TRGP Newsletter Edition 24 (Aug-Sep 2019)

Tasmanian Rural Generalist Program

Save the Date logoTasmanian Rural Health Conference

28-29 March 2020 in Burnie (North West)

"The Future of Rural Practice"


In This Edition:

  • Future Rural Generalist – Dr Norhalisa Termidzi
  • Tasmanian Rural Health Conference 2020
  • Rural Generalist positions in Adult Internal Medicine in NW Tasmania
  • Rural Generalist registrar position in Mental Health
  • Current Vacancy for Extended Skills positions in Palliative Care in NW Tasmania
  • Tasmanian Rural Generalist Scholarships
  • Advanced Paediatric Life Support course in Tasmania
  • Congratulations to Dr Nitya Malhotra
  • The Medical Training Survey
  • Free limited access to Tele-Derm now available
  • Expressions of interest to join the RACGP Rural Education Committee
  • Have you completed your FACRRM or FARGP in Tasmania
  • Current Vacancies
  • Events – 2019/2020

Future Rural Generalist - Dr Norhalisa Termidzi

This month we meet Norhalisa Termidzi who moved from South Australia to Tasmania to continue her medical training.  She has fallen in love with the island and all it has to offer and has just commenced a six month Additional Skills post in Mental Health in North West Tasmania.


When I was younger, I never considered medicine as a possible career option. However, growing up and seeing how chronic disease and limited access impacts the local community spurred me into pursuing medicine with the hope of making a difference. 

I met my partner while studying in University and he really wanted to return to Ulverstone and give back to his local community. After completing my internship in South Australia, I moved to Tasmania to join him in the North West. I fell in love with the natural beauty of Tasmania and enjoyed the work environment and we decided to settle down in his hometown.

I really hope to pursue a career in General Practice with Advanced Training in both Palliative Care and Mental Health. I think that both these specialities are unique in providing deeper insight into the lives of our patients, and through gaining a deeper understanding of our patients, we may be able to make more of a difference in their life. I would like to practice as a Rural Generalist and hopefully be able to meet the changing health needs of the community and help improve accessibility to care.

I would definitely recommend undergoing the rural generalist pathway as it provides insight and experience of what rural practice is like and what it could offer. You never know if you never have a go!

I think that being a rural generalist helps you to develop a wide breadth of skills that meet the different needs of the community, whilst having the chance to enjoy being involved and belonging to the community you serve.

Image - Dr Norhalisa Termidzi


Tasmanian Rural Health Conference 2020

Planning continues for TRHC2020 and we have confirmed the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie as the venue.  This is an excellent facility for small conferences with ample free parking on site!
We have already confirmed several key note speakers for the conference including Dr Brett Sutton, Chief Health Dr SuttonOfficer for Victoria.

Dr Sutton worked at the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie in the earlier part of his career. He has extensive experience and clinical expertise in public health and communicable diseases, gained through emergency medicine and field-based international work, including in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste. He represents Victoria on a number of key national bodies including the Communicable Disease Network Australia. He is also Chief Human Biosecurity Officer for Victoria. Dr Sutton has a keen interest in tropical medicine and the incorporation of palliative care practice into humanitarian responses.

Image - Dr Brett Sutton

Other confirmed speakers include:

Dr Lawrie McArthur – Associate Professor of General Practice and Rural Medicine at James Cook University Prof James Vickers – Head of School of Medicine UTAS and Director of Wicking Dementia Research Centre.
More details of the developing conference program will be provided in future newsletters and via the RG website at TRHC2020


Rural Generalist positions in Adult Internal Medicine in NW Tasmania

We are pleased to announce that the North West Regional Hospital is now accredited for two 12 month Rural Generalist Advanced Training positions within the Division of Medicine at the NWRH.  These positions meet the requirements for ACRRM AST (Advanced Specialised Training) and RACGP (Advanced Rural Skills Training).

These positions are commencing in 2020 and will soon be advertised on the Tasmanian Government Website at medical registrar positions.
For further information or express interest in these positions, please contact the TRGP office or Dr Peter Arvier


Rural Generalist registrar position in Mental Health

We are also pleased to announce that Dr Aaron Hawkins has been appointed to the new 12 month Additional Skills registrar position in Mental Health commencing in 2020.  This position meets the requirements for ACRRM AST and RACGP ARST training and includes training across both community and hospital components of Mental Health services.


