Dr Eva Gueorguiev and Dr Kathryn Sutcliffe, both James Cook University medical graduates, shone as trainee interns in their final-year placements at Stanthorpe Hospital.
Each impressed the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Daniel Halliday, and clinical pharmacist Kay Knight on their separate placements during 2021.
Dr Halliday said Eva and Katie had set a high standard of expectation: “They are a credit to themselves, JCU’s education and training team and as ambassadors for JCU.”
Ms Knight, a Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service research ambassador, said: “They will both make wonderful doctors and have fitted in so well here in Stanthorpe.”
Dr Sutcliffe said she was welcomed to Stanthorpe Hospital so warmly and enjoyed her time so thoroughly that she applied to go back for a 12-week rotation in her intern year.
“The beauty of rural hospitals is that medical students and junior doctors have unbridled access to SMOs or consultants for guidance, mentorship and teaching,” she said. “This was no different at Stanthorpe. I was privileged to attend early morning teaching sessions and be taught amazing skills like shoulder aspirations and ultrasonography by senior, experienced doctors in Stanthorpe.
“I also was able to enjoy the perks of the beautiful location by going to wineries and exploring the wilderness in winter, although I missed out on seeing any snow, sadly. I am really looking forward to experiencing Stanthorpe in the summer this year.”
All JCU medical students do at least 20 weeks of rural placements during their degree as part of the JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry’s commitment to building a fit-for-purpose medical workforce for underserved communities in Queensland.
Dr Gueorguiev said spending her last 10 weeks of medical school in Stanthorpe was an invaluable experience that she would take into her work as an intern at Cairns Hospital this year.
“I was greeted with a warm welcome not only at the hospital, but also by the residents of the town,” she said. “I had the opportunity to actively participate in morning ward rounds as well as assist in any surgeries or births happening in the same day. This unique blend of medicine over the course of a single day highlighted the extensive skill set that rural generalists possess and has inspired me for the future.
“Studying medicine at JCU has given us the opportunity to do placements all over Queensland in a wide variety of settings, equipping us with the necessary skillsets upon which to build our careers. I’m excited to now start my career as a doctor in my hometown of Cairns.”
Professor Sarah Larkins, Dean, JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry, said JCU was proud to train doctors “from, in, with, and for rural, regional and remote communities”. “Around 70 per cent of our students come from rural, regional or remote backgrounds, three-quarters of JCU medicine graduates ‘go rural’ after graduation, and almost half of our graduates are now generalist practitioners, far more than any other university in the country,” Professor Larkins said.
She said despite the graduating class of JCU making up just 2.4 per cent of the national output of doctors, they make up around 50 per cent of rural, regional and remote doctors in Queensland.
