Specialty Profiles

Specialty Profiles

Dr Natalie Fraser - Hospital Medical Officer, Melbourne

This section is designed to introduce you to the many specialties currently available to Australian doctors. The number of options continues to grow, and it is not always possible to get first-hand experience in every field. Each specialty profile will give you insight into life as a trainee and consultant, and is focused on those factors which are likely to affect your decision making in the future.

How to use this section

The first page of each profile offers you an introduction to the specialty, and an overview of the information available for further browsing. Each section includes helpful information on

  • The workplace
  • Doctor-patient relationship
  • Intellectual content
  • Lifestyle and practice options
  • Medical indemnity
  • Training program
  • Application process
  • Length of training
  • Costs of training
  • Availability/competition for training positions
  • Flexibility in training

The specialty profiles currently available include Anaesthetics, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, General Practice, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Physicians, Psychiatry, Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Sports Medicine and Surgery.

A big thanks to our contributors!

Name:

Career stage: Consultant

Medical Specialty: General Practice

What do you enjoy most about your general practice?

I enjoy the fact that it is a flexible career so you can chose the hours you work and where you work. There are so many opportunities in general practice.as a female the flexibility allows a life outside work. i enjoy the variety of patients. you can subspeciliase in areas of interest. i enjoy the interaction of other colleagues in a large practice. As a general practitioner it is nice receiving the respect of the general community.The personal connection with patients is interesting...

What are the challenges of general practice?

There is always the challenge of keeping up to date. Time is needed to be spent on extended learning, both to keep up to date and to extend our skills. We need to know a lot of information about a wide range of topics. Patients also us to have a wide general knowledge of everything medical, even if not related to general practice. Time managament within general practice is also an issue....

What things helped you decide on general practice?

I always wanted to do medicine. I think the media had an influence. I watched American medical programmes such as Trapper John MD while in primary school. When I graduated the RACGP program was mandatory for general practice to enable registration. It was an excellent program....

Do you have any advice for those wishing to become general practitioners?

Gain experience in as many areas as possible including obstetrics, gynaecology, psychiatry and paediatrics. Once in general practice pursue any personal interests you might find within the specialty. Use medicine as a means to travel. I went to a bulk billing regional practice in Cairns, Queensland. There was a high need for doctors in an underdoctored population. I was exposed to underprivilged indigenous health. The lifestyle opportunities in this situation were wonderful. It allowed ex...

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