BENDIGO Hospital received a boost yesterday when 29 young doctors joined as interns.
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The recent university graduates will spend a year at the hospital in the final steps towards full qualification.
Bendigo Health deputy chief medical officer Dr Glenn Howlett said their new doctors were always in high demand.
“It’s a way to attract doctors to the community long-term,” he said.
“It encourages the retention of doctors, which are a scarce commodity in rural areas.
“That said, it’s a very competitive process. We had more than 400 applications for 29 jobs.”
Dr Howlett said the interns would rotate through general medical fields with opportunities to undertake roles in specialist areas.
“It’s a very good grounding and foundation for their future years,” he said.
“They practice under supervision and we have a very good program in place for these graduates.
“It gives a foundation in general medicine, general surgery, emergency medicine and surgery and specialist areas like cardiology, psychiatry, urology and geriatric medicine.”
Ten of the 31 interns from last year have continued at the hospital.
The interns will undergo induction this week and start full work Monday.