Dr Oliver Rouhiainen
I have worked as a resident medical officer in Albany, Darwin, and Broome, then as a GP registrar in the Aboriginal Health Service in Derby, and in WA’s South West (Donnybrook). I then completed a year of mental health advanced skill training as part of my ACRRM training. This involved working as a psychiatry registrar at a larger centre, including in the community outpatient department, working closely with allied health team members to case manage clients – supporting them to attend appointments, services, organising medications and psychology sessions for them, and also just being alongside them as they dealt with their mental health and the ups and downs of their lives. It has been a very rewarding and unexpected learning experience for me, and I think entirely relevant to all medical work, particularly in rural areas.
About rural work - it’s amazing to live and work in a place and easily visit some spectacular environments on your doorstep. If you want to get different life experiences and see different parts of Australia, then getting a job in a rural area is a great opportunity for that. Medical work is great – there is more of a familiar feeling at work with colleagues that can be less apparent in big city hospitals. And there are various opportunities to expand your skills and experience.
For me, one of the best things is meeting people and doing community activities. I might not have ever crossed paths with these people in the normal course of life in the city. I have found there is a lot going on in rural places when you live and work there that you might not get exposed to if you were just passing through. Local writers' groups, arts groups, ceramic classes, social volleyball, run clubs, spontaneous weekend camping trips, Irish music sessions, soup kitchens and volunteer groups, etc. There’s no traffic or long commutes to work, more time in the day, things and people are closer to each other in the smaller towns, and it’s easier to meet one another.
Photo: Dr Oliver Rouhiainen enjoying what regional WA has to offer