Trainees Say – St Vincent's South West BPT Network

Dr Hannah Kempton…

I completed my BPT training at St Vincent’s and am now a Cardiac AT. Having worked at all the three hospitals, I believe that the experience has offered the best mix of training. St Vincent’s itself has some incredible sub-specialty medicine that you don’t see anywhere else, but fortunately it has some really quiet protected terms leading up to the exams.

“I’ve always believed that some of the best training and lifestyle opportunities come in the country, and the Vinnies network allows you to experience the best rural training”.

Whilst a trainee in Wagga, I had the opportunity to publish extensively while completing my Masters by research in Cardiac CT.

Dr Lisa Raven…

The experience gained in the South West Network is both unique (exposure to in-depth transplant and HIV medicine), as well as broad (excellent general medicine at peripheral sites).

I had as a great experience as a Basic Physician Trainee in this network.

I’ve returned to both St Vincent’s and Campbelltown Hospitals as an Advanced Trainee because of the great experiences I had as a Basic Physician Trainee in this network.

Dr Daniel Tardo…

Thinking back to making the decision of selecting this network, a few things come to mind:

– Excellent reputation with regards to director of training leadership, education and BPT support
– Exposure to all major subspecialties within the area I would like to train in
– Ethos and values of the hospital and how they influence patient care for the better
– Successful track record with examination preparation and results

My expectations have been surpassed on all levels. In reflecting on my experiences within the network I am particularly grateful for the level of personalised support which has been offered to me and my colleagues at all stages of training thus far.

The strong sense of community intrinsic to the St Vincent’s network makes for an excellent work and training environment

The priority placed on education and various modalities of exam preparation have been of the highest standard and unwavering, even for trainees based at peripheral sites and with the recent transition to video based sessions. There have been ample opportunities to foster professional relationships within the specialty of my interest, having been supported to become involved with professional development activities within the department.

The strong sense of community intrinsic to the St Vincent’s network makes for an excellent work and training environment, where your contributions are indeed valued by patients and senior colleagues.

Dr Lucy Haggstrom…

It was not an easy decision to choose which hospital to go to. I actually changed my decision at the last minute to preference St Vincent’s first, and am very glad that I did so.

The reason I chose St Vincent’s was because I felt that the Network had a strong and genuine interest in looking out for their trainees, and found that out of all of the Networks, I was treated most like a person and a colleague, rather than just another trainee.

The network has a strong and genuine interest in looking out for their trainees.

Although, of course trainees will also benefit from having access to world class specialists, a wide variety of exposure to subspecialty medicine and many teaching and research opportunities, the main reason I would recommend training at St Vincent’s is owing to the collegial and supportive culture.