Our Stories

Get the full story on challenges and rewards experienced by your counterparts who have gone rural!

• Read about the experiences of International Medical Graduates who have taken up positions in rural and remote NSW through the website GP Stories
• Insights straight from internationally trained doctors who have made a significant and valuable contribution to Australian metropolitan, rural and remote healthcare are available on the website of Doctor Connect
• Meet and hear some of the stories of nurses in metropolitan, rural and remote NSW at the Nursing and Midwifery website
• A first hand perspective on living and working in rural NSW:
  • Allied Health - Judith Conning, Oncology Social Worker
  • Ambulance Officer - Anita Hodgkinson
  • Clinical Support - Kate Garvey

Allied Health - Judith Conning, Oncology Social Worker

Judith, her husband and their two Jack Russells moved from the Penrith / Nepean Region around 5 years ago. Today they live in a live in the township of Killabakh about 30kms North of Taree.

"It was initially a challenging decision to make the move, happily with planning and some research with the Area Health Services's Human Resources Department we were able to set most of worries aside. That just left us with the fun of the move itself! Settling in we were faced with a new home and community to adjust to, but we had wonderful support from neighbours and colleagues and this made the transition that much easier.

Professionally I have had an excellent opportunity to diversify my skills and expand my on the job skill set. With the better work/life balance I've found the time to complete a Masters degree and had strong support from my organisation in their study leave allowances and attendance at Rural Allied Health Conferences. I was also awarded two scholarships, the NSW Rural Allied Health Scholarship and the Australian Rural and Remote Health Professional Scholarship both helping enormously with finances.

In our personal lifestyle there's very little to miss from the city. We were glad to escape the stresses of the city lifestyle and indulge in a tree change - lots more acres and fewer neighbours. With Taree as the closest large metropolitan centre we have so many of the same amenities we were used to when living in Penrith, but without the crowds and queues! We've also discovered that going rural brings out the farmer in you and we have quite the menagerie: sheep, chooks and goats running about - as well as the abundant native wildlife!

For those who are thinking of the move to country NSW, well I'd have to say 'research, research, research'. Learn about the community you will be come part of, find out about facilities that exist and be familiar with the kind of benefits that you might be able to access by going rural.

If you were to ask what the best thing was, I'd have to say moving to Mid-North Coast - we haven't a single regret. A better work / life balance, community integration and a touch of rural serenity!"

Anita moved from her beach suburb home in bustling Sydney as part of a permanent posting with the NSW Ambulance Service to the laid back rural town of Cobar, 500 km inland. After some initial reservations about leaving friends and family so far away and the move itself (which the Ambulance Service arranged), Anita has had a wonderful experience, which has allowed her to update her training and skills profile.

"The move has completely changed my lifestyle, I have a fantastic roster - up to 6.5 days off at a time so I get the opportunity to travel. It's given me the chance to see parts of Australia that I didn't even know existed and see the country as it really is. I've been out to the races at Louth, which only has a racetrack and one pub - but 5,000 people turn up there to attend the races. I've even attended the Bachelors and Spinsters Ball and ended up staying in a friend's shearing shed!

Career-wise I'm on a work share programme where every 12 weeks you have the chance to work in another station for 4 weeks and to experience their different work practices. With the less busy roster, you get to keep your skills up and running with on-going training and re-certification. Maintaining competencies in readiness for re-certification has not been difficult with the ready availability of on-line courses and Clinical Training Officers regularly providing development resources every month for each region. Plus I've been able to expand my experience by taking on a divisional superintendent role with St Johns Ambulance.

Taking on this opportunity has made me stand on my own two feet and I've definitely grown as a person and learned a lot of life skills. I've met a lot of fantastic people and the community has welcomed me with open arms. My advice would be to take the challenge, go out there and experience it for yourself. Interact with the community; they can't wait to meet you."

In 2006 Kate, her husband and the family cat made the move from Newtown to Orange a bustling country town three and half hours from Sydney and within easy reach of the spectacular Blue Mountains.

"We had been considering the move for a quite a while and felt that country NSW offered us a lot more opportunity both professionally and personally. Part of our decision process was ensuring that we could maintain job security for both of - something we were fortunate enough to achieve. Making the move was made easier with information from the position application pack consolidated with our own research into the Local Council website and local real estate agents.

Professionally I've found the move to be of enormous benefit, every day being different and exciting with a broad scope of challenges to address. I have been lucky to progress in my role in a way that just wasn't possible in Sydney. While I miss the network I had built up in Sydney it does mean that I have the positive challenges developing contacts afresh and of role innovation in a new environment.

Our lifestyle has undergone such a positive change, with the vast open spaces and no traffic we can experience so much of the countryside. We also have the time and opportunity to connect with the community in a way we just didn't find available or possible in Sydney.

If you're thinking of making the move yourself, make sure you research the communities and support functions of the area that you are moving to."