BUNBURY Regional Hospital could become the future base for a record number of new doctors set to start work in WA this year.
A total of 324 Western Australian rookie doctors will begin their careers in 2015, 12 of which will rotate through the Bunbury Regional Hospital.
Dr John Ward, who is the director of clinical training at Bunbury Regional Hospital and the clinical educator for WA, said the record amount of new doctors was of critical importance to the state.
“Previously WA has been importing doctors from less well-off countries and stripping them of vital resources, so having plenty of new ones is a great relief,” he said.
“Down the track we’d eventually like to be exporting doctors out to these countries so this is a step in the right direction.”
Each WA intern will spend time at one of WA’s three major tertiary hospitals – Fiona Stanley Hospital, Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital and Royal Perth Hospital – in their inaugural year.
These interns will then go on a rotation schedule between regional and major hospitals.
This year’s 324 interns compare with 312 last year, with more than 290 of them being trained in WA.
With a second medical school operating at Notre Dame, Dr Ward said the quality of doctors being trained in WA was higher than previous years.
“There is a much better quality of intern doctors in WA with new systems being introduced to both Notre Dame and the University of Western Australia,” he said.
“It is now compulsory for students to have a primary degree before doing their medicine course at university.
“A lot of doctors have started off doing nursing or physiotherapy and thought ‘I’d like to stretch myself a little more’ and they’ve become doctors.”
Dr Ward said it was critical to maintain both a high quality and quantity of doctors in the state.
“It’s of vital importance that we keep producing good doctors,” he said.
“There’s quite a big need for it and we’re really excited about this year’s total.”
