Summary
Rockhampton Hospital is a great option for junior doctors hoping to get onto the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) training program.
Every Rockhampton principal house officer from 2025 was accepted onto a training program, four as part of the Queensland Anaesthetics Rotational Training Scheme (QARTS), and a fifth was accepted into South Australia’s training program.
Anaesthetist Dr Jennifer Greenwell is the clinical training lead and is proud that five from five local PHOs now have their foot in the door to becoming specialists.
She says the success rate is all down to a great group of juniors who were all hard working, knowledgeable and always keen to learn.
“They consistently put their hands up for projects and audits in the department.
“We helped facilitate a learning environment and made ourselves available to answer any questions to help make them the best candidates they could possibly be.”
Multiple senior staff guided and supported the trainees by reviewing their CVs, holding interview practice sessions, and supervising research and audits.
Dr Angi Kumarage is off to start her training program in Mackay. She is keen to return to Rockhampton to work when she can.
She is grateful for the support she received in Rockhampton to make it onto the training program.
“We got to do a lot of cases and saw a good case mix and variety of procedures which made a solid foundation for my training,” she said.
“I felt supported to prepare for interviews and received protected time for learning and training. It was a huge help.”
Dr David Gayed is headed to Redcliffe Hospital for his first official training post. He’s loved his time in Rockhampton, which has given a good start to his anaesthetics training. He is also keen to return in the future.
“We’re given a lot of support from our consultants, and as well as a good case mix, we’re exposed to high acuity cases which has helped developing skills to manage these scenarios,” he said.
“I am grateful to the team at Rocky who have been kind and fun to work with as I found my feet here!”
Dr Coleen Lau is off to Cairns to further her career after five years at Rockhampton, as a medical student, intern and resident medical officer. She was thrilled to be accepted onto the ANZCA training program.
“The team has been very supportive, and they’re very patient with junior staff.”
Rural Generalist Dr Ryan Nebe has also benefited from a great training culture in the Rockhampton Anaesthetic team, gaining his advanced skills.
He recently passed his anaesthetic exam and is moving to Longreach to work as a provisional Senior Medical Officer while completing the general practice components of his training.
“All the senior staff helped me with my caseloads, and practice exams. The other trainees were also a big help and support,” he said.