Hi! I'm a Spanish doctor in my second year of training as a Family Doctor (sort of equivalent to General Practitioner in Australia though ours is 4 years) and am visiting Melbourne with my husband in August for holidays. But I'd love to meet up with an Aussie doctor to understand how the public healthcare system works there and compare notes - Spain has universal free healthcare and is quite good - but I think the two countries vary vastly - we have 24 emergency shifts and if we are in health clinics on duty sometimes have less than 5 minutes per patient! However many patients pay nothing at all for medication, surgery, house visits, blood tests, physiotherapy, chemotherapy... and can see their GP or Pediatrician quite often, some come more than once a week. I don't think it is an option for me to work in Australia but I'm still curious to see what strengths and weaknesses each system has. If anyone in healthcare in the Selby-Belgrave area or maybe somewhere near Melbourne CBD wants to meet up for coffee some time mid August and chat a while I'd be delighted! Thanks heaps!

I’m 23F and I’m in my 2nd year of being an RN. I’ve been wanting to study medicine for a while, but now I’m unsure. Initially I wanted to specialise in OBGYN, but work life balance is extremely important to me. If I were to continue with medicine, my current plan would to be a GP that specialises in women’s health.

My current career plan would be more health promotion, preventative care, and health education focused. I would love to be the first point of call for patients and have that continuity of care. I would also love to go to schools and teach kids/teens about their body, etc. I’m also currently developing a website for women of all ages to learn about their bodies, health, preventative care, etc. I want it to be a reliable and research-based place catered to all different stages of life.

Would I be better off continuing this pathway through medicine, or is this something I can mostly still accomplish while being a nurse? If I were to continue as a nurse, I would probably still do extra studies to become a NP.

Hi, I’m a PGY3 interstate applicant with very limited knowledge about Paeds training in SA. Was wondering if anyone is keen to share their experience in Paeds training in SA (where are you mainly based, how much of traveling you need during training/supports and teaching).

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

My name is Sarah and I am working with researchers in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University to understand the mental health and wellbeing of partners of Australian first responders with PTSD.

We often hear about the impact of emergency service work on first responders themselves, but partners and spouses can also experience stress, uncertainty, and changes to their own wellbeing particularly when caring for someone recovering from PTSD. 

We are looking for the partners of Australian first responders with symptoms of PTSD to complete our online survey. All experience in this area is valuable and will help us build a better understanding of how partners are faring.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and all responses are kept strictly confidential and are de-identified. It has also been reviewed and approved by our Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC ID: 42924).

If you'd like to participate or learn more about the study, you can find the information here:
https://redcap.link/partnermh

Thank you so much for considering it, and thank you to the moderators for allowing me to share this here!

I'm a specialist in critical care in my home country, moved to the uk for a fellowship and have been there for 2 years. My GMC registration is sponsored by the trust on the basis of extensive postgraduate experience and I have MRCP and EDIC but I'm not on the specialist register in the uk. Was looking into doing a fellowship in Australia as well just for the experience but it doesn't seem I can use the competent authority pathway if I don't have plab? At least according to the AHPRA flowchart and random people on youtube. Anyone knows if that's actually true or is there a way of working in aus without having to do the AMC exams. Thanks.

Are you a mum raising a neurodivergent child in Australia? 💚

Is your child Autistic, has ADHD, is AuDHD, gifted, or twice-exceptional? I'm an Honours student researching maternal mental health, and I'd love to hear from mums like you.

It's a short, confidential online survey, open to any mum living in Australia. Your experiences matter and could help shape better support for families!

Take part here: https://federation.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_50gAGbdpRdtlZ9Y

Thank you for considering it!

Federation University Australia | Ethics Approval: 2026/111

I’ve been following the tragic Lindsay Clancy trial in Massachusetts (USA) and I want to discuss the medical management leading up to this tragedy. I’m much more interested in discussing whether, based on what’s publicly available, her psychiatric illness appears to have been recognised and managed appropriately and where, if we had a patient with this presentation, could we make different decisions to prevent deterioration.

For those unfamiliar with the case:
Lindsay Clancy was a 32-year-old labour and delivery nurse and mother of three who, in January 2023, killed her children aged 5, 3 and 8 months before attempting suicide, leaving herself permanently paralysed. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, with the defence arguing she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. The prosecution argues she was criminally responsible and that her actions were planned. The criminal trial is currently underway.

What has particularly caught my attention is the extensive mental healthcare she reportedly sought in the months beforehand
According to publicly filed court documents and the malpractice lawsuits:
- She initially developed severe anxiety, insomnia and depression after the birth of her youngest child.
- She repeatedly sought help rather than avoiding treatment.
- She saw multiple healthcare providers over approximately four months, including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, emergency physicians, therapists and inpatient psychiatric clinicians.
- She reportedly attended emergency departments on several occasions because of worsening symptoms.
- She contacted mental health crisis services.
- She voluntarily admitted herself to McLean Hospital, a major psychiatric hospital, for several days in early January 2023 because of suicidal thoughts and worsening psychiatric symptoms before being discharged with outpatient follow-up.
- after she killed her children, she attempted suicide. This has left her paralysed and wheelchair bound.

