Flying doctors

'Our overseas trained doctors are very valuable to us.' Queensland section (RFDS)

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) of Australia is a not-for-profit charitable service providing aero-medical emergency and primary healthcare services together with communication and education assistance to people who live, work and travel in regional and remote Australia.

The RFDS currently employs overseas trained doctors from countries including Peru, Belgium, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. As an employer, the RFDS highly values its overseas trained doctors who often arrive with broad clinical experience. Their duties could include treating coughs and colds in a clinic, through to handling critical care in remote terrain hundreds of kilometres from an established clinic. The RFDS has found that overseas trained doctors are very dedicated workers.

Overseas trained doctors generally integrate well into the Australian medical system although some can require extra support and are faced with the challenge of learning new referral and healthcare delivery systems. Overseas trained doctors usually embrace this opportunity and find themselves welcomed with open arms by their local communities.

Like many medical employers, the RFDS is familiar with the need to increase the numbers of qualified and experienced doctors in rural and remote areas of Australia and has found employing overseas trained doctors to be very successful for the service.