Long-held rural generalist dream realised thanks to scholarship

---

2016 Medical Student Scholarship Recipient, Dr Michael Pitt.

In 2020, Dr Michael Pitt graduated from James Cook University (JCU) and was the fifteenth AMA Queensland Foundation Medical Student Scholarship recipient to become a doctor. He was awarded the scholarship in 2016 during his second year of study as an aspiring rural generalist and mature age student, who at the time was juggling the rigorous demands of medical study while providing for his young family.

Five years on, Dr Pitt now works as a provisional Senior Medical Officer for Central West Hospital and Health Service at Longreach Hospital and is in his final year of Fellowship as an ACCRM registrar with advanced skills training in Obstetrics. We caught up with him to chat about his time as a medical student, his experience as a rural generalist, and what the future holds.

Pictured: Michael, his wife Katie and their three children in 2016.

From paddock to placements

Having a scientific and enquiring mind, Michael had always had an interest in becoming a doctor from as far back as he could remember, however, life had somewhat got in the way and other paths were taken first.

After studying Agricultural Science at Gatton, he worked for ten years in beef cattle production managing cattle properties around Springsure, Central Queensland.

While he enjoyed the lifestyle, an accident would (literally) throw him off that course, putting Michael, his wife Katie, and their three young children back onto a path that reignited that long-held dream.

“In 2014, I had a bull charge my horse while mustering cattle. I came off my horse and landed on my head. The day ended with Katie and I making a late-night trip to hospital.”

Experiencing care in hospital and watching the rural practitioners, Michael started to dream again.

“Speaking to Katie following the accident, I made a light-hearted joke that I should return to university to study medicine so I could help people in these rural areas where we love to live. To my surprise, her reply was “well, why not?” he said.

Not only did Michael go back to university to study medicine, Katie also re-trained as a nurse, with the intention to live and work in rural Queensland with their family.

“Coming back as a mature age student, I guess I knew what I wanted to get out of it, and I was there for a reason, although I didn’t have a location in mind at that point. I knew I wanted to help rural communities and rural people.” he said.

Scholarship helped lighten the burden

When Michael applied for the scholarship, keeping up with the study schedule and placements away from home alongside supporting a family had proven a challenge.

“Studying medicine with a family is difficult enough, and having financial support to lighten the burden is something my family and I are very grateful for,” he said.

At the time, the scholarship was structured just for the JCU degree, supporting students in smaller amounts each year until graduation.

While the scholarship didn’t take away the unique challenges of studying medicine with a young family, Michael said it lightened the burden.

“It is always that time away with rural placements which can be hard on the family, especially in the later years of the degree, but the scholarship supported us greatly during these financially difficult times,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Michael was provided with some incredible experiences during his degree, including an Obstetrics term in Fiji, and a longitudinal placement provided by JCU for his final year at Mareeba in Far North Queensland.

“It’s so valuable for students to come to a rural area, see the medicine, see the community, see what actually goes on and what can happen. Every rural community is different, and I would advise any student to jump on as many rural placements as they can,” he said.

One placement that left a lasting impression on Michael, was his time in Theodore as a John Flynn Scholar, under the mentorship of Dr Bruce Chater (now retired). This saw him placed there for two to four weeks at a time over a three-year period.

“I got to know the Theodore community and I got to understand Dr Chater's way of running his GP practice alongside the hospital and what it truly meant to be a rural doctor. He understood his patients, he understood their backgrounds and their struggles.”

“I often reflect on how I practise, and I think it’s very much in line with how Dr Chater practised medicine. A patient that's off the land an hour and a half out of town comes in to see you because of whatever condition they have, but there might be another three or four things they need sorting out. I take that extra bit of time because I know that they might not be back in for another few months. That's one of the things that Dr Chater used to do quite often,” he said.

He also recalls Dr Chater’s sense of humour – introducing Michael in the early days as his “ringer-come-medical -student” which he said was a great ice breaker.

Pictured above: Michael during his placement in Theodore, Central Queensland

Life as a rural generalist in Longreach

Another placement that left a lasting impression on Michael, was the town of Longreach where he was placed in fourth year and where he now works.

During his placement he experienced the mentorship of Dr John Douyere, who was heavily involved with the Queensland Rural generalist pathway, as well as Drs David and Clare Walker.

“To see the ability of those doctors and what they could do and would do in rural Queensland made a lasting impression on me. They were great mentors who continue to inspire me.”

Now working in Longreach as a provisional Senior Medical Officer since 2024, Dr Pitt enjoys the rural generalist life and values the breadth of practice Longreach offers.

“Longreach offers great rural generalist practice where we can practice with a much wider scope than our city colleagues. We also have the support of several specialists including the Flying Surgeon Service and the Flying Obstetrician and Gynaecology service. The location felt like a really good fit.”

He said the substantial support provided to registrars by the rural generalists working in Longreach was also a good reason to take up a posting there.

With just two exams to go before gaining his Fellowship, Dr Pitt intends to stay in Longreach, where he and his wife Katie, who works as a nurse, have become well immersed in the community. He often sees his patients on the street and enjoys the experience of getting to know them.

“At our hospital handovers every morning we all talk about the patient and their extended families because that all contributes to the holistic care of that patient.”

He acknowledges that his rural background has helped him to understand his patients in both the GP practice and through the emergency department and what they’re potentially going through.

“I have had some patients call up just wanting to see me now. Not necessarily because I'm a better doctor than anyone else in the Central West, but I think that they have that feeling of safety and comfort with me. Usually, they are people that are on the land, and they know that I understand them and their background. It does create that continuity of care for that patient,” he said.

Looking to the future after Fellowship

Beyond this year, Dr Pitt intends to undertake further training in skin cancer management.

“We have more than enough skin cancer patients in the Central West. I feel that with extra training we can potentially manage more patients here in the Central West. So that's the next thing on the horizon for me. Along with Obstetrics, that'll keep me more than busy enough.”

Reflecting on his time of receiving the Medical Student Scholarship, Dr Pitt said the support was keenly felt by their family, and it was more than just financial to them.

“It was not just myself or even myself and my partner, we had three young kids, so it did make a big difference. On top of that, it was also the feeling that “we’re here, actively helping you get to that goal. We’ve got your back, and we’ve got that support you need” that also goes a long way, so thank you to AMA Queensland Foundation for that.”