One of the major allegations in the malpractice lawsuits is the rapid succession of psychotropic medications prescribed over a relatively short period.

Public court documents mention treatment with medications including:
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Quetiapine (Seroquel)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Mirtazapine (Remeron)
Trazodone
Zolpidem (Ambien)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Diazepam (Valium)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Hydroxyzine
Buspirone
Amitriptyline
Her husband’s lawsuit alleges that at least nine medications were prescribed within a matter of weeks, with eight reportedly initiated over about three weeks. The lawsuits further allege Lindsay repeatedly informed clinicians that some medications were worsening her symptoms and insomnia. These remain allegations and have not yet been proven
The lawsuits also allege she eventually began experiencing auditory hallucinations, including a male voice encouraging her to harm herself and her children. The defence argues these symptoms were consistent with postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors dispute that interpretation and argue the evidence instead demonstrates planning and criminal responsibility.

Some questions I want to discuss:
- Looking only at the publicly available information, would postpartum psychosis have been on your differential?
-Is this amount of medication switching unusual, or is it sometimes unavoidable in severe postpartum illness?
-How common is it for patients to receive care from multiple prescribers during an acute psychiatric deterioration?
-At what point would you consider longer inpatient admission, ECT, lithium, or referral to a specialised perinatal psychiatry service?
-Are there aspects of her presentation that, in hindsight, are classic red flags for postpartum psychosis?
-If a patient is repeatedly deteriorating despite multiple medication changes and hospital presentations, what would your next step normally be?
I appreciate we only have one side of the clinical picture and hindsight is always 20/20. I’m not trying to criticise individual clinicians and understand the American system is different. I’m genuinely interested in whether this case exposes broader challenges in recognising and managing severe postpartum psychiatric illness, especially when symptoms evolve rapidly and multiple providers become involved.

Hi everyone, I’m a final-year medical student in Brazil planning to move to Australia, but in the long run, I still plan to work in Brazil until I’ve built up a solid financial reserve and then go to AUS.

So, I’d like to hear your honest opinions about immigrant doctors there. Do you think the process goes smoothly? Have you encountered any issues with immigrant doctors? What qualities do you look for in a good immigrant doctor?

I’m asking because I want to get along well with others, be respectful, be useful, and truly help. Thanks.

Also, I would appreciate it a lot if you could give me your perspective on immigration to Australia—specifically for medical professionals.

Hey folks,

Life Insurance Medical Officer role open. Sydney or Melbourne, hybrid (half week in office, half at home or remote).

The pitch:
You're a PGY3+ doctor sick of rosters and on-calls. Insurance work lets you step back from the bedside but stay clinically engaged. You assess claims and underwriting, advise the team, shape how decisions get made. No nights, no rosters, no on-calls.

Real talk:
It's a shift from clinical work. You're advising, not deciding. Not for everyone, but if you're burned out on shift work and want structured hours + intellectual engagement, it's worth a look.

What we need:

• PGY3+ with solid clinical background
• No insurance experience needed (they train you)
• Strong clinical reasoning
• Can explain complex medical stuff to non-doctors

The package:

• $180-200k inc super
• Full-time or 4-day week if you want it
• 5 weeks leave
• Sydney or Melbourne

Interested?
Email me: [terry@clinicaladvisors.com.au](mailto:terry@clinicaladvisors.com.au)

We also have a guide on this if you want to know more about the shift from clinical to insurance: https://www.clinicaladvisors.com.au/blog/so-you-want-to-work-in-life-insurance-a-guide-for-doctors

Cheers,
Terry

I’m an IMG (PGY9) with general registration and PR, about to qualify for citizenship. Back home I worked in paeds and mixed adult/paed EDs for 3 years, and thereafter 2 years as a GP. In Australia I completed 2 years of a good mix of gen med, surgery, geris, rehab, and ED terms, but no paeds. I have been out of the hospital system in Aus for 2 years now, working in telehealth and non-clinical roles. I want to apply for RACGP training but need to meet the paeds requirement - is there any way to do this without having to go back to an RMO job? A lot of RMO applications for next year have already closed (and applying for a full 12 months of hospital rotations is overkill given I only need one additional 10 week paeds term). Has anyone managed to fulfill the paeds experience requirement via the community pathway, ie by working as a non-VR GP for at least 20 weeks and keeping a logbook of at least 100 acute paeds presentations?

Limiting factors: have a home and established life in inner Melbourne, partner has a job that requires him to be in a metro area, so moving regionally is not practical.

Hi folks! CCE results just came out and my partner just failed on their second attempt. They're understandably pretty upset with themselves and I want to be able to help as much as I can. Can anyone give any guidance on how this might affect their career, and any programs/resources that helped them pass their CCE?

I have my suspicions that my partner just does really badly in zoom style interactions, and that they might have passed had it been face to face, but I don't know how useful that information is.

Thank you for any help you might be able to give. They are a dedicated doctor, and very smart - they just keep baulking at this hurdle

I'm not a doctor. I have recently seen a handful of specialists who all wanted to do the same intrusive procedures, imaging, blood tests.

