Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has served the medical and wellbeing needs of isolated people in Australia since its establishment in 1928 by the Reverend John Flynn.
The RFDS provides aeromedical evacuation and primary healthcare to the people who live, travel or work in rural and remote Australian communities beyond the normal medical infrastructure available to most of the population.
The current RFDS funding agreement ensures that the people of rural and remote Australia have access to the best aeromedical emergency retrieval system in the world, as well as a broad range of clinical services. The States and the Northern Territory also provide funding for these services and negotiate separate funding arrangements with the RFDS to provide inter-hospital transfers.
The main features of the program are:
- 24 Hour Emergency Evacuation Service
- Primary Healthcare Clinics at Remote Sites
- Inter-Hospital transfers
- Radio and telephone consultations
- Provision of Medical Chests
Working for the RFDS
The majority of medical positions in the RFDS are in Areas of Need, so this can provide many opportunities for overseas trained doctors.It is important to note that the nature of the work undertaken by the RFDS means that they seek highly experienced doctors with broad ranging skills, who are not required to work in supervised positions.
The RFDS website provides more detailed information. For more information on job requirements and employment opportunities with the RFDS, check the Finding a job section of DoctorConnect.