It’s all about helping fellow doctors for Chris

By Andrew Paloczi

LEONGATHA Healthcare’s Dr Chris Ford was recently declared Victoria’s General Practice Supervisor of the Year by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), during an awards ceremony in Melbourne.

He was in the running for that accolade after winning the peer-nominated Gippsland Award.

After graduation from medical school, new doctors progress through a series of levels on their way to becoming a GP or specialist, requiring supervision as they do so, and Chris enjoys mixing his work as a GP with supervising doctors as they gain experience.

He explained that good guidance is important for doctors as they make the transition from being hospital based to working in a general practice setting.

“Being able to hold their hand through the transition into working in General Practice, I really love it,” Chris said.

He outlined why it is a challenging transition.

“In the hospital system, you’ve always got someone who’s going to tell you what the patient’s got wrong with them, but with general practice, no one’s there to tell you what’s going to walk in through your door,” Chris said.

While gaining experience in a hospital emergency department, doctors get used to dealing with patients on a one-off basis, with the move into general practice requiring a shift to a continuity of care.

While that shift can initially be confronting, Chris enjoys the different outlook as a GP.

“You see the same patients and develop a rapport and a relationship,” he said, adding that effective communication is a key to being a good GP.

Chris was inspired to become a supervisor by his belief in treating others as you want to be treated.

Dr Graham Toohill in Leongatha was one outstanding supervisor Chris loved learning from.

“It was the open-door policy, being happy to help and the fact there was no such thing as a silly question,” Chris said of Dr Toohill’s positive approach as a supervisor.

Post-graduation progression requires doctors to undertake an internship, being hospital based.

Young doctors then progress to resident level, still being hospital based.

“After that, you decide to join a training program of some description,” Chris said, explaining that may be to become a GP, a surgeon, a paediatrician or some other area of specialisation.

At that stage, a doctor has reached the level of Registrar, still requiring supervision.

Registrars can see patients on their own, with their level of competence determining what supervision they require.

A doctor then progresses to become a Consultant, being a specialist GP, specialist surgeon, or specialist gynaecologist.  

“We have medical students, we’ve got interns and residents who work at the hospital and in our clinic, and we’ve also got registrars here,” Chris said of the broad learning environment he is part of.

He is grateful to his patients, who are understanding of his supervisory commitments.

“My patients know that I often get knocks on my door, primarily from registrars, but also residents and interns, and I will excuse myself and help them, then come back and keep going with my consults,” Chris said.

If he is in the midst of a sensitive appointment, including mental health consults, Chris may get the learning doctor to wait.

“They can knock on my door at any time and I will try to answer,” Chris said of his accommodating approach.

In addition to seeking him out, registrars also have designated supervisor time each week, with the timeframe dependent on how far advanced they are, and there is also weekly lunchtime teaching.

That may involve a registrar teaching the other GPs, or supervisors teaching the registrars and others.

Chris said the emphasis is on everyone upskilling, noting he continues to learn as well as supervise.

Registrars divide their time between the clinic and the Leongatha hospital, doing emergency medicine and looking after in-patients.

“They do a great job of that and I’m always learning from them as well,” Chris said.

There is a strong focus on making rural medicine appealing for new doctors, encouraging them to stay on when they have gained experience.

Chris is in the running for the General Practice Supervisor of the Year award at a national level, with the winner to be announced at the upcoming RACGP National Conference in Melbourne.