College of GPs Division of Rural Hospital Medicine celebrates 10 new Fellows

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners is celebrating the 10 newest specialist rural hospital doctors who were awarded Fellowship of the Division of Rural Hospital Medicine (DRHM) over the course of 2023.

This is the largest cohort to receive Rural Hospital Medicine Fellowship in a year since the College has offered the training programme.

The College is the post-graduate training organisation for doctors wanting to specialise in general practice, rural hospital medicine, or both.

Dr Andrew Morgan, Chair of DRHM says, “Having another 10 rural hospital medicine Fellows working across Aotearoa will have a real impact on the rural workforce and the communities they serve.

“Working rurally is different to working in a metropolitan or urban hospital setting. We deliver hospital level care, with some primary care, in isolated settings and often without easy access to other resources or support.

“However, we do share commonalities with our GP peers, primarily because we both work in very generalist specialities and many of our rural hospital medicine registrars also complete the general practice training programme.

College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “While the ethos of specialist GPs and rural hospital doctors is the same – to provide comprehensive, complex care to patients and improve health outcomes for our communities – there are differences in the training requirements and the way we work once we become specialists.

“I’m delighted that we’ve got 10 new, passionate rural hospital doctors who’ll be able to get stuck into some incredibly interesting, rewarding and challenging work in some of the most beautiful parts of Aotearoa, while continuing their ongoing learning from those who’ve been working rurally for many years.

“It’s great to see the numbers increasing as Rural Hospital Medicine is one of the key parts of the College’s strategy to make a sizeable impact as we work towards a more equitable and accessible healthcare system.

“I look forward to meeting our newest Rural Hospital Medicine Fellows and saying congratulations when they cross the stage at our Fellowship and Awards ceremony in July,” says Dr Murton.

Applications for the 2025 Rural Hospital Medicine Training Programme and General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) are open now. Applications can be made online before 12pm Monday 8 April 2024.