Intern

Eligibility Requirements 

To be eligible for this position you must be a graduate from an Australian or New Zealand AMC accredited medical school.

To apply for a Rural Preferential Recruitment (RPR) Prevocational Training position in NSW you must: 
1. Have successfully completed a Medical Intern Recruitment Application online for a NSW intern position.
2. Meet eligibility and the NSW Health priority list criteria for medical graduate recruitment.
3. Be expected to complete your medical degree this year or have completed your degree in the past two years.
4. Have not previously worked as a doctor.

More about RPR: https://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/courses-and-programs/medical-graduate-recruitment/rural-preferential-recruitment 

The applicant must have a commitment to rural practice and rural communities

Local Background and Environment

Wagga Wagga is the largest inland city in NSW and one of Australia’s leading environmental regional cities; with a population close to 75,000. Wagga Wagga is only one hour by air to Melbourne or Sydney, 2.5hrs drive from Canberra, and also well serviced by rail and coach travel.

Currently, Wagga Wagga Base Hospital (WWBH) has 240 beds and is the largest referral hospital within the Murrumbidgee Local Health District with a catchment population of close to 300,000 people. WWBH is one the busiest rural referral hospitals in NSW, with over 31,000 admissions, over 1200 births and approximately 12,000 operations each year. It provides a full range of medical, surgical, maternity, paediatric, community health and rehabilitation services for residents across the region.

Wagga Wagga Base Hospital received NSW JMO of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and NSW JMO Manager of the Year 2018 also scored the highest through the AMA Hospital Health Check Survey over the last 4 years. 

WAGGA WAGGA HEALTH SERVICE REDEVELOPMENT STAGES 1, 2 and 3

The $430 million Wagga Wagga Redevelopment project has provided the Murrumbidgee community with state-of-the-art health services, positioned in the largest city in the region.

MENTAL HEALTH BUILDING (STAGE 1)

The construction of new facilities for acute and non-acute mental health was completed in October 2013. This phase has delivered 50 beds including, 8 High Dependency beds, 22 acute beds and 20 Sub-acute beds.

ACUTE SERVICES BUILDING (STAGE 2)

Completed in January 2016, the new Wagga Wagga Base Hospital includes new facilities and an increase in inpatient units to meet the service demand up to 2021/22. There is also the expansion of existing services in a number of specialties.

Some of these include the following: Medical Imaging and the introduction of a new MRI service. Emergency Department including an Emergency Medical Unit consisting of 8 beds. Operating Theatres, Procedure Room and 35 treatment spaces. An increase in size of the Critical Care Unit. It also includes the introduction of a number of new models of care, including: A new Angiography Suite and Interventional Suite and Short Stay Paediatrics. A new Helipad is also in service on the seventh floor of the Acute Services Building.

AMBULATORY CARE BUILDING (STAGE 3)

Completed in 2021, the six-storey, purpose built facility linked to the new Wagga Wagga Base Hospital is the centrepiece of Stage 3. The building will see a range of sub-acute inpatient, primary and community health services and ambulatory care services, previously delivered from a number of ageing facilities at various locations in the city, co-located on a single site for improved integration of healthcare. This co-location will allow for new models of healthcare through a greater emphasis on primary and community health, postacute care, health promotion and chronic and complex disease management.

The Ambulatory Care Building includes Aged Care and Rehabilitation Inpatient Units, Older Person’s Mental Health Inpatient Unit, Renal Dialysis Unit, Ambulatory Clinics, Rehabilitation and Allied Health, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol, Extended Hours Services and Oral Health services. There will also be a dedicated education area including library, conference rooms and a lecture theatre

Pathology: NSW Health Pathology operates on site 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Only urgent tests required for patient management should be ordered outside of business hours. Pathology is ordered via eMR and collected each morning and early afternoon by the laboratory staff. Urgent after hours bloods are collected by the clinician. Pathology results are accessed via eMR.

WWBH Medical Imaging has X-Ray and CT coverage from 8am to midnight, 7 days a week, and on-call after hours. All other medical imaging services are available in business hours and on-call after hours and weekends if urgent/life threatening. Examinations are requested via eMR and results accessed via eMR (both written report and images). WWBH Medical Imaging services include general x-ray, OPG, cone beam CT, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, low dose CT, 3T MRI, angiography and interventional radiology, with reporting services provided by a private provider. Two Radiologists from the contracted private provider are assigned to WWBH each weekday, with a diagnostic and interventional Radiologist on call 24 hours a day.

The spectrum of consultant work undertaken at WWBH includes Emergency, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Medicine, General Medicine, Rehabilitation, Geriatrics, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, General Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology, ENT Surgery, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Anaesthetics, Intensive Care, Emergency Pathology, Radiology and General Practice.

WWBH has a senior VMO on call + / - Trainee covering the following specialty areas: Emergency, Anaesthetics, ICU, ENT, Cardiology, Medicine, Obstetrics, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery and Urology. After hours the hospital has the following staff on site; Senior Emergency Doctors, Medical Trainee, ICU RMO and Ward JMO.

What you'll be doing

The position provides medical services to patients, while developing expertise and skills in medical practice, in a complex and supported clinical environment in inpatient and outpatient areas in a NSW public health organisation.  The position supports medical graduates of AMC accredited universities to meet the requirements for general registration as set out by the Medical Board of Australia, allowing general registration as a medical practitioner to Australian and New Zealand medical graduates registration standard on completion of intern training. 
The medical officer will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, under the supervision of senior medical officers to:

• Coordinate the admission, management and discharge planning of patients 
• Undertake initial assessment of the patient including patient history, physical examination, formulating an initial management plan and ordering appropriate investigations
• Communicate and co-ordinate care with the team, arranging consultation with other staff when appropriate
• Communicate directly with patients and their carers
• Arrange discharge and liaison with local medical officers and other community-based care providers
• Follow-up and reviewed ordered investigations.

The Medical Officer will provide care to all patients according to Good Medical Practice: A Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia and demonstrate ethical behaviours and professional values including integrity; compassion; empathy; and respect for all patients, society and the profession. Interns are expected to take increasing responsibility for patient care as they progress, while recognising the limits of their expertise and scope and involving other professionals as needed to contribute to patient care.