time, then I book longer appointments. If I...
The alternative medicine practitioners
One of frustrating things about being a GP in Australia is dealing with the general public's love affair for alternative medicine. Don’t get me wrong, I think it's great when our patients take a proac...
My Australian dilemma
The decision to move to Australia is a big one, and whether impulsive or meticulously planned, the early part is exciting. You move to a new country on other side of the world with its own rich and di...
If only the chocolate was as good as the beaches
In general, I like how relaxed it is here. Aussies tend to prefer any word that they can abbreviate in preference to the normal language – g’day, arvo, barbie, journo, sickie etc. The dress code, cons...
Annual bloods
Where I work (just on the outskirts of Melbourne in a coastal town) people are quite health conscious. It’s fairly routine to get the fit and healthy 20-something-year-olds coming in and asking for th...
I’ve been crook and I’m just so over it
Lindsay was locuming in the UK, when she was given the opportunity to work in Australia for a few years. Aussie culture is far more laid back. I didn’t even realise how formal the UK was with its cult...
Melbourne sunnyside up
Lindsay was locuming in the UK, when she was given the opportunity to work in Australia for a few years. I started work in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2013. Prior that I had worked as a locum an...
A Nepal in need for primary care
Hugh Thomas is a locum GP and Out of Hours doctor in East Sussex and a public health teacher at St George’s, University of London. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population...
Paradise Hospital, Vanuatu
I am on a one year placement with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) here in Vanuatu, in South Pacific, 2000 km east of Australia between the Solomon Islands and Fiji. The country consists of 80 island...
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