The Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (FUNLHN) is part of SA Health and provides care for around 45,000 people living north from the Spencer Gulf to the Northern Territory, including the communities of Hawker, Leigh Creek, Port Augusta, Roxby Downs, Quorn and Whyalla.
Residents across the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network have access to a wide range of health care services in a various number of locations throughout the regions. This includes Port Augusta Hospital and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Whyalla Hospital and Health Service and a community based general practice,
Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network oversees the public hospitals and health services in the following regions across rural South Australia:
Port Augusta Hospital
Whyalla Hospital and Health Service
Hawker Memorial Hospital
Quorn Health Service
Roxby Downs Health Service
To find out more about FUNLHN services and how to access them click here.
The Port Augusta Hospital is a large country hospital, providing a wide range of inpatient, outpatient and outreach services. The hospital has 55 overnight stay inpatient beds, including five monitored beds. It also includes five low-risk chemotherapy chairs and 12 Renal Dialysis chairs. Port Augusta Hospital has a level 4 obstetric facility, where more complex patients are referred from other facilities.
Port Augusta Hospital provides 24 hours a day, seven days a week (24/7) accident and emergency service, acute inpatient care, maternal and neonatal services, elective surgery, palliative, low-risk chemotherapy, renal dialysis and stepdown facilities for Aboriginal and out-of-town patients. Additional services located onsite are radiology, SA Pathology, clinical pharmacists and Allied Health Services. Hospital services are co-located with community health services.
Port Augusta Hospital is a teaching hospital with Trainee Medical Officers (general RMOs, Paediatric medicine, general surgery, Diploma of O&G (advanced) and a surgical intern) and Adelaide University Rural medical students spending their full fifth year based in Port Augusta.
Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS)
The RFDS clinic is available to all residents living, working and travelling in remote South Australia, including districts of the Flinders Ranges, Gawler Ranges, Birsdville Track and Far North, and the communities of Yalata and Oak Valley. Operating from the RFDS Port Augusta Base, the RFDS Primary health Care Service offers remote patients a complete range of primary health care services. Interns may attend retrievals and community visits during this rotation.
Whyalla Hospital Health Service (WHHS)
Whyalla Hospital and Health Service is a large country hospital, providing a wide range of services of inpatient, outpatient and outreach services. The hospital has 75 multi-day in-patient beds, including an eight-bed high dependency unit, six renal chairs, six moderate risk chemotherapy chairs, 21 same-day recovery beds, two operating and one endoscopy theatre and nine emergency department bays. Whyalla Hospital and Health Service is a level 3 obstetric facility. More complex patients are referred to the level 4 facility at Port Augusta.
Whyalla Hospital provides 24 hours a day, seven days a week (24/7) accident and emergency services, acute inpatient care, maternal and neonatal services, elective surgery, renal dialysis, acute stroke, palliative, rehabilitation and orthotics/prosthetics service. There is a regional Cancer Centre providing medium risk chemotherapy and an integrated mental health inpatient unit onsite with specialist oncologist and resident psychiatrist. Additional services located onsite are radiology (including MRI), SA Pathology, clinical pharmacy and Allied Health Services.
Whyalla Hospital and Health Service is a teaching hospital with Trainee Medical Officers (adult medicine, general surgery, psychiatry, general RMOs and interns) and Adelaide University Rural medical students spending their full fifth year in Whyalla.
Port Augusta is located 310 km north of Adelaide at the top of the Spencer Gulf. Port Augusta is a small city known as the crossroads because the Stuart Highway heads north to Alice Springs and Darwin, the Eyre Highway heads west to the Nullarbor and the Eyre Peninsula and the Princes Highway to the south leads to Adelaide. Port Augusta is also the gateway to the North and Central Flinders Ranges. Port Augusta has a various number of attractions which are enjoyed by residents and visitors whether fishing, sailing, hiking or visiting the city art galleries. With vivid scenery, small town charm, and distinctive mystic outback landscapes, there is a wide selection of year-round activities to discover.
The benefits of being on the Spencer Gulf is discovering rich Aboriginal heritage. Port Augusta is a small city with a diverse culture. Port Augusta has plenty of shopping opportunities, as well as sporting facilities such as the public swimming pool, golf course, bowling green and a state-of-the-art football oval. You can walk along sandy beaches or in leafy gardens, watch a movie, swim, shop or socialize in a café or bar. Live an enviable lifestyle with natural wonders, spectacular vista and beaches, unique one-of-a-kind experiences and great services.
With open spaces, wind and ocean make for many sports and activities. Unearth the Flinders Ranges, Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, Pichi Richi Railway or walk along the Port Augusta’s scenic coastline on the coastal walk.
Whyalla:
Whyalla is an important hub located on Eyre Peninsula’s Spencer Gulf in South Australia and is the region’s biggest city for retail shopping with excellent recreational, sporting and entertainment facilities. Whyalla boasts a warm climate, accessible ocean shores and saltwater fishing. Whyalla represents South Australia’s foremost combination of industrial and nature-based experiences. With vivid scenery, small city charm, distinctive mystic outback landscapes and year-round things to do, Whyalla offers discovery, unique Australian natural wonders and absolute contrast in nature based and industrial activities. Activities that are significant to the landscape and geography of the region that will enthral and gratify those looking to unearth and experience learning, adventure time and witness unrivalled sights and happenings.
