MONASH medical student Lachlan Carroll has strengthened his commitment to rural practice with his appointment as the Loddon Mallee student representative on the Victorian Rural Generalist Program committee.
Lachlan, who grew up in Swan Hill, is part of the Monash Extended Rural Cohort, allowing him to complete the majority of his clinical placements in regional Victoria. This enabled him to train close to home, completing placements across the north-west in Mildura, Bendigo and Swan Hill.
An aspiring rural generalist, Lachlan intends to apply for the Victorian Rural Generalist Program (VRGP) in the Loddon Mallee and if accepted, will begin his intern training in 2023.
The Victorian Rural Generalist Program (VRGP) is a coordination unit that supports a statewide end-to-end training program for the rural generalist workforce to train, work and live in rural and regional Victoria.
Rural generalists are general practitioners with advanced training in additional skills, such as anaethetics, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology or paediatrics, allowing them to work unsupervised in rural settings within their area of speciality.
As the Loddon Mallee student representative, Lachlan will also gain unique insights into how the program runs, as well as have opportunities to build his professional network by connecting with other rural generalists and representatives from Loddon Mallee hospitals and health services, and plan his future career.
“I hope to carry on my junior years in regional Victoria and pursue a career as a rural generalist,” Lachlan said.
“The impact you can have in a rural community as well as the wide scope of practice is something I find very appealing. And hopefully it’s not too long until I settle somewhere in the Mallee.
“My ultimate goal would be to complete Advanced Rural Generalist Skills in paediatrics so I could use these skills in my home town of Swan Hill, as this is an obvious need of the community, at the same time as being a GP.”
Loddon Mallee VRGP Regional co-ordinator Gemma Bilardi said the VRGP provides a diverse and rewarding training experience.
“Our long-term objective is to increase the number of rural generalists in rural health services and communities across Victoria,” she said.
“Lachlan’s local knowledge and insights from his regional medical placements will make him a valuable addition to the VRGP committee.”
