North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is pleased to welcome six new medical interns to Mount Isa Hospital in 2026, as they begin the next stage of their medical careers in a rural and remote healthcare setting.
The interns are currently undertaking a comprehensive orientation program before commencing rotations across the health service.
Executive Director of Medical Services, Dr Anthony Bell, said the program offers a unique and highly supportive training environment.
“Training in a rural and remote setting offers experiences that simply aren’t available in metropolitan hospitals,” Dr Bell said.
“Our interns are far more hands-on from the outset, working closely with senior clinicians across a broad scope of practice and becoming valued members of both the healthcare team and the community. This level of exposure and responsibility, delivered in a supportive environment, helps build confident, capable doctors early in their careers.”
During their internship, the medical interns will rotate through key clinical areas including medicine, surgery, obstetrics, paediatrics and emergency, building extensive clinical skills and experience across multiple teams.
At the conclusion of their internship year, doctors may choose to continue their training with North West HHS or progress to another Hospital and Health Service.
Medical Intern Dr Thomas Rogers, a James Cook University Graduate, who completed his fifth year placement at Mount Isa Hospital is no stranger to rural medicine.
“Learning about the Rural Generalist pathway at JCU confirmed my interest in rural medicine,” Dr Rogers said.
“I heard North West was the place to go to get the best experience in rural work, and I’m still trying to narrow down what I want to specialise in, but at some point, I want to do the Antarctic medical practitioner role, so being in a remote setting will definitely help.
“Last time I was here on my placement, it was during peak event season, so I’m very excited to go to more of these events, and I brought all my camping gear, so I think this will be a great adventure.”
North West HHS is committed to supporting medical graduates as they transition from university into clinical practice and ensuring they receive a warm welcome to both the health service and the local community.