![Sarah Woodford said not putting pressure on rural medical students was key in helping to fix workforce shortages. Picture by Peter Hardin Sarah Woodford said not putting pressure on rural medical students was key in helping to fix workforce shortages. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/08b80b3f-2655-456a-868e-d36198d5005e.jpg/r0_0_5380_3587_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
TAKING the pressure off rural students studying medicine to return to the regions to practice as doctors could be key in attracting more health professionals.
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Gunnedah girl Sarah Woodford has returned to the rural life after a stint in Newcastle to complete her GP training.
Her return to the country has given her a "strong insight" into the disparities facing regional patients and what can be done to retain staff.
As a young doctor in the field, Mrs Woodford said expecting high school leavers to return to the regions for work could do more harm than good.
"Medical students from rural are not then obliged to return to rural Australia just because of their rural background," she said.
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"It's important not to put that kind of pressure on them.
"It runs the risk of causing resentment and undue stress to solve the rural workforce shortage single-handedly."
Contrary to what many might believe, Mrs Woodford said there was actually no shortage of people graduating from medical school.
The answer therefore lies in positive rural exposure to get those graduates to the country.
"I think there was a sentiment on the main university campus that it was a bad thing if you were sent rural against your wishes and people generally tried to avoid that," she said.
"When I talk to people about rural medicine, my approach is often tailored to dispelling the myths that are preventing them from taking the leap into rural life."
Without attention to implementing solutions and strategies to attract a fresh workforce, Mrs Woodford said rural patients will remain at a disadvantage.
Patients being spread out across the country, limited health infrastructure and the higher costs of delivering rural and remote healthcare all creates problems.
"But the other issue is rural people can't seek healthcare as easily so they put off seeing a doctor until they really need it," Mrs Woodford said.
"It runs the risk of causing resentment and undue stress to solve the rural workforce shortage single-handedly."
- Sarah Woodford
This places more strain on the health care system when they present to a doctor or hospital, which creates a cycle of care disparity.
Not being able to undertake specialty training in regional areas is also a factor driving recent graduates away, Mrs Woodford said.
"There is something to be said for the exposure and experience you can get from training at a metropolitan site," she said.
"But if you spend a majority of your time in metropolitan areas then you're more likely to put down roots in those areas."
Committed to the regions, Mrs Woodford is hoping her future will see her working as a "rural generalist" - but the exact location is yet to be determined.
Mrs Woodford will start her GP training with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners next year, before undertaking four years of fulltime work to become a rural generalist.
"After that, who knows. Rural Australia will be my oyster and I'm so excited for that," she said.
But heading home and working in Gunnedah would be a "privilege".
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