The Rural Doctors Association of Victoria
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Surgery
Surgical problems and injuries are common in rural practice. All doctors are trained as undergraduates in the practice of surgery. They then have the opportunity to go on and develop these skills according to the chosen locus of their practice.
In rural practice diagnosis is particularly important, but in terms of giving best assistance to rural residents, emergency procedures within the competence of the rural GP can be life saving for the person too far to reach tertiary care in time. Many surgical conditions can also be readily fixed by those with rural training and experience, greatly decreasing the impost on working rural Australians and their families.
Orthopaedics is an area in which rural doctors acquire skill, both to diagnose subtle conditions that may need specialist care to prevent long term disability, but also to manage many easily treatable fractures and soft tissue injuries.
The RDAV regrets and opposes the removal of XRay facilities from many small locations. Limb, chest and skull XRays have always been within the competence of Rural Doctors, who have access to appropriate training and accreditation. Without them there is much unnecessary travel for rural residents to get diagnosis of often simple conditions.
The capacity of Victoria to provide rural specialist surgeons for the future is very much in doubt, with overseas recruitment being the only avenue at present. Overseas surgeons require further training on arrival, especially in orthopaedics. Fully accredited one year advanced training is available for rural GPs, who attain skills necessary for the management of a considerable number of presentations in rural hospitals.
Rural Doctors are also able to undertake a wide variety of minor surgery in their (nowadays accredited) community practice facilities.