ABOUT HEALTH WORKFORCE QUEENSLAND

Health Workforce Queensland is a not for profit, non-Government Rural Workforce Agency (RWA) for primary health workforce in Queensland, focused on making sure remote, rural, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities have access to highly skilled health professionals when and where they need them, now and into the future.

Our Vision is to ensure an optimal health workforce to enhance the health of Queensland communities.

Practice Information:

The practice is single doctor practice at the moment but has the capacity to house three (3) full-time Doctors. They do a variety of health checks and medicals. They have visiting allied health services that visit Cardwell and Ingham such as a podiatrist, an audiologist, a dental prosthetist, diabetes educator, Hypnotherapist, Psychologist and visiting Orthopaedic Surgeon. Registered and enrolled nurses provide continuous medical officer support, as well as performing pap smears, asthma and diabetes education.

They are a registered Q-fever and yellow fever vaccination centre, as well as providing the usual private and NHS vaccinations. Visits to our patients at the nursing home is undertaken, and a good relationship exists with the facility in our area. They are a young, dynamic and supportive team working in a growing practice. Their doctors are supported by practice nurses; management and clerical staff all providing high quality care to our patients.

As a practice, we have regular social evenings and family outings. Beachfront accommodation (at Lucinda, Ingham) for the suitable applicant is available for short term to enable permanent accommodation to be found. We are a genuine, caring practice, staffed by pleasant, motivated people, and we look forward to hearing from you regarding any enquiries you may have.

About Cardwell

Close to the Great Barrier Reef and Hinchinbrook Island, Cardwell is a great place to live. Cardwell is a welcoming community, with all of the facilities for comfortable living, and with Townsville and its facilities only 150 kilometres away and 140km away from Cairns, it is possible to enjoy the attractions that both Ingham and Cardwell districts has to offer, and those provided by a metropolitan centre.

Camping, bushwalking, bird watching and fishing are all popular past-times, with several national parks of worldwide acclaim nearby – Hinchinbrook Island (Australia’s biggest island National Park), the Great Barrier Reef (a World Heritage site), Spa Pools (swimming hole) are just a few of the many attractions in the area.

The Cardwell area is a mountain biking mecca. The region’s mountain biking roots lie in part within its rich history of building access trails, and more recently, the development of other resources like campgrounds, trail sustainability and dual usage. It’s of little wonder why the wildlife flourishes in these areas. The bush is dense, it’s quiet and remote and within an hour’s drive of Mission Beach, you have enough trails to keep you busy for weeks. Whether it is cycling along the hard-packed sand of Mission Beach before your morning coffee or a more technical ride through the Cardwell Trails network enroute to a swimming hole, you’d be hard pressed to find a region that has such diverse mountain bike access, both in terrain and difficulty.

Position Description:

This position includes a diverse range of medical conditions that present to a rural General Practice, including but not limited to:

• Antenatal Care
• Chronic Disease Management
• Paediatric Conditions
• Variety of Employment Medicals
• Mental Health
• Women’s Health Checks,
• Adult and Childhood Immunisations
• Men’s Health Checks
• Travel Medicine advice

The practice of preventative medicine is essential as our population is an aging population.

Key Responsibilities/Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide high quality, primary health care services to the community, in keeping with best practice standards
• Provide appropriate care and services to patients of all age ranges and level of health care needs
• Respond to medical/ health problems presented by patients including history taking, diagnosis, investigation, treatment and referral as appropriate
• Provide management of long-term conditions in line with national guidelines and pathways
• Prescribe for patients as appropriate to need
• Provide appropriate health promotion and preventative health care advice to all patients attending the practice
• Ordering diagnostic tests as required
• Referring patients to other providers as appropriate.
• Doctors will be expected to help out in the event of emergencies that present to the medical facility during working hours
• Each doctor is required to participate in the weekend roster on a rotation of one in every 6 to 8 weekends
• Surgical experience for the removal of small lesions, suture wounds and plastering of simple fractures
• Record and maintain accurate, adequate and relevant patient records using the established practice protocols and computerised medical records system, including but not excluding details of:
  • Specialist referrals
  • Previous health and family history
  • Prescriptions
  • Investigations
  • Treatment
  • Diagnostic results
  • Registers and recalls
• Actively communicate and coordinate with colleagues, specialist services and allied health professionals when sharing the care of a patient Safety and quality
• Record incidents and near-misses in line with practice policy
• Practice duty of care including meeting practice standards and accountability
• Maintain patient and practice confidentiality at all times

Personal Qualities

• Doctors need to have good communication skills with both patients and staff.  The GP needs to illustrate sensitivity, humility, and the ability to interact with all patients and their families. A caring approach must always be applied
• Exceptional time management skills are necessary, as are the ability to be organised and prioritise tasks
• Adequate demonstration of basic clinical science is essential
• Punctuality, reliability, and an honest approach are required

After Hours: No

Remuneration: 65% of receipts or $55.00 per hour for the first 12 weeks whichever is greater plus 65% of Service Incentive Payments (negotiable).

​Qualifications and Experience:

• VR with current registration
• At least 3 years GP practice experience
• The GP is required to be appropriately trained and experienced in the discipline of general practice
• The general practitioner must abide by all legislative acts governing medical practice in Queensland

For more information on this position, please contact our team via [email protected] using the subject line: General Practitioner - Cardwell enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Please apply via the 'Apply Now' button on this page.

Following successful placement, eligible candidates may be entitled to receive support and financial assistance through Health Workforce Queensland's comprehensive workforce attraction and retention incentives. This position may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary for ongoing professional development.