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2ATHS doctor wins GP Registrar of the Year

Volume 48, No. 21, November 16, 2006

GOOD MEDICINE: SQNLDR David Mitchell (then FLTLT) assisting a Timorese patient in an aero-medical evacuation while deployed in Timor-Leste in 2004.  Photo courtesy of SQNLDR David Mitchell

SQUADRON Leader David Mitchell has topped off a busy year and had his professionalism recognised by becoming the second ADF doctor to receive the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) General Practice Registrar of the Year award.

The senior medical officer from 2ATHS received the award at the RACGP’s annual conference recently, as his wife, also a doctor and recipient of the 2006 Academic Registrar award, his father, and Head of the Defence Health Services AVM Tony Austin watched on.

“I was not aware that SQNLDR Mitchell was going to be a recipient, so the award was a bit of a surprise to me as well,” AVM Austin said.

“It is a great honour and a pretty amazing effort, seeing that SQNLDR Mitchell has not only had the busy job of Senior Medical Officer at Williamtown, but has also deployed at least twice this year,” said OC Health Services Wing GPCAPT Tracy Smart.

“He is the second Air Force medical officer who has won the award. The previous winner was FLTLT Tania Casey in 2004.”

The award recognises the outstanding efforts of an individual general practice registrar’s (a trainee GP) commitment to general practice, to learning and to serving their community.

SQNLDR Mitchell deployed to Timor-Leste in 2004 to work with the United Nations, and while there, gave up his free time to assist with AusAID and also worked at the local Baru Pide clinic. In 2005, he deployed to Bali with the evacuation team in Operation Bali
Assist II.

In May 2006, he deployed to Timor-Leste as the medical evacuation coordinating officer as part of Operation Astute and then, in July, he went to Cyprus as the OIC of the Expeditionary Health Facility, which deployed as a part of Operation Ramp.

RACGP President Dr Vasantha Preetham thanked SQNLDR Mitchell for his service to the indigenous community, the Australian military and in Timor-Leste.

“SQNLDR Mitchell has displayed significant leadership skills,” Dr Preetham said. “He has shown great skill in balancing the demands of studying for the RACGP Fellowship exam while working as the Senior Medical Officer at Williamtown and in mainstream practice at Elemorevale general practice in Newcastle.

“In continually striving for excellence, SQNLDR Mitchell has set an excellent example for our profession. The future of general practice is in good hands.”
SQNLDR Mitchell said he was honoured to get the award, not so much for recognition of his work but for the focus it gives to ADF registrars.

“They are often straddled between their commitments to the ADF and their training commitments to the RACGP, particularly with overseas operations,” he said.
“These make it hard for them to maintain their training.

“I hope the award directs publicity towards the ADF registrars and hopefully by raising that issue, it will then enable the college and military to work better together in facilitating junior doctors’ development.”

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