AMSA 2023 Internship Guide

WA NEW GRAD
PERSPECTIVE
Massive congratulations on making it to this stage of your medical careers. You
have undoubtedly made many sacrifices to get to this point. Countless hours of
lectures, placement, OSCE study, balancing part time work and extracurriculars
are finally culminating to a moment of great excitement (and nervousness) –
deciding where to apply for internship!
The transition from medical student to intern comes with a steep learning curve,
and is immensely rewarding. Every day comes with new challenges and
opportunities to learn – after every term, you will look back and be proud of how
much you have grown as a doctor and person. A few pieces of advice that were
passed onto me when I was in your shoes last year:
Apply for internship close to where you live. You will be grateful for a short
commute during your early morning surgery starts and after late evening/night
shifts, especially in your first year of work. Other things to consider include
opportunities for rural terms (and the locations associated with each health
service) and specialty interests.
Continue to cultivate your interests outside of medicine, and prioritise your mental
and physical wellbeing. This point deserves a separate essay of its own but all I will
say here is that it is easier said than done. It can be difficult to achieve that elusive
“work-life balance”, especially for those who are starting fulltime work for the first
time. Nobody gets this 100% right but it’s important to plan ahead as much as you
can – book those appointments and take your leave!
Hold on to your non-medical friends. And please try to talk about things other
than medicine... That being said, debriefing with your medical colleagues (in a
professional, ethical manner) can be an important way of reflecting on
challenging situations and preventing burnout.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter how silly you think they are. This is how
we all learn - a safe doctor is one who asks for help when they need it!
Linking with the point above, gather your bank of trusted, quick-access resources.
This includes apps/websites such as Therapeutic Guidelines and the Australian
Medicines Handbook and any department-specific guidelines/documents that
you will likely use day-to-day.
Western Australia is beautiful, and working here gives you the opportunity to
serve patients from all walks of life in the metropolitan area and explore the vast
excitement of rural medicine if you wish. WA interns are spoilt for choice – rest
assured that you will have a great experience regardless of which health service
you end up working at. I can’t wait to have you as colleagues next year and wish
you all the best in your applications.
Dr Davina Daudu
Dr Davina Daudu