Information Pack
Local Health Network/s: YNLHN
Registration Requirements: General Registration*
Post Graduate Year: PGY3+
Expression of Interest Guideline: click HERE.
*Applicants must be registrable with the Medical Board of Australia as a Medical Practitioner with General Registration. See the Applications Requirements tab below for full details.
About the Program
The Palliative Care Advanced Skills position within the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network is a full-time (negotiable) position split into 2 geographical locations throughout the training year.
Our PGY3+ palliative care Advanced Skills Post is designed to promote a broad range of experiences in both rural and metropolitan settings. There will be 6 months based at the Wirringka Palliative Care Unit, Modbury Hospital and 6 months based in Clare Medical Centre.
Wirringka Palliative Care Unit, Modbury
The Wirringka Palliative Care Unit is an acute palliative care ward with a focus on symptom management and acute end of life care. The ward flexes to meet palliative care need in NALHN. Patients with well controlled symptoms and an anticipated slow deterioration will have alternative sites of care explored with them and their families.
Clare Medical Centre
The general practice provides comprehensive care and GPs are also procedurally trained in the areas of obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthetics, surgery, paediatrics, and musculoskeletal medicine. The practice is a large modern practice serving the town of Clare and the surrounding region. Outreach services are also provided to the communities of Burra and Snowtown through a branch practice. The hospital has 24 acute inpatient beds, regular operating lists and 24-hour emergency cover.
Yorke and Northern Palliative Care Service
The region spans the Clare Valley, where the registrar will be based, to Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North region of South Australia. Palliative Care is largely coordinated by specialist nurses based in Clare, Wallaroo and Port Pirie. They care for patients with a palliative diagnosis and many settings including clinics, hospitals, palliative care suites and in their homes. The registrar will work closely with the nurses and participate in regular clinics, consults and home visits coordinated by the nursing staff. They will spend two days each fortnight travelling to either Port Pirie or the Yorke Peninsula. The remining dedicated Palliative Care time will be based in Clare doing telehealth consults and providing remote care for patients further away or seeing patients in the Clare Valley. The registrar will be working with nurses for outreach visits but will always have remote supervision available in the form of Dr Philip Gribble or Dr David Holden. Palliative care consultant supervision will continue through telehealth and face to face patient visits.
Being a member of a smaller team of medical staff, you will have access to significant individual support from the YNLHN Medical Education Unit and you will also develop close working relationships with your junior and senior medical colleagues. The working culture at our hospitals and general practices embraces teamwork and recognises that all team members, including Trainee Medical Officers, are highly valued for the skills and knowledge they are able to contribute to patient care.
Rotations at YNLHN
This position is based at the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network for the first part of the year and at Clare for the second half of the training year.
