Dr John Adams has just spent the last two years undertaking placements with RAHC in Ti Tree in the Northern Territory. He started working for RAHC after retirement from general practice, having heard about the organisation from a colleague at a reunion.
“I realised that even though I’d had quite a few jobs before that had included Indigenous health, I was very much in the dark on a lot of Indigenous issues,” Dr Adams said.
With an extensive background in anaesthetics, occupational health and general practice, John fell into the remote Northern Territory work with ease, which he attributed to RAHC.
“RAHC introduced me to some really good concepts that I hadn’t been exposed to before. They provided a cultural orientation and a medical orientation over a few days at the start of my first placement.
“They paid me for the training, which I thought was extraordinary, and it was a really wonderful course.”
Dr Adams has worked in the Ti Tree clinic for two weeks, every two months, for the past two years. He says continuity of service, and the support RAHC provides its staff, are the key benefits of the service.
“RAHC is making a real contribution to improving Indigenous health through continuity of care in the communities. For me personally, RAHC has made a positive contribution to my knowledge with regard to working in Indigenous health,” he said. “That gave me the confidence to keep going back.”
“If you want to work in remote Indigenous health, you need RAHC to help you,” Dr Adams said. “The RAHC process is seamless. From the minute I leave home, arrive in the community to the minute I come home, RAHC takes care of everything and makes everything so easy.”
Dr Adams strongly recommends that others undertake a RAHC placement.
“If you want to do Indigenous remote community medicine you need RAHC. It is easy, as I said earlier it’s seamless, it is a seriously rewarding experience. My experience with RAHC has been fantastic,” Dr Adams said.
Would you like to share your RAHC experience with other Health Professionals? We are always looking for RAHC Health Professionals to tell us about their experience, by preparing a RAHC story. If you are willing to share your story, please contact your Placement Consultant or email us.