KEEP IN TOUCH
(07) 3105 7800
Turrbal and Jagera Country
Level 4, 348 Edward Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
The annual RDAQ Conference was held in June in Brisbane, and Health Workforce Queensland (HWQ) are proud to have played such a large part in organising (as the conference partner) and participating in such a remarkable event for rural doctors, health facilities, communities and university students.
The shared commitment RDAQ and HWQ have, extends to supporting medical students to go rural and the RDAQ Conference provides the perfect constellation of touchpoints for Queensland’s future workforce.
The RDAQ Conference journey starts with HWQ subsidising ten of the university students who attended the conference as student delegates, with the remaining students being subsidised by GPs.
On Day One of the conference, the students were collectively welcomed at the Student Orientation as aspiring medical practitioners amongst equals and were encouraged to learn from those who have walked before them. In the spirit of giving back students also had the opportunity to get to know the attending rural GPs professionally and personally at the Networking Afternoon Tea which sets the tone for feeling part of a community of health professionals.
Day Two saw HWQ representatives take on the role of tour guides to escort groups of prevocational doctors and medical students on the RDAQ Bush Tour which showcased the benefits of rural practice and lifestyle across a large cross-section of Queensland healthcare facilities. Although the majority of Queensland was covered in under 60 minutes there was no shortage of interesting conversations and questions.
A highlight of the Conference program was the student-led Great Debate which this year asked the question Is Rural Medicine more of an ‘Art’ or a ‘Science’? While the answer was obvious to many, the strong arguments and combative wit utilised by Team Art were slightly eclipsed by the stellar performance of Bond’s Royce Ocampo who stepped up at the eleventh hour for Team Science and won the audience’s hearts and minds with his unconventional debating skills. A surprise visit by Darth Vader as timekeeper overlord and Professor Bruce Chater’s moderation brought the debate to the moment of truth with 69% voting for Team Science and 31% voting for Team Art.
The RDAQ Conference experience is unique in its ability to bring together generations of students and GPs with a shared love of what they do and the lifelong sense that they are all are part of the RDAQ ‘family’.
In addition to the strong student program, we were delighted to again sponsor and participate in the Rural Workforce Forum where inspiring stories were shared supporting workforce innovation. This is an excellent platform to address the challenges and solutions within the rural workforce.
The HWQ team had many conversations with delegates at the trade booth throughout the conference sharing how HWQ can assist in navigating the rural health journey of university students, new graduates and established physicians.
Students were again honoured at the David Horn Gala Dinner with the RDAQ Student Prizes awarded to; Andrew Dossetor (Bond), Elli Harford (Griffith), Rebecca Rathie (UQ) and Kaitlin Brownhill (JCU) for their demonstrated commitment to a rural career in medicine. HWQ’s strong relationship with health students allowed us to be proud of the success every student achieves as they realise their potential.
Also at the Gala Dinner, Chris Mitchell, CEO of HWQ, had the pleasure of presenting this year’s QRMFN Backbone of the Bush Award to a very deserving David O’Toole for his commitment to the Goondiwindi community for over a decade. You can read more about David and the Backbone of the Bush award in the article linked below.
Another exciting award presented at the Gala Dinner is the David Horn Memorial Medal - Honorary Associate Membership, and we are proud to announce that it went to our very own Deputy CEO, Zena Martin.
We look forward to being part of RDAQ again next year. See you at the Gold Coast!
