Destination Medicine Podcast

Dr Gabe Sanchez never expected psychiatry to become his calling. After training as a pharmacist and pursuing a career in general surgery, he made the difficult decision to change specialties in pursuit of a career that better aligned with his values, family life and long-term goals.

Now a psychiatry registrar at Wagga Base Hospital, Gabe reflects on finding purpose in regional medicine, the rewards of teaching and mentoring, and wh...

With 2027 RDN Cadetship applications now open, this episode is a timely reminder of where the opportunity can lead...

Dr Nicholas Ireland’s journey through life to becoming a NSW Regional Doctors Network Cadet has been a long and demanding one. Expelled from boarding school in year 11, he first became a sheet metalworker on what he describes as a subsistence wage. But it was while he was working as a FIFO welder on oil rigs o...

Lachlan MacMillan's route to medicine has been anything but traditional. After leaving school to become a carpenter, he spent years working across rural and remote Australia, from cattle stations and horseback tours to conservation work in the Kimberley, before a series of medical emergencies sparked an unexpected passion for healthcare.

Now studying medicine through the School of Rural Health in Dubbo, Lachlan reflects on the fami...

ENCORE: This Thank a First Responder Day, we proudly replay this episode, celebrating those who serve and support our communities every day.

Soaring to the heights of rural and remote medicine — and not just in RFDS planes — Dr Jessica Martyn has enjoyed an extremely varied and exciting career. Dr Martyn, who is now the Head of Unit at the Port Augusta Hospital Emergency Department, has a passion for emergency medicine ...

In recognition of National Reconciliation week, we are replaying “Reflections on belonging — Tristan Marino’s journey from music to medicine.

What are your pillars of belonging? For Tristan Marino, they are his Aboriginal and Maori family, his connections to community and friends and now, medicine as well.

Tristan started out studying music at a conservatory, doing simultaneous studies in nursing as a career fallb...

From suburban Queensland to clinical training in Wagga Wagga — fourth-year medical student Natalie Vear has wholly embraced rural medicine. A former exercise physiologist and postdoctoral research fellow with a PhD in exercise cardio-oncology, Nat shares how a childhood fascination with life on the land evolved into a passion for rural generalism and holistic healthcare.

Now completing her medical training through the Univers...

Dr Angus Baumnann took a long, non-linear journey into medicine, that eventually led him to specialise in cardiology. Now based in Alice Springs with his family, and deeply entrenched in the community, Angus couldn’t be happier with the trajectory of his career.

He also talks about the realities of healthcare access in remote Australia, the joy of contributing to service design and model-building, and a powerful patient exper...

Laura Sliskovic put aside her desire to become an actress and pursue her passion to become a doctor, supporting remote communities with limited access to healthcare. It was through her mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer, and the challenges of living in rural Bicheno, on Tasmania’s east coast, that Laura understood first-hand the necessity of accessible healthcare for all. Laura’s story reflects resilience, commun...

Dan's story has been captivating listeners since 2020. As our most downloaded episode of all time, we thought it was worth a relisten.

In retrospect it was the perfect vocational choice. But Dr Daniel Stewart just didn't know it as he rowed hard and fast for Australia, chopping and changing university courses before finally giving medicine a crack. Now based in Dubbo, with a four-minute commute to work, he couldn't be happier. ...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes for our fresh new crop of Interns – all the best for your next adventure!

For Pippa Kensit, medicine always beckoned, especially because public health is where her heart is. A passion confirmed early on as she travelled abroad, and then through rural and reginal Australia. But it was only after becoming a nurse and going through her own back surgery, that she finally decided to fol...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes for our fresh new crop of Interns – all the best for your next adventure!

It was sage advice from an English teacher that saw Dr Grace Nelson achieve her aspirations. She was counselled to not only celebrate her good grades, but also work hard to shrink the margin between those good marks and a perfect score of 100 per cent next time. Since primary school Dr Nelson had dreamed of b...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes for our fresh new crop of Interns – all the best for your next adventure!

Dr Stephanie Pollard is a proud Ngemba woman who grew up playing sport and making mischief in Goulburn. She had more than her fair share of broken bones, but it was through those injuries that she got the inkling that medicine might just be for her. Stephanie is now an Intern at Orange Health Service and is s...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes so people preparing for GAMSAT can learn from the best.

When Lily Hogan was growing up on her family’s sheep and cropping farm at Bethunga in the Riverina, she had no-one to influence her towards medicine. But the idea started to dawn on her while she was still at school and she decided to go for it. Why? She learned early, on the farm, how the right care can resolve dangerous situ...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes so people preparing for GAMSAT can learn from the best.

Andre McDuling is on the verge of realising a decades-long dream: to become a doctor who caters for a rural community. Andre shares his transformative journey from IT specialist to medical doctor via several other degrees. He describes how he navigated through travel and study life, his persistent efforts, and the challenges of medi...

We're relaunching a few of our fave episodes so people preparing for GAMSAT can learn from the best.

Laura Beaumont’s life-long dream of becoming a doctor is on a road to reality as she completes her third year as a medical student at the University of Western Sydney. Her enthusiasm inspired her older brother to give up a career in building and construction to study medicine. Laura’s message? Follow your own path and en...

Raised on farms in both South Africa and the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Matthew Collocott took the long road into medicine — from biomedical science at Griffith University, to four attempts at the GAMSAT, to finally securing a place at the University of Wollongong. Close-knit teams, hands-on experience and strong mentorship shaped his early career and fuelled his passion to pursue Rural Generalism. Now as a Junior Do...

Dr Morgan Neasey grew up in rural northwest Tasmania, far from any clear pathway into medicine. First in her family to become a doctor and go to university, determination and community shaped her drive to help others. After studying biomedical science in Melbourne and postgraduate medicine in Wollongong, she returned home to begin her medical career. Now, an unaccredited orthopaedic registrar in Burnie, Morgan shares how strong men...

To celebrate National Rural Health Month, we’ve reached into our archive and are replaying one of our most popular rural episodes of all time.

Dr Rebecca Irwin has planted her flag in the town of Barcaldine in Queensland’s Central West, and it’s here she intends staying. As a rural generalist based at Barcaldine Hospital, she can’t imagine she’ll want to move.

In this episode, we follow Dr Irwin’...

From Sri Lanka to small town Finley NSW. That was the path Associate Professor Alam Yoosuff and his wife took about 20 years ago. And what a journey it’s been. From becoming entrenched in the community to playing a crucial role in building the rural generalist training and single employment model, piloting this in the Murrumbidgee. This is now a nationwide model. Alam explains his journey to Australia, the passion for his wor...