Mental health, drug and alcohol (MHDA) careers

[Bronwyn - Junior Medical Officer]

You can probably get a sense from the surroundings that it's a very unique place there's like oh, there's a tractor. How country.

I am Bronwyn and I'm a Junior Medical Officer working as a Psychiatry Registrar at Bloomfield Hospital in Orange.

I'm from Brisbane and I moved to New South Wales for medical school and through a number of country rotations it really sold me on country life.

What I love about working in a regional centre in Psychiatry is that you get a lot of hands-on experience that you wouldn't necessarily get in the city. There's fantastic mentorship with leaders in their fields, so I don't miss out on anything

It's a really special place for patients as well. We've got a lot of long-stay units here to allow patients the time and space to recover and transform their lives rather than just getting over the acute illness or stumble in their life.

My typical day, I get to start with a multi-disciplinary team meeting, which is nursing led and it's a nice relaxed way to start by listening to my colleagues and collaborating together. We can figure out who actually needs the time and space to be able to speak to us at length, rather than rounding on every single patient as other specialties tend to do. 

There's usually time and space in your day to be able to fit in everything including collaborating with your peers, a bit of peer review and support.

I think a lot of people can find mental health a confronting or depressing field but I actually have seen it as the total opposite, you can't really have general health and wellbeing without good mental health.

In psychiatry, the world is your oyster as far as building your career goes. Our understanding of the mind is improving all the time in psychiatry. We're kind of at a frontier of medicine really.

One thing that orange hospital is able to provide is not just a job but it's also a lifestyle and it's a community. It's a lot easier to have a good work-life balance, you can get home before sunset every day.

The next steps for me involves finishing my training and finding a consultant position in a hospital that is looking for a psychiatrist and that's one thing that's great about country practice is that there's plenty of jobs available.

My favorite part of my job is when we do get a win with the patient. It might be something as small as helping someone reconnect with their family members but those are really big things for me as a doctor.

You get to really make a difference in people's lives.

[On-screen text]

Make a bigger difference as a Junior Medical Officer in NSW.
health.nsw.gov.au/jmo-apply

[Interviewer]

What would you say to somebody about moving to Orange to join our new grad program?

[Kendall}

So I personally moved to Orange. I'd never been to Orange before. Never and I took the chance and did it. Um definitely, like it's scary it's really intimidating um but just the support that you get it's worth it. It's really worth the move and you always have someone there for you and that's the thing it's like almost like you have a family with lots of friends around.

Just take the chance, you may as well.

[Interviewer]

Do you have any comments about moving to Orange to do a NewGrad program?

[Taylor]

Um, I actually really like Orange.

[laughter]

I'd never even been here before I moved, um I just knew I wanted to work in mental health and knew that like, Bloomfield seemed very appealing um and yeah I really like it I don't think I'm gonna leave.

I don't know, you just gotta like plant the little seeds where you want them to kind of grow and like that's what I want to do here so, yeah.

[Lucia]

No, I was really nervous. I think starting like a new grad position anyway like is nerve-wracking um, but you know when I first came in, like I think we've had support from day dot, like you guys like have always been available for us and always have had the time to um help us out whenever we need to after hours even. When I need a good cry. 

But, no I think it's really great I don't think when I talk to some of my other friends who are new grads I don't think they've had the support that we've been given to here so I really appreciate it and I do think it is needed in mental health. Sometimes it's a bit tough but you guys make it easier.

[Interviewer]

Would you have any comments to anyone who was not living in Orange and is maybe looking at a NewGrad program here?

[Lucia]

Yeah, I moved from Wollongong, so I've always grown up on the coast being like five minutes away from the beach, so coming here was a bit of a change. But it's nice, it's a nice little town. There's stuff to do which is fun um but yeah I think it's a nice town, everyone's nice. The weather's a bit different but, you know, you've got to get used to change sometimes.