Alice Springs Hospital and our networked hospitals have a strong basic physician training (BPT) program, covering a range of general and specialty rotations as well as preparation for the RACP exams.

Our BPT program is best suited to applicants in their PGY3 or above and can include entry at registrar level.

PGY2 applicants should apply to the resident medical officer (RMO) BPT stream where we have 2 x 2 year positions allocated to ‘pre-BPT’ rotations to prepare trainees for physician training in their PGY3 year.

About the program

Alice Springs Hospital is a level 2 teaching hospital, with 183 beds, servicing a total population of around 40,000 people in Central Australia, including approximately 25,000 in Alice Springs and the rest living remotely, up to 1000 km away.

Despite the population being fairly ‘small’, there is a unique diversity of country, language and culture making this place rich and fascinating.

Trainees are part of service delivery across a large geographical area, engaging with remote Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal led health organisations.

The pathology encountered with direct patient care is unique and requires clinicians to employ the biopsychosocial model of care on a daily basis as well as develop their skills around cultural understanding, cultural care and cultural safety.

Aboriginal people make up 30% of the NT population, but reflect 75% of patients in the Central Australian healthcare system.

Our diversity presents both opportunities and challenges. Working and training in Central Australia allows trainees to be part of delivering innovative, integrated patient-centred care in a rural and remote setting.

Participating in clinical care which is culturally safe and responsive in a linguistically diverse population challenges clinicians to place all patients at the centre of their care as well as deepen their understanding of the strong links many patients have to country and culture.

NT Health is known for its infectious diseases service and many trainees come from around the country and overseas to gain experience in this area in a remote setting close to South East Asia.

Alice Springs Hospital shares its campus with Flinders NT Medical School and the Remote Centre for Health, offering the opportunity for staff to engage in research and teaching.

Rotations and requirements

Basic physician trainees will be given a balance of core and non-core training terms over the 12 to 24 months of training. The maximum amount of BPT time that can be completed at ASH is 24 months.

During your acute general medicine rotations you'll be required to partake in nights and admitting shifts in a week on/ week off roster. The rest of the rotation you are allocated to 1 of 4 general medical teams. The admitting shifts are a great opportunity to see a wide range of presentations and work alongside our outstanding emergency department to manage acute presentations such as stroke and acute coronary syndromes.

Specialties and education

The following specialties are covered in the basic physician training program:

• General medicine
• Renal
• Medical oncology/ haematology /gastroenterology
• Alcohol and other drugs
• Cardiology/ coronary care unit/ stroke unit

Formal teaching opportunities include:

• Weekly hospital wide grand rounds
• Weekly department of medicine teaching
• Weekly basic physician trainee registrar bedside teaching
• Weekly division of medicine journal club
• Weekly subspecialty meetings; cardiology, echocardiography, renal, endocrinology, infectious diseases, lupus/ vasculitis, rheumatology

RACP exam preparation

In preparation for the exams, there is weekly teaching including bedside teaching, written exam preparation and a formal mock clinical exam provided to all candidates. This is protected teaching time.

Alice Springs Hospital is a clinical exam site for the RACP clinical exam and we have many regional examiners within the department of medicine who thoroughly understand the examination process.

We have access to other written and clinical training programs through our secondment hospitals; Royal Prince Alfred (Sydney), Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre (Adelaide).

2 weeks of study leave is approved for study courses.

How to apply

You can apply to join the basic physician training program between May and August each year, but we also welcome applications at any time outside of that period.

If you're a junior overseas doctor and interested in working with us, we encourage you to reach out to discuss opportunities.

To apply for basic physician training, you'll need to provide a:

• Resume;
• cover letter outlining your training goals, aspirations and whether you wish to enter training at the RMO or registrar level; and
• names of 2 physician referees who can assess your potential for the program.

Contact

Jolene Preece, Medical administration, jolene.preece@nt.gov.au

Dr Kirsten Neal, Registrar Recruitment, kirsten.neal@nt.gov.au

Dr Sajan Thomas, Director of Physician Education, sajan.thomas@nt.gov.au

Medical Recruitment, Alice Springs, MedicalRecruitmentAsh.THS@nt.gov.au