Medical students embrace Bathurst rural charm for future work | Lithgow Mercury

lithgowmercury.com.au · Feb 18, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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EVER since Eman Tahir came to Bathurst during her first year of studying medicine, she knew it was where she wanted to work someday.Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue readingAll articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperAll other in your areaThat's why, for her fourth year, a practical year in her course with Western Sydney University, she has chosen to study and practise in our town.Now, she has just entered her fifth year, and decided to stay on the books in Bathurst yet again.Students at Western Sydney University Luke Armstrong and Eman Tahir. Picture by Alise McIntoshGrowing up in Sydney, Ms Tahir fell in love with the city during her first year of medicine."I've always wanted to come to Bathurst since my first year. They do a Teddy Bear Hospital here, so I came to that, and basically fell in love with the place; it was lovely and everyone was so kind," she said."We do a Health Hub kind of stall at the Teddy Bear Hospital, so we got to see people in the community interact, and see how the town is, and I really loved it."So, I came to basically every Bathurst event after that, so I was pretty set on coming for fourth year, and staying for fifth year as well."And she's so glad she did."It's been fantastic. I was thinking before I moved in fourth year, that it wouldn't be up to my expectations, because I'd built it up so much in my mind, but it's been better than I expected," she said.Having exceeded her expectations, Ms Tahir said that the benefits of studying in a rural hospital far outweigh those working in the metro.These benefits include having more one-on-one time with doctors, more opportunities to see patients, and more support in her learning.Greater scope of practiceAs well as this, she said the scope of practice in rural medicine exceeds that of its metro counterparts."I think we actually see more here than we do in metro, if there's anyone that comes into ED, you can see them, versus in metro hospital, there's different teams on each speciality, so you only maybe see a small percentage of patients who come in," she said.Having the ability to see a wider variety of patients has also meant that Ms Tahir has experienced more from the job than she could ever have anticipated.So far, she has encountered everything from scarlett fever to common illnesses.But, more than just seeing patients at their most critical moments, Ms Tahir said the benefit of rural medicine is the continuity of care that exists in places like Bathurst.This continuity of care, particularly in obstetrics and gynaecology, Ms Tahir's favourite field of medicine, is why she believes the Bathurst experience is the best you can get."Being able to deliver your first baby, and then seeing that patient all through antenatal clinic, and then seeing them out of the hospital as well, that's an experience you wouldn't get anywhere else," she said. That's why she said she will definitely return to Bathurst upon completing her studies in Sydney. First year students take on BathurstFirst year medical student, Luke Armstrong, however, had his first taste of Bathurst during a Western Sydney University immersion day on Wednesday, February 11.On the day, he, and hundreds of other first-year students travelled around the town to dip their toe in all things rural medicine.The end result for Mr Armstrong, was a strong desire to return to return to Bathurst for his fourth year."One of the reasons that I think a lot of us joined is that we have a real desire to help people, and in rural medicine, there's just a greater scope for that," he said."The other major thing for me in rural, is bonding with the community. There's a real sense of belonging, and there's a lot of job satisfaction with that as well."I think for a lot of these guys, if they get a taste of that, even coming from the city, they might convert over to rural."I'm keen, and I think a couple of them are very keen to come out here for a year or two."DailyYour morning newsToday's top stories curated by our news team.