Advertise on podcast: Destination Medicine Podcast

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Opportunities for a successful medical career in rural Australia are immense. The Destination Medicine© podcast library has been created to assist anyone who has thought about a career as a rural doctor to make informed decisions and navigate a rural medical pathway with greater confidence. Each episode of this podcast series brings the story of a doctor and their journey into rural medicine. It hasn't been a straight highway for many; there have been a few bumps, U-turns and bends along the way. How did a city slicker end up living on a farm in the Riverina of NSW? And what happened to the young doctor who had a life changing moment on an isolated highway in the Northern Territory? Well, you will have to listen to find out...and there's more. With over 23 specialities, 81 fields of speciality practice and 86 speciality titles, making career decisions can seem overwhelming for medical students and junior doctors. For some it is an easy decision, having always known the area in which they want to work, however, for others, the plethora of information and complex selection and admission criteria for training, is daunting. Our doctors share their candid and fascinating stories so that you, the listener, can have a better understanding of what's involved in pursuing a rural career pathway. Lifestyle counts - and for those who are living in rural and remote Australia, the impact is immeasurable. The podcast series, 'Destination Medicine' is a collaboration between four rural NSW Regional Training Hubs - Far West, Riverina, Western and Northern NSW.

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Check latest episodes from Destination Medicine Podcast podcast

Partner Series: Three priorities for balancing life and a career in medicine – Dr Rory Hampstead and Dr Dani Smith

2026/10/13

For doctors Dani Smith and Rory Hampstead, building careers in medicine has also meant making deliberate choices about the life they want outside of it. Now based in Dubbo with their two children, Dani is completing her emergency medicine training at Dubbo Base Hospital, while Rory works as a rural generalist. They share how their careers have evolved alongside their relationship and growing family, why a stint in Sydney prompted them to rethink their priorities, and how Rory's decision to change specialty pathways helped them create a more sustainable life. They also reflect on the changing culture of medical training, the importance of flexibility for rural doctors, and why sometimes "surviving, not thriving" is perfectly okay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Partner Series: You can have it all, just not all at once – Dr Christopher Hayward and Dr Sonja Kauffman

2026/09/29

Dr Sonja Kauffman and Dr Chris Hayward hadn’t planned to build their lives in rural Australia. After meeting at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, what began as a six-month rural placement eventually became a life and career they couldn't imagine leaving behind. In this episode, they share how they've navigated two medical careers, raised a family, supported each other's ambitions and discovered that rural general practice offers not only exceptional professional opportunities, but a stronger sense of community, connection and balance than they ever expected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Know Your Limits. Self-Care in Rural Emergency Medicine - Associate Professor Andrew Dean

2026/09/16

Associate Professor Andrew Dean has built a career around emergency medicine, education and a passion for regional healthcare. Based in Ballarat, his work has taken him into communities across western Victoria, supporting rural clinicians, teaching generations of medical students and junior doctors, and exploring how mindfulness can help healthcare professionals manage the pressures of medicine. Andrew has long championed the opportunities available beyond metropolitan practice. He shares why emergency medicine became his calling, what country life has given him and his family, and why the best doctors bring humanity, communication and self-awareness alongside clinical expertise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Life Turns on a Dime. Building an Extraordinary Career Through Unexpected Opportunities – Dr Randall Greenberg

2026/09/02

Randall Greenberg's path into medicine was anything but conventional. After leaving school unsure of his future, a chance encounter led him into psychiatric nursing before eventually studying medicine and discovering a passion for rural healthcare. Today, he is Deputy Head of the Dubbo Rural Clinical School, an Intensive Care Specialist at Dubbo Hospital and held a multitude of healthcare hats besides, along his journey through medicine. In this episode, Randall reflects on the unexpected turns that shaped his career, why regional medicine has kept him inspired for decades, and the profound privilege of caring for patients and families during life's most critical moments. He also shares the lessons he's learned through teaching, mentoring and building critical care services across rural and remote Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENCORE: Balancing family and study – the challenges of being a mature-age student - Lucas Quinn

2026/08/19

For those preparing for the GAMSAT and considering a future in medicine, this encore episode offers valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of the journey ahead. Lucas Quinn spent years as a nurse before finally making the switch to medical school. As a mature-age student it has been a steep learning curve. Life’s a challenge as Luke strives to “co-prioritise” studies with his commitment to a young family. But finding a balance between home and studies is still the ultimate aim for Luke as he starts a two-year internship in Alice Springs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding Your Tribe as an Infectious Diseases Physician in Regional Australia – Dr Aiveen Bannan

2026/08/05

Infectious Diseases Physician Dr Aiveen Bannan has spent almost two decades building a career in infectious diseases at Port Macquarie Base Hospital in New South Wales, proving that highly specialised medicine can thrive in a regional community. From patient care and public health to teaching the next generation of doctors, she shares why regional practice has offered her a rewarding and varied career. Aiveen reflects on the importance of collaboration, mentoring and maintaining balance in a demanding profession, while explaining how strong professional networks and a supportive community have helped shape both her career and family life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doctors in Training: Choosing Family Finding Psychiatry - Dr Gabe Sanchez

2026/07/21

Dr Gabe Sanchez never expected psychiatry to become his calling. After training as a pharmacist and pursuing a career in general surgery, he made the difficult decision to change specialties in pursuit of a career that better aligned with his values, family life and long-term goals. Now a psychiatry registrar at Wagga Base Hospital, Gabe reflects on finding purpose in regional medicine, the rewards of teaching and mentoring, and why choosing rural practice has allowed him to build both the career, and the life, he was searching for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENCORE: RDN Cadet Series: Dr Nicholas Ireland — From Welder to Rural Cadet