Current Vacancy for Extended Skills positions in Palliative Care in NW Tasmania

The Specialist Palliative Care Service in the North West is currently advertising for a GP or ACEM Registrar interested in a six month Palliative Care registrar position commencing in August 2019. Applications close on September 1.

Visit the Tasmanian Government Jobs website at palliative care registrar for application details.

The position will be based in the community and the two local hospitals and is co-funded by the Rural Clinical School and incorporates teaching. These positions are highly recommended as part of RG training. The six month rotations are recognised for RACGP Extended Skills and ACRRM Primary Rural and Remote training as well as accreditation for the RACP Clinical Diploma in Palliative Medicine.

For further information, contact Dr Rosemary Ramsay


Tasmanian Rural Generalist Scholarships

Applications are now open for the Tasmanian RG scholarships.  Final year students at the Rural Clinical School and Launceston Clinical are eligible to apply. Two scholarships are available for each clinical school.  These scholarships are valued at $15,000 each supporting career pathways to RG practice in Tasmania.

Full information on eligibility, selection and application is available by the RG website via RG scholarships (Applications close on September 1).


Advanced Paediatric Life Support course in Tasmania

The APLS course will be held in Hobart between the 19th and 21st of September 2019. APLS is mandatory for RACP Paediatric trainees and is also highly recommended for GPs and Rural Generalist doctors who plan on working in O&G, Paediatrics or Emergency Medicine.  These courses are accredited for relevant CPD points by both ACRRM and RACGP.  Registration details can be found on the APLS website


Congratulations to Dr Nitya MaDr Nitya Malhotralhotra

FRACGP FARGP for fulfilling the requirements for Rural Generalist in Tasmania.  Nitya graduated from the UTAS Rural Clinical School and undertook her basic training and initial General Practice training in Tasmania.  She has been awarded the FRACGP and FARGP with Advanced Rural Skills Training in Paediatrics.  She has recently been working in Queensland and Northern Territory pursuing her interests in Indigenous Health.

Image Dr Malhotra


The Medical Training Survey

The Medical Training Survey is now live until September 30. By getting feedback from doctors in training, the survey will deliver robust national data that will help improve medical training. Aggregated, anonymous results will help identify potential issues in medical training that could impact on patient safety, so these can be addressed.


Free limited access to Tele-Derm now available

Free limited access to Tele-Derm is now available to GPs, junior docs, specialists, medical students, nurses and others.


Expressions of interest to join the RACGP Rural Education Committee

RACGP Rural is seeking expressions of interest from members with an interest in education to join the RACGP Rural Education Committee (REC). As a committee of the RACGP Rural Council, the REC provides direction to RACGP Rural regarding educational and vocational training issues relating to rural general practice and Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP).

Submit your expression of interest to the RACGP Rural Education Committee Chair along with your CV by 5.00 pm AEST, Friday 16 August 2019.


Have you completed your FACRRM or FARGP in Tasmania?

Don’t forget to apply for your Tasmanian Rural Generalist Pathway Certificate of Completion.


Current Vacancies

For THS Registrar Recruitment and other THS/DoH jobs, please visit the Tasmanian Government Jobs website

For GP registrar placements through GPTT, refer to the GPTT placement process information

For GP vacancies, please visit HRPlus


Events – 2019/2020

Check out the Tasmanian Rural Generalist Pathway calendar for events of interest to rural practitioners.

Email rural pathways to have your event included in the calendar.

October 23-27: RDAA/ACRRM Rural Medicine Australia 2019 Conference, Gold Coast. Refer to Rural Medicine Australia 2019 Conference for the Program.

October 24-26: RACGP Annual Conference GP19, Adelaide. Refer to RACGP annual conference for the Program.

March 28-29 2020: Tasmanian Rural Health Conference, Burnie, Tasmania.


This project is funded by the Australian Government through the National Partnership Agreement on improving Health Services in Tasmania.