Junior doctors sign on at the Townsville Hospital and Health Service

Seventy-one junior doctors will start the next stage of their medical careers at the Townsville Hospital and Health Service this month.

Among them is 20-year-old JCU graduate Dr Nimisha Aithal who will join her audiologist parents who have worked at The Townsville Hospital for more than a decade.

“From a young age I was fortunate to see how a career in health gave so much to my parents,” she said.

“They were able to help people, especially those in underserved populations, gain better health and better quality of life.

“They were able to challenge themselves academically, travel and continually learn; seeing this inspired me to be a doctor.”

Dr Aithal’s first rotation at The Townsville Hospital will be in the emergency department.

“I’ve got a mixture of emotions about this; I’m excited, nervous energetic, intimidated, eager and thrilled,” she said.

“It is a big privilege and responsibility to make the step from student to junior doctor; however, I know that The Townsville Hospital is one of the best hospitals for junior doctors with incredible support.

“It is a brilliant training ground with access to leading specialists, research and training opportunities which makes it an exciting place to work and learn.”

Townsville Hospital and Health Service Board Chair Tony Mooney said the 71 doctors would be valuable assets to the hospital and health service’s clinical workforce.

“These doctors have a challenging road ahead of them and will see first-hand the rewards a career in medicine can bring,” he said.

“They will be exposed to all areas of health, carrying out rural and remote rotations in areas such as Charters Towers and Palm Island and gaining exposure to a variety of health settings such as surgery, oncology, paediatrics, anaesthetics, obstetrics and psychiatry.

“As North Queensland’s only tertiary referral hospital, these doctors will be offered an unprecedented experience and provide the foundations for them to grow into exceptional doctors.”

Dr Aithl said she hoped her future as a doctor would extend to anaesthetics and paediatrics.

“I really want to explore these areas more but am still narrowing down my options and seeing what catches my interest as a doctor,” she said.

“Outside of clinical medicine, I love teaching and can see myself incorporating that into my career.”

The new interns will participate in a week-long orientation program to familiarise themselves with each hospital, its services and clinical practice and procedures before beginning rotations through a variety of units that may include general medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and additional elective terms in other specialised areas.

Contact: Public Affairs 4433 1016 | 0409 265 298