Feedback_Miwatj

GP Registrar Placement Feedback
An initiative of the Registrar Liaison Officers this feedback is provided by GP Registrars who have recently completed a placement. As part of the feedback process information sent is reviewed by Medical Educators and GP Trainers. Comments regarding the placement are the opinion of the GP Registrar not NTGPE.
Community / Town:	Nhulunbuy
Placement Location:	Miwatj Health
Placement Dates:	N/A
Local Attractions:	N/A
Accommodation / relocation arrangements:	Housing may be available if working over 0.5 at Miwatj, otherwise covered by Gove Hospital
Hours actually worked:	Clinic hours are 0800 to 1630 daily. Doors open for clients at 0830, and shut at 1600. Lunchtime is 1200 to 1400. If clients have arrived before the times doors close then they are seen. This very rarely involves any overtime. The Clinic supports all NTGPE non-clinical time (teleconferences, workshops etc). The clinic can sometimes be very quiet depending on what may be going on culturally (eg funeral in another community), there is usually a corresponding 'Rebound’ to make up for this.
After hours & oncall:	No after-hours or on-call requirements (this does not save you from Gove Hospital on-call)
Pay Rate:	Miwatj matches hospital pay rates. You generally get your TRMP equivalence rate.
Supervision:	Generally very happy to provide informal teaching. Formal teaching sessions have been on Friday afternoons (clinic closes every Friday arvo for this), but I don’t work there on a Friday. Clinic has been very happy to release me for formal teaching provided by Gove Hospital in lieu of formal teaching from Miwatj Clinic
Patient Demographics / Clinic Special Interests:	Miwatj clinic was created and is funded to provide health care services for Indigenous people in the Nhulunbuy region. As such around 90% of the patients fall into this demographic. Miwatj also provides initial workers' medical Examinations for Yolngu Business Enterprises. If you are male, you are highly unlikely to be dealing with 'women's health' problems, and vice versa. Plenty of complex chronic disease patients with more than enough acute care patients to fill in.
Suitability:	A placement at Miwatj heath requires a candidate who is confident to work with minimal supervision, in a sometimes-challenging cross-cultural environment. Some of the patients present to Miwatj fairly ill, needing hospital admission....Probably not for a basic term.
Feedback by:	Oscar Whitehead - November 2005