General Practitioner

Job No: 16279

Location: Katherine, NT

Closing Date: 15 Mar 2010 AEDT

About the Organisation

Established in 1972, Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service is a community controlled Aboriginal Medical Service located in Katherine, in the (quite magnificent) Top End of the Northern Territory.

Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service provides comprehensive primary health care to Indigenous people of the Katherine area, however, it understands that its responsibility goes beyond this, and provides Katherine Aboriginal people with employment, career support, personal and professional development and post-school opportunities.

About the Katherine Region

Katherine is located in the top end of the Northern Territory, 312km South East of Darwin. Renowned for tropical weather and vast expanses of national parks and reserves, the Katherine Region encapsulates a truly Australian landscape. Dramatic sandstone cliffs border the world famous Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk), which has become a defining feature of this beautiful destination, and rivers create an array of recreational activities. 

The eclectic community, infused with indigenous culture, comprises over 9,000 residents who enjoy spectacular sunsets, outdoor festivals, and all-year round fishing that compliments the laid-back lifestyle.

About the Opportunity

The Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service has two exciting opportunities for a General Practitioner and a Director of Medical Services to join its multidisciplinary team of dedicated health professionals in the Katherine region, NT.

Director of Medical Services:

This role will provide strategic clinical leadership and oversee the delivery of comprehensive primary health care including clinical governance systems and works part -time to supplement the administrative role for the Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service.

The position is required to provide policy and public health advice, review and evaluate the Service's health programs.

More specifically your responsibilities will include (but not be limited to):

• Providing strategic clinical leadership in collaboration with senior clinical staff and the management team and overseeing the delivery of comprehensive primary health care;
• Providing policy and public health advice, reviewing and evaluating health programs, including quality improvement so as to ensure appropriate care is provided in a culturally sensitive manner and to accreditation standards;
• Monitoring revenue and expenditure as it relates to clinical operations ensuring the maximisation of medicare claims across programs;
• Ensuring that, in relation to clinical areas, all legal requirements, funding and reporting obligations, grant conditions, policies and plans are complied with and successfully implemented;
• Monitoring medical workload, developing workload management systems and assessing resource management issues and providing related advice to management; and 
• Participating in general continuing educational activities and teaching sessions to other medical staff.

General Practitioner:

Reporting to the Director of Medical Services, the General Practitioner will provide medical services to clients through the Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service; and contribute to the development and sustained operation of primary health care services relevant to the Katherine Aboriginal population.

More specifically the General Practitioner role will include (but not be limited to) the following day-to-day tasks:

• Providing appropriate clinical care for all Wurliwurlinjang Health Service clients in conjunction with AHWs (qualified Aboriginal Health Workers);
• Ensuring that appropriate data is entered in the WWHS computerised recall system for each and every client, and contribute to and support all computerized client data entry activities;
• Liaising with Katherine Hospital in the management of Wurliwurlinjang patients who have been admitted and liaise with other relevant health service providers and attend specified meetings as required by the Director of Medical Services;
• Performing home, hospital, Nursing Home, and school educational visits as required; and
• Completing billing procedure requirements.

To be successful in either the General Practitioner or Director of Medical Services role you will need Vocational Registration (or be eligible), General Practice experience, have current or be eligible for registration with NT Medical Board, as well as have current membership of a medical defence organisation.

Experience in public health, Aboriginal health and supervising GP Registrars and Medical Students would be well regarded but is not essential. You will however need a demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in cross-cultural contexts and conduct oneself in a culturally appropriate manner with both urban and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It is important that you are able to use a personal computer to prepare reports for correspondence and maintain a statistical database.

All applicants will need a Current Drivers Licence.

In addition to the above selection criteria, applicants for the Director of Medical Service role will need post graduate medical practice in relevant areas and Fellowship of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (FAFPHM) or FRACGP/FACRRM with post graduate qualifications in Public Health.

Applicants for the Director role will also need demonstrated experience in medical practice particularly in primary care and management and high level medical leadership; demonstrated experience in the development, implementation and evaluation of policy and programs; and the ability to lead and manage multi-disciplinary teams.

If you are an existing GP or Medical Director looking for a change of routine, a change of lifestyle or new adventure, these are the roles for you. You will see and experience more of Australia's real outback than most people ever will - and get paid to do it!

The Wurliwurlinjang Health Service is offering generous remuneration packages for both roles. The base salary for the Director of Medical Services role is $180,000 and base salary for the General Practitioner role is $160,000.

A fantastic range of further benefits include:

• 9% superannuation;
• Salary sacrifice arrangements;
• 6 weeks leave and up to 4 weeks study leave;
• Furnished house;
• Relocation assistance provided;
  
• A motor vehicle and fuel card; and
• Supportive work environment, with skilled staff on site and a range of supports provided.

Make a difference in your career in these uniquely rewarding roles working with Indigenous communities in the spectacular Katherine region!