Coastal towns are a natural drawcard for tourists, but also when you work. How it looks like to be a locum doctor in Batemans Bay.

This week’s lowdown is about the stunning coastal NSW town of Batemans Bay.

Dr Cindy, let us know what you think!

ABOUT THE TEAM AND THE HOSPITAL

Batemans Bay Hospital is a small country hospital with five acute beds and one resuscitation bay; this is complemented by a couple of consult rooms and a procedure room.

The nursing staff were incredibly competent, and clearly used to running the department with locum doctors. There were Point of Care blood tests (POC) only and plain films until 1800 with any further investigation requiring a trip to the bigger hospital Moruya District Hospital. This was in itself not difficult to arrange, but could make for care delays.

The entertaining part about working here was the need to actually flex the brain muscle quite regularly and solve problems in a slightly more innovative way with less resources than most of the rest of Australia is privy to.

TIPS FOR BATEMANS BAY AMENITIES?

On this trip to Batemans Bay I planned the visit with multiple stops. After finishing a swing shift at my home hospital in Port Macquarie, I headed to my first stop in Forster.

I stopped by Seal Rocks and Treachery Head for another look and afternoon refreshment before driving down to Terrigal to spend an evening with friends.

Day three saw the next leg to Ulladulla, making stops in Berry for a famous donut and Kiama to check out some blowhole action and swim in the Olympic sized ocean bath. During this day I sadly forgot I own a camera or a phone.

ANY LOCALS’ INSIDE INFO? WHAT DO YOU DO DURING YOUR TIME OFF, AS A LOCUM DOCTOR IN BATEMANS BAY?

Finally, I doubled back to the Jervis Bay National Park. Think of tropical travel brochure-type water, but freezing. Sadly the devastation from the bushfires earlier this year was still very much a feature of every corner in the park.

With the difficult task of exploring behind me, I headed in for the four-day locum stint at Batemans Bay Hospital. Sadly it rained constantly, hampering local exploration and coffee shops often not open until 8, perhaps the rain influenced this!

On the way back I had a stopover in Wollongong, where I got to experience a bit of nightlife, which almost reminded me of pre covid times.

I also stopped at Norah Head on the way home for a little splash in the water as a driving break, again forgetting I have photo-taking capabilities!

Here at Blugibbon we understand that 2020 has been a challenge for most Locum Doctors here in Australia, but you can still locum and travel! We also have the best advice on hand for overseas trained Doctors going from provisional to general AHPRA registration.



If you’re looking for the best Doctor jobs and Locum jobs in Australia in 2021 and like the sound of Batemans Bay, get in touch with us today on info@blugibbon.com or 02 8960 6445.