Locum at Charleville Hospital, QLD
About Charleville
Charleville Hospital doesn't see 400 patients through ED per day. You might see 15. Some days the ward has 2 patients, other days it's a full house of 14. The pace is variable but genuinely manageable – busy enough to keep you engaged without the relentless overwhelm of metro hospitals.
The clinical work itself is broad. Everything from birth to death. Emergency caesareans (though you might go months between them). General surgery and gynae procedures 3 times per fortnight. Palliative care. Mental health. Late presenters who've avoided healthcare for years. Snake bites in summer, grey nomads with cardiac events in winter. You need broad clinical knowledge across multiple specialties, not deep expertise in one narrow area.
The hospital serves as hub for 6 spoke sites across the Western district. One of the RFDS bases is in Charleville, and you'll work closely with them – regular coordination, familiar faces, integrated teamwork. Medical staffing is stable and experienced. The nursing team is established, capable, and genuinely welcoming to agency staff. There's an 8 AM daily scrum so everyone knows what's happening across both the GP clinic and hospital.
What you won't have: CT scanner on site. Subspecialists down the corridor. Every diagnostic test immediately available. What you will have: X-ray, ultrasound, pathology, telehealth, and a multidisciplinary team that knows how to work with what's there. If you can think through cases clinically and escalate appropriately rather than reflexively ordering every test, you'll do well here.
People come back to Charleville. The culture is collaborative rather than siloed. The town itself is slower-paced and genuinely friendly. The work matters because for many patients, you're the last stop before transfer to Toowoomba or Brisbane.
This is rural medicine done properly – not desperate, not chaotic, just well-run healthcare where you have time to actually practise medicine.
Key facts about Charleville
Hours and On-call
Daily Schedule:
- 8:00 AM scrum for all doctors (covers both GP clinic and hospital)
- GP Clinic: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (1 hour lunch break)
- SMOs in ED: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
- Hospital coverage: SMO + PHO from 12:30 PM - 9:00 PM
On-call:
- Facility on-call
- Anaesthetic on-call
- GPO/PHO on-call
- Roughly 1 in 3 on-call rotation
Nursing Shifts:
- Early shift: 2 nurses
- Late shift: 3 nurses
- Night shift: 2 nurses
- ED (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM): 2 nurses
- Third person on late shift covers ED
Location:
Charleville, SWHHS, QLD
Payment Frequency:
Weekly payroll
Orientation
Orientation is practical and tailored to your role:
- ED doctors: Oriented by the ED doctor on duty (or DMS if available)
- GP clinic doctors: Orientation focused on clinic workflow
- Nurses: Paired with another RN who shows them around
- Digital orientation pack available
Orientation is flexible based on what you're there to do – some doctors work purely in GP clinic, others purely in ED.
Why work at Charleville Hospital
For the right doctor or nurse, Charleville offers genuine rural medicine:
Strong, Stable Clinical Team This isn't a skeleton crew. David (DMS) has been there for years. Five permanent midwives. Experienced NUM and DON. A young, capable nursing team. Medical roster includes 4-5 GPs in clinic plus SMOs, interns, and PHOs covering hospital duties. You're joining a proper team that knows what they're doing.
Manageable, Sustainable Pace About 15 ED presentations per day – not 400 like metro hospitals. Ward census of 2-14 patients. You have time to actually practise medicine properly. Time to think through cases. Time to provide good care without being overwhelmed. It's busy enough to stay engaged but genuinely sustainable.
Versatile Clinical Experience From birth to death, you'll use the full breadth of your skills. Level 3 birthing facility with MGP model. Theatre 3x per fortnight (general surgery, gynae, hysterectomies). Palliative care. Mental health. Emergency stabilisation. You develop broad competence across multiple areas rather than narrow specialisation.
Hub Hospital Responsibility Charleville serves 6 spoke sites across the Western district. You're providing essential healthcare for a massive region. It's meaningful work with real impact.
RFDS Base Partnership One of the RFDS bases is in Charleville. You'll work closely with them, know them personally, and coordinate regular transfers. The relationship is collaborative and well-established.
Welcoming Team Culture The nursing team is young, social, and genuinely welcoming. Agency nurses get included in social activities, run club, fitness groups. Everyone gets a Queensland Health email address so they're part of the loop. Weekly updates from the NUM keep everyone informed. Communication is open and people feel comfortable speaking up.
Different Skills, Not Lesser Skills People assume rural means less skilled. As Melonie puts it: "We just have a different set of skills." You're working with what you've got, thinking through cases without always having CT scans or subspecialist backup immediately available. You develop clinical judgement and adaptability.
