Hospital Training

The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is the largest country health system in Australia and its network of hospitals provides outstanding rural hospital training opportunities throughout the Goldfields, Great Southern, Kimberley, Midwest, Pilbara, South West and Wheatbelt regions. In particular, WACHS offers:

  • Internship positions and employment for junior doctors wishing to work at WACHS sites; and
  • Secondment opportunities to WACHS sites from Perth metropolitan hospitals.

See an overview of WACHS’ vast operations.

 

WACHS Employment Opportunities

The WACHS internship program is highly regarded with competitive entry. The program provides interns with the experience necessary to meet the requirements for General Registration at the conclusion of their Internship. In 2022, WACHS will be a primary employer for up to twenty interns (five in the Great Southern region, five in the Kimberley region and ten in the South West region). Explore more about the WACHS Internship Program.

In addition to internship positions, WACHS offers employment to resident medical officers (RMOs), registrars and other junior doctors. WACHS is currently utilising funding from the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program to provide eligible WACHS employed junior doctors with a training period in a rural primary care setting. To find out more about the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program, please click here. 

Check out the WACHS employment opportunities to find out more about the application processes. Visit Medical Workforce and Education and MedJobsWA for employment opportunities. 

 

WACHS Secondment Opportunities

Doctors at various stages of training, from internship to registrar level, can be seconded from Perth metropolitan sites to WACHS regional sites as part of their employment.

In addition, RMOs employed by some Perth metropolitan sites (including Fiona Stanley Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital) have the opportunity to apply for competitive entry into the Community Residency Program (CRP). Successful CRP applicants complete a one-term placement in a rural location.

See WACHS employment opportunities to find out more about the application processes.

 

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Rural Generalist Pathway WA

Are you interested in joining the Rural Generalist Pathway? Find out how in our Rural Generalist Pathway WA section.

The core function of the Coordination Unit is to help to facilitate the transition for rural generalist trainees through the various educational and training components for the first six years of postgraduate training. The Coordination Unit also partners with existing organisations to enhance the professional experience in regional, rural and remote locations for rural generalists. Once on the pathway, you will be assigned a mentor who is an experienced Rural Generalist, provided with individualised career navigation, connected to our network of stakeholders and given priority access to requisite courses. You may also be eligible for ongoing professional development opportunities. Find out more about the Coordination Unit.
Check out the information on our Rural Generalist Pathway WA tab to find out about the eligibility requirements and application processes. If you need more information, please contact us.
Applications to join the Rural Generalist Pathway are now open. Visit the Applications section of our website to find out more.

The Rural Generalist Pathway WA is a separate program which supplements the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) rural fellowship programs. You need to apply for ACRRM or RACGP training separately. Please visit the ACRRM, RACGP and RVTS websites for further information on general practice training in Western Australia.

All doctors accepted into ACRRM or RACGP rural training are strongly encouraged to join the Rural Generalist Pathway WA. The core function of the Coordination Unit is to help to facilitate the transition for rural generalist trainees through the various educational and training components for the first six years of postgraduate training. The Coordination Unit also partners with existing organisations to enhance the professional experience in regional, rural and remote locations for rural generalists. Once on the pathway, you will be assigned a mentor who is an experienced Rural Generalist, provided with individualised career navigation, connected to our network of stakeholders and given priority access to requisite courses. You may also be eligible for ongoing professional development opportunities.

Upon entry to the Western Australian health care system, International Medical Graduates (IMGs) must prove that they meet the requirements of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) to hold medical registration. The assessment process assesses the knowledge and clinical skills of IMGs seeking to qualify for medical registration in Australia. More information can be found through the Medical Board of Australia website. The WA Country Health Service offers the Workplace Based Assessment (WBA) program as an alternative to the Australian Medical Council clinical exam.

IMGs may join the Rural Generalist Pathway WA if they meet the eligibility requirements. It is important to note that general registration is required before being eligible to join a college training program.  

This is an example of what your training journey could look like. However, each trainee's journey will be unique and tailored to their specific needs.

 

Example RGP

There are many options to work rurally, depending on what you are interested in. Here are the most common rural medical practitioner careers.

Rural Generalist: A rural or remote GP who has emergency medicine skills and additional skills in a specialist area, such as obstetrics, anaesthetics or general medicine. 

Rural GP: Rural GPs generally cover a wider scope than their metropolitan counterparts. This may include in-hospital care, after hours services, public health roles, clinical procedures and emergency care. It is common for rural GPs to encounter a broader range of complex and chronic health presentations as well as a larger proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in their overall caseload. The extent to which the GP will engage in any of these activities and roles, however, will depend entirely on the rural or remote context in which they choose to practice, or the range of general practice skills in which they wish to involve themselves. Rural general practice provides diverse learning opportunities as well as the acquisition of skills that would not normally be available in metropolitan hospitals. These include minor procedural skills, chronic condition management, dermatology, occupation medicine and paediatrics [Source: Andrewartha et al, 2020].

Rural GP Proceduralist: A rural or remote procedural GP performs the roles associated with a Rural GP. They also hold additional skills in a specialist procedural area, such as obstetrics or anaesthetics.

Rural (non-GP) Specialist: Rural Specialists usually have specialist training in an area such as General Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics or Psychiatry. Some Rural Specialists reside in a rural town. Others may work on a visiting basis from a metropolitan area or another rural town.
Last Updated: 10/03/2023