Hi there, my name is Molly and I’m a junior Doctor from Scotland who recently made the big move to Australia!
I’ve been living and working in Townsville for 5 months now and I absolutely love it! I chose Townsville because I’m not a ‘big city’ person but I wanted to experience working in a tertiary hospital as well as experiencing the tropical part of Australia too!
I chose to work with Head Medical because I wanted to make the process as stress-free as possible and I am so grateful and appreciative for all their help! There is a lot involved in making the move but Sharon and Niamh made it seem easy as they know the process inside and out and do this every single day. Firstly, they did all the job searching and contacted some of the recruitment teams from the hospitals which I had been eying up. They also organised all the interviews. After I had accepted my job, they continued to help and prepped my paperwork for the APHRA registration and the VISA. They kept me sane throughout the entire process and also provided some very helpful guidance for settling in upon arrival. They took so much stress off of my shoulders and made a complicated process seem like nothing!
I am really enjoying my job in the Emergency Department. I feel very well supported and there are always plenty of seniors to ask for advice. It’s a much bigger and busier department than what I was used to in the UK but I find that I am getting exposed to more pathology and that I am seeing ‘sicker’ patients more often. Patients typically have the same problems as they do in the UK but I have seen the odd snake bite and weird infectious disease which I’ve only ever read about in books! Furthermore, although it’s busier, it does not feel as pressurised as it did in the UK which makes it a more pleasant working environment. And finally, I get very well paid and consistently work less hours than I did in the UK which gives me more time to do the other things in life which I love!
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Outside of work, I am a member of the Hungry Runners running group and the Townsville Triathlon club so I train a few times a week with them and enjoy trail running and exploring new places. In addition to this, there are so many beautiful local places to go for walks (often followed by a swim in a creek somewhere) and this is what I spend most days off doing- going on adventures with my dog!
Furthermore, Townville is also a fantastic location if you want to travel and see Far North Queensland. You can drive (or fly) to top tourist locations such as Cairns to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays! Townsville also has its local “Maggie” Island which is just a 20-minute ferry ride, making it a lovely day trip or a tropical weekend away. In summary, I have no regrets about making the move to Australia. I absolutely love it here and I can’t thank the team at Head Medical enough for helping make this happen!
Molly is just one of our junior doctors who has made to move to Australia to experience life and work in a different healthcare system. Head Medical is working with several health services across Australia and New Zealand and the next Junior Doctor recruitment cycle has started! So, if you are considering an out-of-programme experience commencing August 2024, now is a great time to get in touch to discuss your career aspirations.
Sharon Spence - Junior Doctor Recruitment to Australia and New Zealand
Sharon@headmedical.com
07825398726