Lithgow's Ochre Health Medical Centre has welcomed two new doctors to its service.
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GP registrars Dr Yen Li Lim and Dr Emma Trevena began work at the centre last week and are enjoying the opportunity to connect with their new community.
Dr Emma Trevena, who first earned a degree in music studies before undertaking her postgraduate medical training, graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Flinders University, Adelaide in 2014.
She completed her junior hospital training years in Adelaide, as well as gained experience in rural South Australia and NSW, before completing an additional senior year at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, in Sydney.
She has now been a GP registrar for 18 months, having worked on Sydney's Northern Beaches and at Westmead Hospital prior to starting work at Lithgow.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience that I've had in rural medicine, having spent time working in rural South Australia and NSW," she said.
"I think working in a rural or regional area is a great place to develop your skills, as it gives you more hands-on experience than you would get in a larger metropolitan hospital.
"Lithgow is a nice, welcoming community, which is close to the Blue Mountains and other beautiful places, like Mudgee, and so I'm excited to commence working here.
"The lifestyle I can have here compliments what is sometimes known to be a stressful industry with a challenging work-life balance."
Dr Yen Li Lim, who has previously worked in Blackheath, Nepean and several other areas of Sydney, says working in outer-urban communities grew her confidence to move to a regional area, where she could manage complex issues more independently.
Her passion for improving health outcomes in regional areas lies in being able to provide those who are medically disadvantaged with the knowledge they need.
"I want to learn more about what I can do to improve health outcomes in rural and regional areas, which is why I decided to move to Lithgow," Dr Lim said.
"As many regional communities are lagging behind Australia's urban areas, I want to share my knowledge with those that need it most. It's about teaching a man to fish and not simply giving him the fish.
"As a regional GP, I believe you are also able to achieve more in the community because you have the opportunity to build longitudinal relationships and trust with your patients."
Samantha Allen, practice manager at Ochre Medical Centre Lithgow, said she was excited about the addition of two more registrars. She said the local community would greatly benefit from having two more aspiring young doctors at the practice.
"We are excited to welcome Dr Lim and Dr Trevena to our team, and it's great to see more female GPs in the practice," she said.
"The GPs at our practice are looking forward to having more assistance and in helping them to complete their GP training on their pathway to Fellowship with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners."
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