The idea of a rural placement far away from home can seem daunting but don't worry – doing a rotation in Broken Hill is a fantastic opportunity and provides registrars with a rich and rewarding experience!! As the only registrar you are an integral member of a small but friendly team and receive excellent support and supervision from the Clinical Director. Most of all, your contributions are appreciated by both staff and patients

Some additional selling points:

• Registrars are able to do a mixture of inpatient, outpatient, AOD and CL work with exposure to broad range of conditions (including those that are usually referred on to private practice rather than managed in the public system)
• Opportunity to work autonomously but with plenty of support when needed (there is 24/7 psychiatrist cover)
• Outreach clinics in remote communities (often with Royal Flying Doctor Service support) like Wilcannia, Menindee, Ivanhoe, Tiboburra and Dareton
• A chance to gain an understanding of the challenges of providing health care in a remote setting and to practice making the most of limited resources
• Very relaxed work schedule and no evening/weekend/night shifts for registrars (all out of hours work is covered by the consultants). This means there is plenty of downtime that can be used for writing up cases, exam prep etc.
• Excellent videoconferencing facilities so you can stay linked in with journal club, grand rounds and teaching sessions back home
• Registrars can become involved in non-clinical areas if interested (e.g. helping draft practice guidelines/policies, teaching students and RMOs)
• Hospital provides free accommodation (and a fleet car if you choose to fly out) with only a two-minute commute to work!!

 
The general medical staff and mental health staff are very friendly and welcoming. It's a small hospital so you'll know everyone by the end of your first week! You won't need to worry about being bored as you'll be included in anything fun that's going on. The consultants are really approachable and make an effort to get to know you personally.

There's also plenty to do in Broken Hill and the surrounding areas during your downtime:

• Spectacular desert scenery and bushwalking
• Visit Menindee Lakes as well as nearby Kinchega, Mutawintji and Sturt National Parks
• Shopping centres, gyms, cinema, cafes/restaurants, live music venues all available
• Loads of sports to play and watch – football, cricket, softball, racquetball, netball etc.
• Lots of tourist attractions including museums, art galleries, national parks etc
• Mildura is only 3h away and Adelaide is 5h away if you're craving a bit of 'civilisation'

 
Above all else, the service wants registrars to have a great experience here and will go out of their way to accommodate particular interests or requests that you have!

Charis Ferguson
Registrar NSLHD