People Want to Come Back Melonie has her "repeat offenders" – doctors and nurses who specifically request to return to Charleville. That speaks for itself.
The facilities and services at Charleville Hospital
Hospital Infrastructure:
- 14 acute beds + 1 maternity bed
- 4 ED beds (ED operates 8 AM - 5 PM, then moves upstairs for safety reasons – patients can still present 24/7)
- Level 3 birthing facility with MGP model
- Theatre (3x per fortnight)
- Two-story building
Clinical Services:
- GP Clinic (capacity for 4-5 GPs)
- Emergency Department
- Ward (covers general medicine, mental health, maternity)
- Theatre: General surgery, gynae procedures, hysterectomies, emergency caesareans
- MGP midwifery model (5 permanent midwives)
- Palliative care
- Cancer care
Diagnostics & Imaging:
- X-ray
- Sonography
- Pathology
- Telehealth room
- No CT scanner (Roma has CT for exclusion scans)
Allied Health:
- Full allied health team on site
Transfers:
- Primary: Toowoomba (main receiving hospital)
- CT scans: Roma Hospital
- Cardiac: PA Hospital, Brisbane
- RFDS handles all transfers with their own crew
Medical Staffing:
- Director of Medical Services (David)
- Intern (on ward)
- SMO in ED
- SMO + PHO covering 12:30 PM - 9 PM
- 4-5 GPs in clinic
- Locum doctors (typically emergency medicine background, GPAs, or GPOs)
Nursing Leadership:
- Director of Nursing (Leanne)
- Nurse Unit Manager (Melonie)
- 5 permanent midwives
- Agency nurses integrated into roster
Complexities, inpatients, and ED presentations
Patient Volume:
- ED presentations: ~15 per day (highly variable)
- Ward census: 2-14 patients
- Busiest season: Winter (grey nomads traveling, falls, cardiac events)
- Summer challenges: Snake bites, dehydration
Clinical Complexity:
- Hub hospital role: Receive patients from 6 spoke sites across Western district
- Late presenters: People who've avoided healthcare or have limited access
- Versatile presentations: Birth to death, everything in between
- Limited scanning resources: No CT on site (Roma for exclusion scans)
- Emergency caesareans: Can go months without one, then have a run of them
- Mental health: Managed within acute bed allocation
- Theatre cases: General surgery, gynae, hysterectomies (surgeons fly in from Brisbane or Roma)
Transfer Pathways:
- Most transfers: Toowoomba
- CT exclusion scans: Roma (RFDS drop-off, could be 24+ hours before return flight)
- Cardiac emergencies: Brisbane PA
- RFDS coordination: Regular and integrated (base in Charleville)
Weekend/After-Hours:
- Typical weekend medical coverage: 2 doctors
- Strong nursing team and RFDS support
- Collaborative team approach to patient care
Key Clinical Skills:
- Stabilisation without advanced imaging
- Working with multidisciplinary team
- RFDS coordination and handover
- Autonomous decision-making with appropriate escalation
- Broad clinical knowledge across multiple specialties
Hospital team and culture:
The nursing team culture is strong – young, social, and genuinely welcoming to agency staff. They socialise together, involve agency nurses in activities, and there's a run club and fitness groups for those interested. The approach is collaborative and supportive rather than siloed.
Communication:
- Weekly email updates from NUM to all staff (agency included)
- Everyone gets a Queensland Health email address
- Wednesday 1-2 PM: Doctor education sessions
- Monthly doctor meetings
- Open communication channels – people feel safe speaking up (unlike many large metro hospitals)
Mental health support:
Access to both EAP and DNA's partnership with MyMirror
Impact on local community:
Charleville Hospital is the hub for 6 spoke sites across the Western district. You're often the last stop before transfer to Toowoomba, Roma, or Brisbane. For many patients, it's either the Aboriginal Medical Service or you – there's no other option.
Your work matters here in a way it doesn't always in metro hospitals. Interns and junior doctors who come from Gold Coast Hospital or other large metro facilities often have only worked in environments where every service is around the corner. Working in Charleville shows them there's a big, beautiful country beyond the cities, and people have chosen to live out here – sometimes 10 hours from the nearest specialist service.
The hope is that doctors and nurses take away a broader understanding of how others live, the challenges they face, and the different (not lesser) skill set required to deliver healthcare in rural Australia.
Accommodation & Travel details:
Doctors: Self-contained unit (private, non-shared)
Nurses: Shared accommodation (2 blocks of 8)
- Each nurse has their own en suite
- Shared kitchen and laundry facilities
Travel: Return flights provided
Important note: No flights on Saturdays. Plan contract start/end dates accordingly. Flights operate every other day of the week including Sunday.