2026/07/07

With 2027 RDN Cadetship applications now open, this episode is a timely reminder of where the opportunity can lead... Dr Nicholas Ireland’s journey through life to becoming a NSW Regional Doctors Network Cadet has been a long and demanding one. Expelled from boarding school in year 11, he first became a sheet metalworker on what he describes as a subsistence wage. But it was while he was working as a FIFO welder on oil rigs off the Western Australia coast that he realised he had to do something else with his life. So he quit and applied for a university foundation course and got such good marks he was accepted into medicine via a rural pathway. This boy from the bush, supported professionally and financially by the cadetship program, is now well on the way to achieving his childhood dream of becoming a rural generalist doctor, planning to settle with his wife in Dubbo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Student Series: A winding road to rural medicine – Lachlan MacMillan

2026/06/24

Lachlan MacMillan's route to medicine has been anything but traditional. After leaving school to become a carpenter, he spent years working across rural and remote Australia, from cattle stations and horseback tours to conservation work in the Kimberley, before a series of medical emergencies sparked an unexpected passion for healthcare. Now studying medicine through the School of Rural Health in Dubbo, Lachlan reflects on the family support, mentors and life experiences that helped him pursue a career he once thought was beyond his reach. His story is a powerful reminder that there is no single pathway into medicine, and that sometimes the most rewarding journeys are the least expected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENCORE: Rescue missions and rural emergencies — Dr Jessica Martyn

2026/06/10

ENCORE: This Thank a First Responder Day, we proudly replay this episode, celebrating those who serve and support our communities every day. Soaring to the heights of rural and remote medicine — and not just in RFDS planes — Dr Jessica Martyn has enjoyed an extremely varied and exciting career. Dr Martyn, who is now the Head of Unit at the Port Augusta Hospital Emergency Department, has a passion for emergency medicine and regional healthcare that was shaped by her unique upbringing, hands-on medical placements, and early career experiences. From growing up with a search-and-rescue pilot father to working in Alice Springs, Jess shares how the challenges and rewards of rural medicine have fuelled her commitment to regional communities, and how living and working outside the city offers unmatched opportunities and lifestyle benefits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENCORE: Student Series: Reflections on belonging — Tristan Marino’s journey from music to medicine

2026/05/29

In recognition of National Reconciliation week, we are replaying “Reflections on belonging — Tristan Marino’s journey from music to medicine. What are your pillars of belonging? For Tristan Marino, they are his Aboriginal and Maori family, his connections to community and friends and now, medicine as well. Tristan started out studying music at a conservatory, doing simultaneous studies in nursing as a career fallback position. He says he surprised himself to find that nursing in emergency departments was more compelling, but he found it frustrating not to be able to answer his many questions about the patients, their maladies and treatments. The only answer was to become a doctor. Tristan is now happily working at the rural clinical school in the regional NSW city of Orange, in a strong and supportive team, surrounded by the sort of inclusive community for which he has always longed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Student Series: Hooves, Health and Higher Degrees – Natalie Vear

2026/05/12

From suburban Queensland to clinical training in Wagga Wagga — fourth-year medical student Natalie Vear has wholly embraced rural medicine. A former exercise physiologist and postdoctoral research fellow with a PhD in exercise cardio-oncology, Nat shares how a childhood fascination with life on the land evolved into a passion for rural generalism and holistic healthcare. Now completing her medical training through the University Of Notre Dame, Rural Clinical School in Wagga Wagga, Nat reflects on the opportunities she’s found outside the city, from hands-on clinical experience and thriving rural research projects, to horse riding, local sporting clubs, and becoming immersed in community life. In this episode, she talks about overcoming fears around rural placements, the surprising depth of research opportunities available regionally, and why she believes rural medicine offers some of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences a future doctor can have. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heart of the Red Centre: focus on what you love - Dr Angus Baumann

2026/04/28

Dr Angus Baumnann took a long, non-linear journey into medicine, that eventually led him to specialise in cardiology. Now based in Alice Springs with his family, and deeply entrenched in the community, Angus couldn’t be happier with the trajectory of his career. He also talks about the realities of healthcare access in remote Australia, the joy of contributing to service design and model-building, and a powerful patient experience that reshaped the way he thinks about and practices care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Student Series: The Magic of Rural Medicine – Laura Sliskovic

2026/04/14

Laura Sliskovic put aside her desire to become an actress and pursue her passion to become a doctor, supporting remote communities with limited access to healthcare. It was through her mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer, and the challenges of living in rural Bicheno, on Tasmania’s east coast, that Laura understood first-hand the necessity of accessible healthcare for all. Laura’s story reflects resilience, community spirit, and a strong drive to improve healthcare access for underserved populations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ENCORE: From championship rowing to emergency medicine – Dr Daniel Stewart's circuitous journey to Dubbo

2026/01/27

Dan's story has been captivating listeners since 2020. As our most downloaded episode of all time, we thought it was worth a relisten. In retrospect it was the perfect vocational choice. But Dr Daniel Stewart just didn't know it as he rowed hard and fast for Australia, chopping and changing university courses before finally giving medicine a crack. Now based in Dubbo, with a four-minute commute to work, he couldn't be happier. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.