At Echuca Regional Health, we not only offer excellent career opportunities, but also an extensive array of education, training, mentoring and professional development programs. Read on below to look at the range of options.

Click here to visit our Join the team page and look at current opportunities.

Medical Career Tours – Explore the Loddon Mallee

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Event registration – Loddon Mallee Regional Tour

Medical Career Tours – Explore the Hume Region

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Event registration – Hume Regional Tour

Testimonials of working at ERH and the rural lifestyle it offers

A day in the life of a junior doctor

About the Victorian Rural Generalist Program

The Victorian Rural Generalist Program is a state-wide end-to-end Rural Generalist training program that allows the future Rural Generalist workforce to train, work and live in rural and regional Victoria. In addition to providing a diverse and rewarding training experience, the long-term objective of the VRGP is to increase the employment of Rural Generalists in rural health services and communities across Victoria.

The VRGP offers trainees the certainty of a defined and supported training pathway all the way through to Fellowship, in the region of their choice.

The VRGP has Regional Coordinators across all regions of rural Victoria who will assist trainees to navigate their training pathway and provide career support throughout their training journey and into employment in Rural Generalist positions in their region.  vicruralgeneralist.com.au

Rural Generalist Year 1 (RG1) Program

The Rural Generalist Year 1 (RG1) Program is a rural intern training model where trainees are based in a rural health setting. The RG1 program offers a great introduction to a Rural Generalist career by providing training in both hospital and community settings and working along-side Rural Generalists in rural and community health services.

To apply for RG1 positions, RG1 trainees should:

• Demonstrate an understanding and commitment to a career as a Rural Generalist
• Identify why you aspire to become a Rural Generalist
• Outline your understanding of Rural Generalist training requirements
• Provide an outline of your Rural Generalist career pathway

The Loddon-Mallee Rural Generalist

About the Region

The Loddon Mallee Region is located in the Northwest of Victoria, with the Murray River travelling through the heart of the region. Our region spans through Woodend, Bendigo, Echuca, Swan Hill and up to Mildura.

Diversity and opportunity describe the Loddon-Mallee Region.  Festivals abound.  The Echuca Winter Blues Festival; Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival; Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival are just a few.  Events at Hanging Rock attract visitors from far and wide.  In the arts, Bendigo Art Gallery an extensive collection of European Art and Australian art from the 1800s onwards; live local musicals and visiting performances are held regularly at Echuca’s Paramount Theatre.  The Maldon Folk Festival provides some of the finest folk artist performances in the country.  For those interested in outdoor activities, the Loddon-Mallee has extensive and interconnecting bike trails, watersports are enjoyed throughout the course of the Murray River.  And of course, local football/netball and tennis are solid staples of the region.  For those looking for something less exertional, the Castlemaine Festival of Gardens; the historic paddlesteamers in Echuca and the wineries sprinkled across the Loddon-Mallee make for many a relaxing afternoon.

While in the region, visitors and locals alike also enjoy our iconic and widely acknowledged restaurants whether in Piper St Kyneton, the wharf area of Echuca, our Goldfields towns of Castlemaine and Bendigo or destination dining in Mildura.

Our Program

The Loddon-Mallee Rural Generalist Year 1 Program offers a supportive environment for trainees, including:

• Case Management – one on one case management in order to prioritise placements and rotations through the Rural Generalist pathway
• Collaboration with Monash and Melbourne Universities, General Practices, Health Services and GP Colleges (MCCC- RTO), to navigate your pathway and support you to achieve your career goals
• Education and Supervision Support
• Mentorship
• A sense of community and connection
• Potential for multi-year contracts

The Loddon-Mallee Rural Generalist Year 1 Program has three major Health Services in which you can undertake the majority of your first three year of training: Bendigo Health, Echuca Regional Health and Mildura Base, with additional opportunities for rotations to Swan Hill.

The Loddon-Mallee Rural Generalist Year 1 program provides the opportunity to undertake General Practice placements in Echuca as an intern and expand these placements out to the Rural Generalist Year 2 Program. The region also has great opportunities to undertake Rural Generalist Advanced Training (RGA) in

• Emergency Medicine
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Anaesthetics
• Paediatrics
• Mental Health
• Palliative Care

Applications for Rural Generalist Year 1 positions for the 2023 training year will be open on 9 May 2022 in the current intern Allocation and Placement Service (previously known as Intern Match).

Find out what it’s like to become the next generation of Rural Generalists, as well as train these up and coming doctors on the podcast Victorian Rural Generalist Supervisors of the Loddon Mallee Region: https://anchor.fm/vrgpgm

https://podcasts.apple.com/th/podcast/victorian-rural-generalist-supervisors-loddon-mallee/id1546978071

Internship at ERH

Program Overview

Intern positions – 5  RG1 positions (2022)

Interns rotate through the following terms:

• Emergency Medicine at ERH (Core)
• General Surgery at ERH (Core)
• General Medicine at ERH (Core)
• Rehabilitation, Aged Care, Palliative Care Medicine (RAP) at ERH (non-core)
• General Practice Placement based at Echuca Moama Family Medical Practice (non-core)

Emergency Medicine

The ERH ED has around 25,000 presentations per year. Our FACEM Director of Emergency Medicine, leads a group of FACEMs, Rural Generalists, GP and ACEM Registrars in providing care to the local community and visitors for the region.

General Surgery

ERH has a team of general surgeons and other proceduralists led by the Director of Surgery. In this term interns work directly with senior staff, supported by a SET surgical registrar (on rotation from Austin Health) and two surgical HMOs. Scheduled theatre time as first assistant, management of surgical ward patients and first assessment of patients referred for surgical review are highlights of the term.