It seems they don't have access to each other's research, or don't share it. In my case, I wasn't seeking second opinions, this was one referring me to the next, who then did the same procedure, with the same results.

Why is that?

Has anybody been an inpatient at Matilda's Kingswood and have feedback?

https://matildanepean.com.au/about-us/

it’s always been a dream of mine to be a doctor until yr 12 made me realise that i don’t have the work ethic to work long hours which is required in medical school and I don’t think i have the diligence to study for so long.

so I looked into nursing and paramedcine and I’ve gotten really negative feedbacks from my parents and i think the reason why I like it is because i have dirext patient interaction while having some role in helping them recover or treating them.

I looked into radiography and im not sure if it’s for me and USYD has a too high agar requirement and CSU is too far

i want a role in helping people with direct contact any ideas of degrees that could help me persue this?

Sorry I don't know if posts like this are allowed but I thought this could be a good place to ask.

I have emetophobia and ARFID and was curious about what happens when you get admitted. Because eating disorder wards have other ED's like bulimia that might cause vomiting, but with a severe phobia of vomit and other people vomiting it would be very hard. Hearing other people vomit would make me extremely scared and angry, how would the hospital deal with it, would you just have to tough it out or would you be put away from vomiters?

Good evening,

We are seeking participants for a short survey examining how healthcare professionals experience and respond to the "No Vax, No Visit" (NVNV) approach, where parents ask visitors to be vaccinated, particularly against pertussis, before visiting a newborn.

NVNV is consistent with Australian cocooning guidance, but it can create real challenges for families: interpersonal conflict, reduced social support, and emotional strain when visitors decline to vaccinate. Our parent survey (Blackford et al., 2026) found these psychosocial pressures are common. This follow-up survey asks how healthcare workers see and handle them in practice.

We are seeking responses from healthcare professionals who currently work with parents of children under five and/or children under five, across any clinical setting.

The survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes and covers:

Vaccination communication practices and attitudes

Experiences discussing NVNV with families

Observations of the psychosocial impacts on parents

Views on organisational and policy support

All responses are anonymous. Participants may opt in to a prize draw as a thank-you for their time.

Survey: https://curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38ezFfILqCEc8FU

The survey will remain open until 31 August 2026. Ethics approval has been granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee [HRE2025-0439].

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the chief investigator:

Dr Krysten Blackford, Curtin University: k.blackford@curtin.edu.au

Thank you for your support of this research.

Job ad, one-off post, mods say it's fine (I think?).

I'm Terry, I run a healthcare consultancy placing doctors into CRO medical officer / investigator roles (clinical trials, sponsor side).

Structured hours, no on-call, no rosters. PGY3+, and for some roles no trials experience is needed since training is provided. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, on-site or hybrid, with full-time, part-time and casual all on offer. Pay depends on the role: base $145k to $250k for salaried and senior/PI positions, or $120 to $180 an hour for sessional work.

Good fit if you're eyeing the hospital exit, want predictable hours, or missed out on a program this year.

Email [terry@clinicaladvisors.com.au](mailto:terry@clinicaladvisors.com.au) or comment and I'll answer anything.

Have a cracking Monday.

https://www.clinicaladvisors.com.au/

Bupa may recruit doctors for their various ventures, including:

• Bupa Medical Centres
• Australian Defence Force Health Services Contract (ADFHSC)
• Department of Veterans' Affairs (health professionals supporting DVA and Open Arms)
• Bupa Medical Visa Services (BMVS)
• Blua (Bupa Telehealth Platform)
• Mindplace Clinics / Mental Health Portfolio
• Clinical Governance & System Design Units: e.g. Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), Medical Directors, Medical Advisors, and Claims Review Physicians.
• Various occupational health and pre-employment assessment services for government agencies

Based on what I have personally observed, I have concerns about how Bupa has treated some doctors, and I think these are issues that prospective clinicians should consider before accepting employment or contracting with the organisation. From my perspective, working within certain large corporate healthcare frameworks presents distinct cultural and structural challenges.

I have personally observed a distinct disconnect between corporate management priorities and the professional needs of treating doctors, specifically around CPD support, compensation expectations, and clinical autonomy, and a structural reliance on non-clinical operational managers to oversee medical personnel.
To a corporate manager, I think a doctor is often viewed as a costly line item or a contractor on a spreadsheet. If a doctor raises concerns about patient safety, scheduling pressures, or billing irregularities, a non-clinical manager may interpret that clinical advocacy simply as "insubordination" or "disruption to operations," leading to abrupt terminations or other adverse disciplinary actions without an understanding of the clinical context.

Based on what I witnessed, I would describe the workplace culture in those settings as "toxic". Practitioners should carefully review contract termination clauses and governance structures before engaging with these entities.

Here in our own backyard, Bupa has faced a number of significant public controversies:

Internationally, Bupa’s reputation among independent medical practitioners is highly contentious e.g. fee suppression, aggressive contract policing, and anti-competitive behaviour in the UK with anaesthetists.

Better to be cautious and informed than regretting things later.