Locum at Tumut Hospital, NSW
About
Tumut Hospital
Tumut Health Service is a busy regional Emergency Department in the Snowy Valleys region of NSW. The ED sees up to 30 presentations per day, giving you a varied caseload and genuine clinical exposure across acute medical emergencies, minor trauma, mental health, and rural emergency presentations.
You'll primarily work in ED, managing presentations from minor injuries through to acute emergencies, admitting patients when required and coordinating transfers to larger facilities. A Nurse Practitioner currently works four days per week handling lower-acuity presentations, with recruitment underway to expand this to seven days - which will reduce ED workload further.
The role suits doctors who enjoy independent practice but want strong local support around them. You're working alongside experienced nursing staff, a growing Nurse Practitioner service, and local GP VMOs who provide ongoing support and ward coverage.
Key facts
about Tumut
Hours and On-Call
Emergency Department:
- 0800-2000 on site
- 2000-0800 overnight on-call
On-call:
- Overnight on-call from 2000-0800
- Generally called for Category 1 and 2 presentations and emergencies requiring medical review
- Overnight model designed to reduce fatigue while maintaining emergency coverage
- Higher-level care transferred via established retrieval pathways
Location
Snowy Valleys Region, NSW
- Closest airport: Wagga Wagga (approx 1hr 15min)
- Approx 4.5 hours from Sydney
- Approx 2.5 hours from Canberra
Payment Frequency
Payment Via V-Money
Orientation
Practical orientation covering:
- Welcome and walkthrough of ED and key clinical areas
- Local processes and escalation pathways
- Referral networks
- Systems and workflow familiarisation before your first shift
Why work at
Tumut
Busy, Varied ED
Up to 30 presentations per day across acute medical, minor trauma, mental health, and rural emergency presentations. Good clinical exposure with a genuinely varied caseload.
Independent Practice with Support
You make your own clinical decisions but you're not isolated. Experienced nursing teams, a Nurse Practitioner service, and local GP VMOs provide strong backing.
Growing Nurse Practitioner Service
The NP service handles lower-acuity presentations and is highly valued by medical staff. Expansion from four to seven days is underway, which will reduce ED workload further.
Sensible Overnight Model
On-call from 2000-0800 with calls generally limited to Category 1 and 2 presentations. The model is built to reduce fatigue while keeping emergency coverage available.
Rural Emergency Experience
Strong opportunity for doctors wanting rural emergency medicine, independent decision-making, and experience managing admissions and transfers.
The facilities and services
at Tumut Hospital
Hospital Beds
26 inpatient beds, including 3 maternity beds
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Clinical Facilities
Emergency Department, inpatient ward, antenatal and postnatal clinics, community health services.
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Imaging
Medical imaging services on site. Pathology services available.
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Staffing
Experienced ED and ward nursing teams, Nurse Practitioner service (4 days/week, expanding to 7), local GP Visiting Medical Officers, Allied Health services.
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Support Services
Visiting specialist services, retrieval and referral support through larger regional hospitals, Allied Health support.
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What's Not Available
No on-site specialist or subspecialist cover – higher-level specialist care is referred to larger regional centres.
Complexities, inpatients, and
ED presentations
ED Volume
- Up to 30 presentations per day
- Varied caseload providing good clinical exposure
Case Complexity
- Acute medical presentations
- Minor trauma
- Mental health presentations
- Rural emergency presentations
Inpatient Work
- Inpatient admissions and reviews when required
- Patient admitting responsibilities
- Coordinating transfers to larger facilities
Retrieval and Transfer
- Patients requiring higher-level care transferred via established retrieval pathways
- Referral support through larger regional centres
What You'll Manage
- Broad range of emergency presentations
- Independent clinical decision-making with local support
- NP service assists with lower-acuity presentations to maintain patient flow
Hospital team and culture
Tumut has a supportive, collaborative culture with a strong mix of local doctors, locums, and experienced nursing staff. The team works closely together, communication is straightforward and practical, and locums are genuinely welcomed into the department. The Nurse Practitioner service is highly valued and provides excellent support to medical staff.
Impact on local community
Tumut provides essential healthcare to the Snowy Valleys region and surrounding communities. The hospital plays an important role in providing emergency care locally and reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment.
Accommodation, travel, & mental health support
Accommodation:
Provided for locum doctors. Free parking on site. Details confirmed at time of booking.Travel:
Flights and hire vehicle available for approved placements.Mental health support:
Access to both EAP and DNA's partnership with MyMirror
Things to see & do
in Tumut
Food & Drink
Strong cafe scene – Toast Cafe, Hippy Cowgirl, and the multi-award-winning Coffee Pedaler. Oriental Hotel for local trout and cocktails, Tumut River Brewing Co for craft beer and wood-fired pizza, plus the Tumut Star and Royal Hotel for proper pub meals.
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Essential Services
Woolworths and Coles in town, plus IGA and Aldi. Tumut Mall in the centre has a pharmacy, newsagent, and clothing stores. Larger shopping (Target, Big W) at Riverside Plaza in Gundagai.
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Facilities
Gateway to Kosciuszko National Park. Blowering Dam (13km) for fishing, boating, and kayaking. Walking and fishing straight off the Tumut River, a local mountain bike park, and the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail. Selwyn Snow Resort is an hour away in winter.
DNA Healthcare success stories
We’ve had the pleasure of placing thousands of healthcare professionals at hospitals and organisations across Australia. Hear about their experience with DNA Healthcare.
Genuine and unfiltered review: I am a Registered Nurse and have worked with multiple agencies. However, I have never felt as amazed as I do with the contract I am currently on with DNA Nursing Agency. Both Aruna and Sophie are wonderful. Since my first day with the agency, Aruna has consistently checked in to make sure I am doing well and addressed any issues I might have. No matter if it’s the weekend, she always answers my calls and happily resolves any concerns.
Nurse
DNA Medical Recruitment & Team members have been amazing to work with. Excellent services of support provided from start to finish for all of my contracts.
Special thank you to Martin! His professionalism has been exceptional. Martin’s positive encouragement and support given me the confidence to apply for and helped with new contracts. Always prompt, friendly and approachable to accommodate any needs.
Nurse
Good experience with DNA. Will and Andrew with whom I have dealt with work extremely hard to help finalise locums, very reliable and good communicators.
Doctor
If you are thinking about commencing a travel nurse journey, then I can highly recommend Lucy and the Team at DNA. I had tried on and off for almost 12mths and then it was Lucy who was able to secure my role in Tasmania.
The knowledge from the outset and the assistant along the way has been incredible. Nothing is too much trouble and the team are only ever a phone call/email away
Nurse
Chloe from DNA is an excellent recruiter. She communicates clearly from start to finish and provides constructive feedback and preparation for the interview. Her support was instrumental in making the experience both memorable and positive for me. I highly recommend hiring or leveraging her expertise.
Nurse
I have been with DNA Recruitment for almost a year now and my agent Ciara has been nothing but helpful along the way. She made the initial move to Australia less daunting and has always been there ready and willing to answer any of my questions. She’s locked in every nursing contract I have wanted, has taken the stress away and honestly has made my life so much easier. Thank you Ciara for being so amazing!
Nurse
I had a wonderful experience with DNA Recruitment Healthcare Agency. The agency is professional, supportive, and provides excellent opportunities for healthcare professionals.
I would especially like to acknowledge Aruna, who guided me throughout my entire journey. Aruna helped me with every step, from finding the right opportunities to settling into my nursing contract. She is extremely kind, polite, and always cooperative. Her support, encouragement, and positive attitude made a big difference in my experience.
Nurse
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
