Long-term continuity of care and community engagement mean a lot to a doctor
When we pulled up in the driveway of our first rented house in Camperdown, south-west Victoria, a woman’s face appeared over the fence. “Hello”, she said, “Who are you? What are you doing here?” I explained that we were doctors and would be working in the town. “Oh, you got any family here?” I proudly named my great uncle who had been a general practitioner in the town for 20 years. Yes, she knew him. “One of their boys married a local didn’t he?” she said. I wondered how long it would take to be considered a local.
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I would like to acknowledge Anthony Brown, rural generalist, my husband and professional colleague.
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