Dive or snorkel and witness the camouflage and colourful mating rituals of Whyalla’s distinctive Giant Cuttlefish. Relax within the ocean and wonders of the unique Northern Coastline and beaches on the tranquil Spencer Gulf which are back dropped by the ancient Southern Flinders Ranges. Spectacular sunsets and shimmering horizons, unrivalled natural events and industry that strengthen the nation await the adventurous ready to unearth our earth’s raw essence up close.
Internship
We invite you to complete your internship at the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network based across Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (FUNLHN) where an internship will set you up well for a rural generalist career with the potential to continue your PGY2+ years in a rural setting. This rural immersion intern experience will provide you with broad experiences across diverse clinical areas including emergency medicine, general medicine, general surgery and general practice. You will have opportunities to work with experienced healthcare teams under the personalised supervision of experienced rural clinicians, challenge yourself to gain valuable experience with hands-on procedural skills, and have access to learning opportunities including weekly junior doctor tutorials, simulation sessions, Journal Club and Grand Rounds.
Being a member of a small cohort of interns you will be able to embrace close working relationships with your junior and senior medical colleagues. The working culture within the Flinders and Upper North embraces teamwork and all team members are highly valued for the skills and knowledge they are able to contribute to patient care.
We invite you to become a valued member of the healthcare team in addition to the local communities in Port Augusta and Whyalla. This internship will set you up well for a rural generalist career and link into further opportunities in rural or specialist postgraduate training and work in Adelaide or rural locations.
The rural intern training program within the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (LHN) provides high-quality, AMC-accredited training across multiple clinical sites. Interns gain experience in a variety of disciplines, ensuring a well-rounded foundation for their medical careers.
To support learning, interns participate in weekly tutorials and scheduled simulation sessions, which are based in Whyalla and Port Augusta. While tutorials can be attended in person or via Teams, simulation sessions are mandatory and must be attended in person.
There is a nominated supervisor for each rotation who will meet with junior doctors individually to provide feedback and conduct mid and end-of-term assessments. Supervisors are encouraged to give regular feedback to their junior doctors on a day-to-day basis and are given training and support to be able to provide this.
The Medical Education Unit maintains an open-door policy, allowing junior doctors to seek support at any time via drop-in visits, phone, Teams, or email. Additionally, the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) and Medical Education Officer (MEO) coordinate confidential mid-rotation appraisals, offering a structured opportunity to:
Request support or advice.
Raise concerns.
Discuss career pathways.
Provide feedback on the training program.
Support for interns relocating to the region is provided by the Flinders and Upper North LHN Medical Education Unit based in Whyalla. Interns are provided with free accommodation at each site for the duration of each rotation ensuring they have a comfortable, safe and accessible place to stay.
Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network have accredited terms for Interns in core and non-core rotations:
Emergency Medicine / Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) – based at Port Augusta
General Surgery – Whyalla Hospital
General Medicine – Whyalla Hospital
General Practice – based at Bunyarra Clinic (Whyalla)
Mental Health Inpatient Unit – Whyalla Hospital
The Medical Education Unit is responsible for orientation and coordination of the education program for junior doctors. The Medical Administration teams are responsible for rostering and ensuring that trainees are rostered in line with the EBA standard.
Interns are rostered to work 76 hours per fortnight including weekends, with no requirement for night shifts in the intern year. There is a TMO on call roster which you will participate to gain exposure to Obstetric and Emergency Surgical cases. The hours are monitored carefully to ensure safe working hours.
All hospitals are located approximately 1 km from the city centres with free secure staff parking available onsite. Some type of private transport is required as the cities are spread over quite a large area. Most locations are only 3–8 minutes away by car, 10–15 by bicycle. There are limited public transport systems in all locations.
This is an exciting opportunity in an established intern program which is planned for junior doctors to work, live and train across an enviable blend of medical, surgical, emergency, rural medicine and general practice. You will be awed by the dramatic events and vivid colours and textures that shapes the Spencer Gulf communities of South Australia.
Trainee Medical Officers in the Flinders and Upper North are able to obtain a wide range of clinical experience in obstetrics, emergency, medicine (both acute and chronic disease management), anaesthetics, surgical, psychiatry and RFDS while working in the region. Part of their learning includes fortnightly protected teaching/study time, covering a range of essential medical skills and knowledge.
FUNLHN and EFNLHN collaborate four times a year for joint simulation sessions, allowing for networking and team building.
Rural Generalist Program South Australia (RGPSA) offers an annual simulation day with all the regional prevocational doctors across the regions.
The FUNLHN Medical Education Team is committed to supporting training and education for regional clinicians. We encourage and support prevocational doctors attending workshops in our region and beyond.
Each term rotation is supervised by a term supervisor, responsible for the orientation and training of the trainee. Supervisors provide continual feedback throughout the rotation and complete mid and end-of-term formative assessments as required. During rotations, trainees work with a range of clinicians, locums, and consultants providing additional support, supervision, and teaching.
The Medical Education Unit is located at both Whyalla and Port Augusta and provides further support throughout the training year. Director of Clinical Training Dr Nadee Assiriyage, Medical Education Officer Ellen Menzies, and Medical Administration Officer Haylee Nichol will facilitate orientation, accommodation, career guidance, counselling, and simulation bookings during the training year.
As an SA Health employee you have access to the Employee Assistance Program as a source of confidential counselling and support if needed.
For information about the intern application process, please refer to the SA Health Careers website.