Location convenience:
- Everything within walking distance
- IGA supermarket nearby
- Swimming pool close by
Things to see & do in Charleville:
Charleville is a town of about 3,500 people in South West Queensland, 750km west of Brisbane. It's a genuine outback town – no pretense, no resort amenities, but real character and warm hospitality.
The Cosmos Centre This is the standout. World-class observatory experience in one of Australia's darkest sky regions. The presentations are exceptional – knowledgeable guides who genuinely love what they do. If you're driving all day and need to decompress, this is the perfect way to spend your first evening. The night sky out here is extraordinary.
The Basics: You've got IGA for groceries, a swimming pool, cafes, and proper outback pubs. Everything you need is within walking distance. It's not the Gold Coast, but you're not here for shopping malls and nightlife.
What Charleville Actually Offers: A slower pace. A 2-minute drive to work. People who say good morning and actually stop to chat. When you walk around town, locals will ask what brings you here – not in a suspicious way, just genuine interest. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and agency staff get included rather than treated as outsiders.
The Culture Shift: If you're coming from metro areas, the contrast is stark. No heads-down phone scrolling on public transport. No anonymous crowds. Just a different way of living – not better or worse, just different. Many people find it helps them recalibrate.
What It's Not: It's not a resort town. It's not a cultural hub. There's no fine dining or bustling nightlife. If you need constant entertainment and urban amenities, you'll be disappointed.
What It Is: Authentic outback Australia. Clear night skies. Genuine community. A chance to step away from metro chaos and remember there's more to this country than capital cities.
DNA Healthcare success stories
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Beverley Anne from DNA Medical Recruitment was a pleasure to deal with. Honest, efficient and professional at all times.
Doctor
Beverley is the best agent for me – she responds efficiently, goes above and beyond in finding me the most suitable shifts, checks up on me to make sure I’m okay almost daily and you can tell she genuinely wants the best for you. Thank you so much, Beverley, for making everything so smooth for me!
Doctor
I couldn’t recommend Bev the team at DNA Recruitment more highly.
Having been away from hospital practice for 2 years, I was a little nervous stepping back into acute medicine. The team were very understanding and supportive and found a well-paid locum job in a very welcoming team in a Regional Hospital. There was always good communication, arranging all the paperwork and constantly checking in to see how the job was going, and the accounts team were very happy to work with my requests to enable sacrifice of pay to increase Super contribution.
A great experience. I would recommend to any who are looking to engage in locum practice to contact DNA Recruit.
Doctor
Bev was recommended to me by another doctor, and I can see why. From our very first contact, she has been warm, encouraging, and extremely helpful. I’ve had some difficult personal circumstances, which I was afraid would affect my ability to work. Bev has gone above and beyond to find me work, and been incredibly supportive throughout the process.
I’ve worked with several locum agencies in the past, and most of them just do the bare minimum (which I don’t begrudge). But Bev has been an absolute joy to have as my agent, and I’ve already referred another colleague to her. Even Veronika in payroll has been very helpful, friendly, and accommodating. I haven’t worked with anyone else in DNA Recruit, but so far I have only good things to say about them.
Doctor
Thank you Bey you’re adorable. I’m sure you appreciate how competitive the recruitment market is and it’s no secret i have dealt with several agencies (who often advertise the same opportunities) – but one by one shed them in favour of you because in addition to being so damn professional you have a genuine bedside manner which helps to make the tedious process of organising things trip after trip that bit easier – a fact which has not gone unnoticed, and I am grateful for.
Anaesthetic Locum
Thank you Bev, you are amazing! I am impressed with how quickly you managed and sort things out! Thanks for advocating for me.
Doctor
DNA Medical Recruitment provide a warm, caring service to Doctors, and they are an absolute pleasure to deal with. Bev is my consultant, and I could not ask any more of her. She is always ready to help, nothing is an issue and she bends over backwards to ensure that I am moving to a position that suits me. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending DNA to any of our colleagues, whether it be nursing or medical. Thank you Bev for all that you do.
Doctor
I have worked with David over the last year and he is professional, reliable and always keeps me up to date with work matters. David also responds to emails and phone calls promptly which assists me with managing my work schedules. There were occasions in which David had to chase the primary employer for clarification few hours be for my shift, and David has come through with the necessary clarification. I would highly recommend David’s leadership and honesty when it comes to managing your locum placement.
Anaesthetic specialist
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