20/04/2024
⭐We recently caught up with QRGP Fellow Dr Nikki Harch, who is based in Emerald, to hear about life as a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in mental health 👇
💡With all the Advanced Skills Training (AST) options available to Rural Generalists, why did mental health stand out to you?
“Mental health skills are incredibly important to rural Queenslanders. Whilst I wasn't exactly sure how I envisioned myself working post fellowship, I knew that I wanted to make a difference to my community. After realising I had no hand-eye coordination for anaesthetics and not wanting to risk pushing my boundaries in obstetrics, I decided to look at the cognitive advanced skills. Mental health allows me to connect with people when they are going through some of the toughest times of their lives, and hopefully I can ease their worries and make it a little more bearable”.
💡 Tell us about your AST year
“I feel like mental health training is a fantastic skill that can be gained and ‘honed’ in a 12 month period. While there is so much complexity to psychiatry, there are common symptoms and presentations that will be seen every day in primary care. It’s like learning in any new area, there is always a period of uncertainty to start with, but the support and supervision in my training time was exceptional”.
💡 How do you utilise your mental health advanced skill?
“I currently work with a community mental health team a day a week, performing face-to-face outreach for my area. I work with mental health clinicians on the ground and with a psychiatrist from afar to manage complex and involuntary patients.
I utilise my skills in my everyday life and find it most beneficial when working within primary care on a day-to-day basis. The pride I feel when someone opens up and trusts me with their concerns, is a feeling I never want to forget”.
💡 What do you love about being a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in mental health?
“I love the ripple effects that I can have; you may be seeing only one patient in front of you, but they've then gone and talked about their experience with people who then come and see you. I love that I can support other doctors who have complex patients and provide practical advice. I work with the most amazing, compassionate, and determined community mental health team. I love the variety of work that my advanced skill has allowed me to do, and that I don't feel pigeonholed by different procedures, or restricted by burdensome on-call requirements”.
📢 Applications for 2025 Advanced Skills Training positions are now open and close 3.00pm on Monday 22 April 2024. Head to our website for more information: https://bit.ly/3J75pPc
