Starting a Career in a Remote Rural Area

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Starting a Career in a Remote Rural Area Eyjolfur Thorkelsson, GP Registrar Egilsstaðir - Iceland

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Starting a Career in a Remote Rural Area. Eyjolfur Thorkelsson, GP Registrar Egilsstaðir - Iceland. Who are you?. I was born and raised in Seyðisfjörður small town of 800 inhabitants My mother grew up there. My father was raised in a nearby village - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Starting a Career in a Remote Rural Area

Page 1: Starting a Career in a Remote Rural Area

Starting a Career in a Remote Rural

Area

Eyjolfur Thorkelsson, GP RegistrarEgilsstaðir - Iceland

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Who are you?• I was born and raised in Seyðisfjörður

• small town of 800 inhabitants

• My mother grew up there.• My father was raised in a nearby village

• My mother is a midwife and delivered many babies• the epitome of a rural practitioner

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When I decided to be a rural GP

• My mother’s book “A Child is Born”• Swedish photographer Lennart

Nilsson

• Growing up in a declining rural town I felt socially accountable

• A new doctor moved to Seyðisfjörður, to whom I could very well relate

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When I gave up on becoming a rural GP• The Medical Faculty’s lack of enthusiasm for

GP• let alone rural GP

• 5 days in 6 years

• I felt support and good-will at the ENT department where I worked while still in school.

• I felt overwhelmed in my first job after graduation• a semi-rural health care centre near

Reykjavik

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When my rural interest was reignited

• I felt supported and believed in by a rural GP• Clinical work interesting and manageable

• My current mentor asked me to come and work in Egilsstaðir and offered my wife a job as well• support, challenge and acceptance

• Akureyri district hospital gave me opportunity to hone my generalist skills

• Rural Health action group

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Why this lengthy prologue?

• Research has shown these factors to be very important when recruiting doctors to rural areas• rural background• feeling connected to the rural population• role models• clinical work interesting

• Factors antagonising recruitment or retention• lack of collegial support• feeling overwhelmed in A&E situations• lack of rural experience in medical school

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“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

• YES, I want to be a rural doctor• …but I want others as well

• What can I do?• reach out for bright students in rural

communities• help them into medical school

• invite medical students to come and visit• offer newbies flexibility and time to adjust

• make allowance in your schedule• allow them to observe you after-hours• MAKE THEM FEEL YOUR SUPPORT!

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