Trainee psychiatrists settle into country WA as part of Australian-first rural training program
Back row L - R: Chance Drummond, Michael Taran, Matthew Davidson, Rahul Ingle, Ihab Soliman and David Townsend. Middle row: James Blomberg, James Hoimes, Phoebe Thornton, Greer Jalland, Katerina Chua and Marcela Quintero Silvestre. Front row: Alan Altham, Emma Cribb, Tanni Chowdhury, Sybil Trebeck, Diana Taylor and Kirsten Humphries. Absent: Blue Douglas-Galley, Belinda Sainsbury, Hugh Simpson and Jacky Yeung.
Country WA’s groundbreaking Rural Psychiatry Training WA (RPTWA) program has welcomed its first ever cohort of trainee psychiatrists.
Led by the WA Country Health Service (WACHS), the Australian-first program has seen 23 doctors kickstart the next chapter of their careers in the regions. The program allows them to live, train and practice in country WA from internship through to fellowship.
Accredited by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), the program is the first dedicated rural training zone in Australia or New Zealand.
20 trainees commenced in February, with eight based in the South West, six in the Great Southern, four in the Kimberley and one in both the Midwest and Wheatbelt. A further three psychiatry trainees will resume their training in August.
Each trainee will complete their training placement in a regional location and will be able to stay in their chosen site for up to five years to obtain fellowship – enabling them to complete a full end-to-end training term.
There are opportunities for experience and development across acute clinical settings, child and adolescent services and consultation liaison. The program incorporates other rotations including adult psychiatry, older-age psychiatry, addiction and community mental health services.
They will work in tandem with senior rural psychiatrists who will provide mentorship and support throughout their placement.
Locally trained rural psychiatrists who graduate from the program will fill permanent positions in the regions – expanding WACHS’ dedicated workforce.
Executive Director Mental Health Paula Chatfield said the program is just one of the ways WACHS is working to improve mental health care in country communities and strengthen its regional mental health workforce.
“This cohort is trailblazing a new era of country healthcare, where our workforce is not only growing but is specially trained to meet the diverse and unique needs of country communities,” she said.
“The program builds on our commitment to growing our own workforce by providing opportunities and support for the next generation of mental health professionals. By doing so, we’re supporting the continued health of country communities.
“The new trainees can look forward to developing their experience and clinical expertise in diverse communities – an opportunity that they wouldn’t usually get in a metropolitan area. And they’ll be learning from the best educators and specialists in country WA.”
In addition to peer support and mentoring opportunities for the trainees, comprehensive support pathways have been developed to assist them and their families relocate and settle into regional WA.
Further posts are planned in rural and remote communities in the future.
The trainees join a record-breaking number of healthcare professionals being welcomed to country WA in 2023, including medical interns, pharmacy interns and nurses and midwives.