UK GPs often complain about burnout, lack of time and many are discouraged and no longer enjoy being a GP. UK GPs practising in Australia, however, report on the significant benefits to their career from having made the move. They get the opportunity to use and further develop their skills and practice as they were trained to practice.
GPs working in Australia get to choose their patients and build their own patient base. The GP has the right to fire particular patients, the privilege of finding new patients, and the ability to choose patients according to his/her skills and special interests.
In stark contrast, A GP in the UK will have a prescribed patient list controlled by the practice manager and little choice as to which patients he/she sees. This is one of the reasons UK GPs find working in Australia so refreshing.
This freedom to choose goes further. A GP working in Australia can choose to spend five, ten, 15, 30 minutes or even more with a patient, depending on the patient’s need. The Medicare system allows for additional billings for longer or more complex services. The GP will be able to take the time to treat patients, prepare care plans, and focus on preventative and lifestyle medicine, thereby developing the patient’s overall health and well-being. And this is the real reward for UK GPs working in Australia – the sheer joy of actually treating patients!
Forget about the great weather, the easy lifestyle, the fabulous income, the real reward for dedicated GPs who make the move from the UK to Australia is the opportunity to do what they were actually trained to do – to treat patients!
For more information on the professional benefits of working as a GP in Australia contact our UK based consultant Monique Giron via one of the contact methods below.