For junior doctors, deciding which career pathway to follow is an important decision. Many interns are unsure about what pathway to take and require advice, guidance and assistance. Which is exactly what Northern Health offers.
The newly expanded Medical Education Unit at The Northern Hospital consists of an enthusiastic team who work with interns and junior doctors to ensure they receive informed education, orientation, supervision and career advice.
"Junior doctors are exposed to a wide variety of specialties as part of their intern and resident years at Northern Health,'' said Supervisor of Intern Training, Dr Carol Chong. Training programs are available in a variety of career pathways including physician training, surgery, emergency, anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, general practice, pathology, radiology and psychiatry.
Among other things, the Medical Education Unit conducts interactive career pathway seminars, specialty workshops and on-demand consultations. "Clinicians at Northern Health are dedicated to educating junior doctors with on-the-job teaching during ward rounds and unit meetings. The relationships formed between interns and consultants are vital. Our consultants are friendly and available; they know interns on a first-name basis,'' Dr Chong said.
The Medical Education Unit holds career advice sessions for interns in April and May each year. Interns hear from doctors in different specialties who offer advice and tips about their chosen pathway.
"These interactive question and answer sessions are very helpful, especially during a period where junior doctors are often unsure about what they want to do in the future,'' she said. ``The sessions are uninterrupted as the Medical Education Unit minds the pagers, and for those who are unable to attend a PowerPoint presentation is made available with relevant details.''
Other career nights are also held, informing doctors on how to get into a specialty area that interests them, like general practice.
A series of different workshops are held during the year, such as basic surgical skills, advanced cardiac support, mock exams and interviews.
Intern rosters are customised to allow trainees to have access to specialised training and clinical cases, workshops and exam preparation courses. "Professional development sessions such as `What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then' are always well received,'' Dr Chong said. There is a strong research culture and this will continue to grow with the planned establishment of Northern Health's world-class Academic and Research Precinct to be located at The Northern Hospital.
The hospital opened in 1998 and is a 325-bed facility. It is located in Epping and is part of Melbourne's northern growth corridor. The hospital offers a 24-hour Emergency Department, Critical and Coronary Care, Maternity and Women's Health, Paediatrics, Allied Health Services and Mental Health. The hospital admitted more than 40,000 inpatients and delivered close to 2000 babies in the past year and its Emergency Department is one of the busiest in Victoria, seeing 65,000 presentations in the last 12 months.
More details: www.nh.org.au.