General Medicine

Three Interns rotate on the two General Medical Units/High Dependency Unit (HDU). Each Medical Unit is supervised by General Physician or Rural Generalist, a Basic Physician Trainee and an HMO. Interns are integrally involved in admissions, patient care and procedures under supervision and within scope of practice.

Rehabilitation, Aged Care, Palliative Care Medicine (RAP)

The RAP service is a multidisciplinary service where the Intern works with a PGY2/3 under the supervision of a specialist Rehabilitation Physician. Patient mix includes: post-operative joint replacement, post acute stroke, Geriatric Evaluation & Management (GEM) (both inpatient and outpatient streams), and Transitional Care Program (TCP). The Palliative Care unit provides supportive management and end-of-life care.

General Practice at Echuca Moama Family Medical Practice

Award winning Echuca Moama Family Medical Practice (EMFMP) is staffed by Rural Generalists and trains medical students and junior doctors in the community setting. Interns gain an understanding in rural general practice according to best practice. Exposure extends from paediatrics to geriatrics and includes office-based procedures (e.g. cervical screening test, lesion excision, plastering).

Apply Here

Echuca Regional Health will be participating in the Victorian Rural Preferential Allocation (VRPA) Intern Match process through the PMCV https://www.pmcv.com.au/medical-workforce/all-matches. If you are eligible to apply for an intern position, you must register with PMCV . Once the application process opens you will then need to apply through the PMCV and email your cover letter to medicalworkforceunit@erh.org.au 

Executive Director Medical Services: Dr Annemarie Newth

Director of Clinical Training: Dr Kathryn Schultz

Medical Workforce Unit Manager: TBA

Medical Workforce Unit Coordinators: Chris Stevenson and Amanda Sampson

Director of Education, Training and Research: Meaghan Douglas

Medical Education Officer: Jane McPherson

Loddon Mallee Rural Generalist Coordinator: Craig Canham

Dr James’ Story

Dr Shannah’s Story

Hospital Medical Officer PGY2/3:

ERH has eleven PGY2/3 positions. PGY2/3 terms are available in Paediatrics/Obstetrics, Anaesthetics/HDU, General Practice, Medicine, Surgery and Emergency.  ERH also has PGY2/3s on rotation from Austin Health and Bendigo Health in Emergency, Surgery, Medicine, Anaesthetics/HDU and Rehabilitation/Aged Care/Palliative Care (RAP).

The Loddon Mallee is offering a unique opportunity for our Doctors in Training entering their PGY2 Year in 2024. You have the option to work across multiple sites undertaking your selected rotations in 2024 that will further your Rural Generalist journey. Opportunities may also be available for a 2 year contract to undertake an Advanced Skills year within your area of interest for 2025. *Not suitable to Level 1 registration.

For more information click here 2024 Loddon Mallee Build Your Own Pathway

While we make every effort to support your pathway within the Loddon Mallee, we cannot absolutely guarantee availability of  all preferences, nor unfortunately do we have the current capability required to support a level 1 registration applicant within this pathway. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives within the Loddon Mallee Network based on demonstration of commitment to and understanding of regional and rural health.

For more information around the Rural Generalist Pathway please visit https://www.vicruralgeneralist.com.au/

For enquiries around the application process and position description please email: Loddon.mallee@vicruralgeneralist.com.au

Registrars:

• SET2+ (Surgical) Registrars: six-monthly secondments from Austin Health (accredited by RACS)
• ACEM (Emergency Medicine) Registrars: 13 weeks secondment from Bendigo Health (accredited by ACEM)
• Basic Physician Training (BPT) Registrars x 2:  secondments from Northern Health (accredited by RACP)
• Advanced Trainee in Community Child Health x 1 (new position accredited by RACP)

GP Training/Registrars:

 ERH regularly supports training for GP Registrars in Emergency, Anaesthesia and Obstetrics. Further information on Advanced Skills posts is available through the Victorian Rural Generalist Program (VRGP)  https://www.vicruralgeneralist.com.au/rg-advanced

Consolidation of Skills Program:

 Are you a Victorian Rural Generalist Registrar on one of the below recognised training pathways within Victoria?

• Australian General Practice Training Program (AGPT)
• Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) Independent Pathway or RGTS OR a Fellowed GP

If so, and you have recently completed an Advanced Skill in one of the below specialities, then Echuca Regional Health is in the position to support the consolidation of these skills:

• Anaesthetics
• Emergency
• Obstetrics

Rural Generalists work at Echuca Regional Health in collaboration with other specialists Service to support the consolidation of these skills in line with your professional development requirements.

VRGP Consolidation Program Flyer

VRGP Program factsheet

ERH Consolidation of Skills Flyer and Testimonial

For more information on any of these programs beyond Internship, please contact Gemma Bilardi, Regional Co-ordinator Loddon Mallee  Loddon.mallee@vicruralgeneralist.com.au

Dr Miranda Psychiatry Trainee https://vimeo.com/412242243

Dr James BPT 2020 https://vimeo.com/410917828

Dr Tiffany GP Registrar https://vimeo.com/410873471

Dr Angela 2020 Intern https://vimeo.com/411628126

Dr Georgia 2020 Intern https://vimeo.com/410881027

Dr Matthew 2020 Intern https://vimeo.com/410892247

Medical Workforce Unit
Echuca Regional Health
226 Service Street, Echuca, Victoria   3564
P 03 5485 5888/ 03 5485 5039/ 03 5485 5041
F 03 5485 5052
medicalworkforceunit@erh.org.au