{"id":16684,"date":"2025-09-04T22:40:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/?p=16684"},"modified":"2025-09-08T02:42:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T02:42:50","slug":"life-as-a-rural-gp-in-australia-why-i-feel-like-a-rock-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/life-as-a-rural-gp-in-australia-why-i-feel-like-a-rock-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Life as a Rural GP in Australia: Why I Feel Like a Rock Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI feel like a rock star.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Dr. Bjarte (Bj) Sorensen, a rural GP working with DNA Healthcare, describes his experience flying into remote towns across South Australia.<\/p>\n

While city-based doctors may have the comfort of large practices and specialist networks on hand, rural GPs step into a very different role, often the only doctor in town, carrying the responsibility for everything from ear infections to emergency trauma.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a life for everyone, but for BJ, it\u2019s an energising mix of challenge, adventure, and connection that makes him glad he chose it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From Norway to the Outback<\/h2>\n

Dr. Sorensen\u2019s story began in a small Norwegian farm town where access to healthcare was already an uphill climb.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lived two and a half hours away from the nearest city. If you needed care, you relied heavily on the local GP. That experience shaped my view of medicine before I\u2019d even decided on a career.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he earned a scholarship to study at the University of New South Wales, Australia became his second home. He loved the diversity and lifestyle, but also quickly saw the contrasts between city-based medicine and the unique challenges of rural practice.<\/p>\n

Years later, after moving and working between both Norway and Australia, he and his family felt the pull of rural Australia again. \u201cAustralia was always in my heart. I remembered it as a place where I could fit in, even if I wasn\u2019t the same as everyone else. The sense of belonging here is something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Exploring The Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park just outside Coober Pedy<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Reality of Rural Practice<\/h2>\n

Life as a rural GP isn\u2019t always predictable. Dr. Sorensen describes himself as \u201cthe only doctor in town,\u201d meaning he\u2019s the first call for almost anything medical – sometimes life-or-death situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing bypasses the local GP in rural towns. We deal with everything. The emergencies, the decisions about retrievals. The stakes are higher here than in the city,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

That higher level of responsibility is both daunting and rewarding. Rural GPs in Australia often serve as the community\u2019s main healthcare provider, a reality that reflects the national shortage of doctors outside metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners reports that outer regional, remote and very remote communities have just 274 doctors per 100,000 people, compared to 433 per 100,000 in major cities. It\u2019s no wonder small towns sometimes resort to extraordinary measures: Julia Creek in Queensland recently offered nearly $680,000 a year plus free rent and a car<\/a> in a bid to secure a GP.<\/p>\n

For Dr. Sorensen, this pressure comes with perspective: \u201cIf you want a job where every day is predictable, rural GP work probably isn\u2019t for you. But I thrive on the variety. I enjoy being thrown from one thing to another.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Connection Beyond the Clinic<\/h2>\n

What surprises many doctors is how deeply embedded they become in the communities they serve. Dr. Sorensen describes how patients often become friends, or at the very least, familiar faces he runs into outside of work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think some doctors worry about mixing personal and professional life, but in small towns, it\u2019s unavoidable. You might see someone in the clinic in the morning, then bump into them at a school event or even go opal mining with them later,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

That closeness brings real rewards.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are genuinely grateful that you\u2019re there. They\u2019ll thank you for listening, for showing up, for being part of their lives. That kind of gratitude is something you don\u2019t always get in a metro practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Waiting for the sun to set so I can look for opals in Coober Pedy using a UV light (“black light”), an activity also locally known as “noodling”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Why Face-to-Face in Rural Towns Still Matters<\/h2>\n

In an age where telehealth is expanding access, Dr. Sorensen believes strongly in the irreplaceable value of in-person consultations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can pick up subtle cues face-to-face. Whether it\u2019s a symptom or just a sense that something\u2019s off. Sometimes you ask a simple \u2018How have you been?\u2019 and a patient opens up about suicidal thoughts or family struggles. I don\u2019t think that always happens over a screen,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Telehealth is valuable for many cases, but research supports his view: a 2023 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report found that while telehealth use surged during COVID, patients in rural areas still prefer face-to-face appointments for complex or sensitive issues, reflecting the importance of presence and trust in care.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Challenges Nobody Talks About<\/h2>\n

Rural GP life isn\u2019t without its hurdles. The biggest one Dr. Sorensen points to is family. \u201cSchools and opportunities for kids can be limited, and that\u2019s something you can\u2019t ignore. For us, the solution has been living in Adelaide but using a fly-in fly-out model.\u201d<\/p>\n

That model, working intensively for two weeks and then spending two weeks at homem has given him more balance than he expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife says she sees more of me now than when we lived in a small town in Norway. I\u2019m either all in at work, or all in at home. It\u2019s made our family life better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, not every doctor can (or wants to) make that trade-off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t want my teenage children to go to school in some of the places I work. That\u2019s just the reality,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Lifestyle Benefits<\/h2>\n

Despite the challenges, Dr. Sorensen finds that rural GP work offers unique lifestyle rewards. Financially, he\u2019s not necessarily making more than he would in the city, but the flexibility makes the difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can step away for a few weeks to visit family overseas without worrying that I\u2019m leaving a whole patient load behind. That\u2019s liberating after years of carrying that burden in a permanent practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside of medicine, he\u2019s also now able to find the time to pursue personal passions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m studying architecture part-time and even go opal mining with friends I\u2019ve met on placement in Coober Pedy. It\u2019s not what I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Kilometres of beaches for myself, this one is at Laura Bay, a short drive south of Ceduna<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The DNA Difference<\/h2>\n

Behind the scenes, Dr. Sorensen credits DNA Healthcare with making his rural locum work possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cEamon and the team organise everything – flights, cars, accommodation, payroll. I just get an itinerary that tells me where to go. It really does make me feel like a rock star,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n

But more importantly, it\u2019s the way DNA connects him to supportive workplaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses, receptionists, and practice staff welcome me like part of the team. If you treat people with respect and show you\u2019re there to contribute, they treat you the same. That makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who Could Thrive in This Role?<\/h2>\n

Dr. Sorensen is the first to say this career path isn\u2019t for everyone. It requires resilience, adaptability and the confidence to make decisions when you\u2019re the only doctor in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt probably wouldn\u2019t suit someone straight out of med school. But I\u2019ve met brilliant young doctors who really \u2018get it.\u2019 It\u2019s about mindset more than years of experience,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Rural GP work in Australia is a mix of challenges and opportunities. It asks a lot of doctors, but it also gives back in ways many don\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n

As he reflects: \u201cIt\u2019s not always easy, but when you embrace it, the medicine, the people, even the lifestyle quirks, it really does feel like something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

And sometimes, it even feels like being a rock star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI feel like a rock star.\u201d That\u2019s how Dr. Bjarte (Bj) Sorensen, a rural GP working with DNA Healthcare, describes his experience flying into remote towns across South Australia. While city-based doctors may have the comfort of large practices and specialist networks on hand, rural GPs step into a very different role, often the only…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":16688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dna"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16684"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16704,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16684\/revisions\/16704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnamedicalrecruitment.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}