Echuca Regional Health has welcomed its new batch of intern doctors for 2023.
The interns will rotate through the specialist areas of general medicine, general surgery, emergency, rehabilitation and general practice during their time at the hospital.
This year, the hospital will be training five doctors: Faiz Johan Arief, Lachlan Carroll, Courtney Kruger, Christian Kesuma and Sharon Bong.
Dr Johan Arief is new to Echuca-Moama, only moving to town last week and to Australia two months ago from Malaysia.
“It’s a very nice and quiet town with a really engaging community,” Dr Johan Arief said.
“I’ve really had a good time so far, everyone is friendly.”
Dr Johan Arief was trained at the Malaysian campus of Monash University, and had Victoria at the top of his placement list.
“I’m enjoying everything so far, it’s been my dream to move to Australia,” he said.
“We had to apply for several places; because it’s an Australian internship we applied for a state, and Victoria was the top of my list.
“I’m grateful to get my first preference, because it’s close to my family — my brother is already living in Victoria.”
Of the five departments the interns will be placed in during their internship, Dr Johan Arief is most excited for his time in the emergency department.
“I enjoy the rush and the energy of it,” he said.
“It’s high energy, and I like to keep myself on the move. There are a lot of different things that come through ED.”
Dr Carroll is originally from Swan Hill, and is most looking forward to working in the general practice field.
“I went to Monash and did my training in Mildura, Bendigo and Swan Hill for the last three years,” Dr Carroll said.
“Echuca is another one in the region, and I’ve been here a few times growing up for tennis and footy, so I thought I’d come up for the year.
“Echuca is a small but supportive hospital.
“You couldn’t do internships like this at Swan Hill, so I might go back there one day.”
Dr Carroll is planning to become a GP, and so is most looking forward to working in this department during his placement.
“It’s a big drawcard of the program, to do GP work for 10 weeks.”
Dr Kruger has had a wild ride in finding his way into medicine, after spending time in the Australian Navy.
“I’m from everywhere — I grew up in Queensland, but I was in the Navy for 12 years, so I have lived in all of the states except Tasmania,” Dr Kruger said.
“I was really looking for the opportunity to be involved in a smaller team where the support you get from a team that knows you is going to help you improve consistently across all your placements.”
Dr Kruger said he was looking forward to working in the emergency department.
“Day to day you don’t know what you’re going to see,” he said.
“It’s a challenge to be on top of your game in terms of knowing how you are going to treat a 12-year-old boy who comes in or an 83-year-old woman with a lot of chronic conditions comes through and they might be your first two patients of the day.
“You really have to have well-rounded knowledge.”
Dr Kesuma is originally from Indonesia, but has been living in Australia for the past eight years.
“I was first in Canberra and then went to Sydney for my undergrad, after my undergrad I went to Melbourne for medical school, and now I am here,” Dr Kesuma said.
Dr Kesuma said ERH had been supportive of him and his training.
“Echuca itself is a nice small town and it’s a good opportunity to train and get hands-on, which is something I can’t get in a metro hospital, which is nice,” he said.
“Personally, my partner knows Echuca and I’ve seen the town a few times with her.”
Dr Kesuma is interested in more than one of the programs offered at ERH.
“I’m really interested in rehabilitation and GP, but I also find that general medicine is an exciting place to work in. It challenges you to use your knowledge.”
Dr Bong is from Malaysia, and moved to Australia when she was 17 years old.
“I did my undergrad at Monash, and took a gap year before starting post-grad medicine at University of Queensland,” Dr Bong said.
“I have family here in Victoria, so I’m close to home here.”
Dr Bong is looking forward to working in paediatrics.
“I think being in a rural hospital exposes you to many different things, which is great for an intern year,” she said.
“That’s something you don’t really get in a metro hospital.”