Rural GP Refresher Conference brings GPs and Cadets to Port Macquarie

On the weekend, Rural Doctors Network (RDN) welcomed more than 250 people including rural and regional GPs, their families, delegates, and speakers, for a variety of educational conferences, workshops, activities and networking opportunities in Port Macquarie.  

Thursday and Friday saw first arrivals taking part in RDN’s New Rural GP Orientation and Advanced Life Support 1 & 2 training sessions at Sails Port Macquarie, and Friday through to Sunday, 100 GPs filled the venue for the 2024 Rural GPs Refresher Conference presented by RDN and the Rural Doctors Association of NSW, and supported by NSW Health. 

Lectures spanned a range of clinical subjects and and rural practice issues, from a presentation on cyber security by the Regional Australia Bank and on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) by RDA NSW, to the new Voluntary Assisted Dying framework, head and neck cancer, complex mental health encounters, dementia, and more. 

Among the presenters enjoying the family atmosphere of the event was 2023 Rural and Remote Health Professional of the Year Dr Corin Miller (pictured right), who travelled the eleven hours by road from Merimbula to speak on “Childhood behavioural problems and what rural GPs can do about them”, and to attend the other Conference events. 

“It’s always a really lovely, collegiate vibe at the RDN conferences and it’s great to get together and be able to share experiences with other rural generalists and rural GPs,” she said on Sunday. “We’ve had a really lovely family getaway as well as me attending the Conference - the kids loved the Children’s Program – going to a trampoline park, bowling, cultural activities with the local Aboriginal community... which was awesome!” 

Breaks in proceedings allowed participants to visit the rural health exhibition tables hosted by event sponsors, while 54 of RDN’s Rural Resident Medical Cadets attended their own Student Day at the nearby Panthers Club. In a networking highlight on Saturday evening, the GPs and Cadets all came together for the Conference Dinner, MC’d by RDN Conference and Events Manager Lindsey Eifler and featuring an enlightening panel discussion with Cadets led by RDN Future Workforce Manager Chris Russell. 

The Refresher Conference is accredited with ACRRM and RACGP and is held annually. Watch for news of the next Conference and other events in our Monday Message news email.

Related reading:

• Port Macquarie hosts largest regional gathering of Rural Medical Cadets
• New rural GPs find 'friendship and respect' in RDN orientation workshop