RG Life Hacks

ACRRM Podcasts

The ACRRM podcast RG Life Hacks is a series exploring key topics that support registrars beyond the Rural Generalist Curriculum. Episodes cover areas such as settling into rural practice, medico-legal issues, self-care, and long-term professional sustainability. You can listen to RG Life Hacks via the podcast webpage or on your favourite podcast platform. New episodes are added throughout the year, so be sure to subscribe to stay up to date.

  1. JAN 29

    Caring for Veterans in General Practice

    Veterans and their families often present to general practice carrying the long-term impacts of military service, transition to civilian life, and complex interactions with healthcare systems. In this episode of RG Life Hacks, Dr Emily Moody speaks with Dr David Leaf and Dr Andrew Clarke, both veterans and Rural Generalists, about how doctors and registrars can provide culturally safe, practical, and effective care for veteran patients. David and Andrew draw on their own experiences of military service to explain how veterans approach healthcare, what respectful listening looks like in practice, and why simple, open questions such as “Have you ever served?” and “Tell me about your service” matter. They explore the “sheer cliff” of leaving Defence, the loss of community and psychosocial supports, and how this transition can amplify moral injury, trauma, and distress, sometimes years after discharge. For registrars, this conversation offers clear, practical guidance on taking an ADF history, avoiding common pitfalls, and recognising the role of partners and families in help-seeking and recovery. The discussion also outlines key referral pathways and supports, including Open Arms, DVA training resources, and navigating DVA cards and access to treatment in rural settings. This episode is essential listening for registrars who want to better identify veterans in their patient population, build rapport with confidence and cultural sensitivity, and connect veterans and their families to the supports they’re entitled to.   Key resources for supporting veterans: Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA): https://www.dva.gov.au/  Open Arms Veterans & Families Counselling: https://www.openarms.gov.au/  Provisional Access to Medical Treatment (PAMT): https://www.dva.gov.au/access-benefits/compensation-claims/get-treatment-while-you-wait-claim-pamt The Veterans’ & Families’ Centre: https://theveteransandfamiliescentre.org/

    34 min
  2. 12/04/2025

    Building Respectful and Effective Partnerships with Aboriginal Health Workers

    How can rural doctors build genuinely respectful, effective partnerships with Aboriginal health workers? In this episode of RG Life Hacks, Dr Emily Moody speaks with Dr Nicolette (Nicci) Roux, Rural Generalist and Executive Director of Medical Services, and Aboriginal health worker and clinic coordinator Tamara Murray, about what meaningful collaboration looks like at Wuchopperen, a community-controlled Aboriginal health service that has served the Cairns community for 46 years.  Nicci and Tamara describe a patient-centred, holistic model of care where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers are essential members of a multidisciplinary team, ensuring care is culturally safe, responsive, and grounded in community needs. Tamara explains how she coordinates busy clinic flow, triages patients, translates “doctor talk”, and acts as a cultural broker and advocate so that community members feel seen, heard, and respected.  For registrars, this conversation offers guidance on listening to understand, yarning, and recognising the expertise Aboriginal health workers bring in cultural knowledge, community relationships, and practical problem-solving. It also highlights everyday opportunities in clinic and team settings to reflect on your own practice, seek feedback, and learn from colleagues.  This episode is essential listening for doctors working in rural and remote settings who want to strengthen these partnerships, provide culturally safer care, and become the kind of team members that communities trust to walk alongside them.

    33 min
  3. 10/30/2025

    Sexual Misconduct in Medicine: When the Profession Hurts Its Own

    Sexual misconduct in medicine challenges the safety, trust, and integrity of the profession. In this episode of RG Life Hacks, Dr Emily Moody speaks with Professor Louise Stone, a GP and medical educator, about the realities of sexual harassment and abuse within medical workplaces and the cultural and systemic factors that allow them to persist. Professor Stone draws on her extensive research and international collaborations to explain how power, hierarchy, and silence shape these experiences and what meaningful prevention and healing can look like. The discussion explores the importance of leadership, upstanding behaviour, and peer support in creating safer professional environments. This conversation offers an honest and compassionate look at how the medical profession can confront harm within its own ranks and begin to foster genuine cultural change. It also provides valuable perspective for registrars as they navigate complex team dynamics, learn to recognise unsafe behaviours, and develop the confidence to speak up or support colleagues.   Wellbeing Support Services 1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 Lifeline: Call 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14 13YARN: 13 92 76 Aphra: 1300 419 495 Drs4Drs: 1300 374 377 (1300 DR4 DRS) Bush Support Line (CRANAplus): 1800 805 391 Police (non-emergency): 131 444 For more information and additional resources, visit ACRRM Wellbeing Support: https://www.acrrm.org.au/support/wellbeing/well-being-support

    43 min
  4. 07/04/2025

    Seeking Support During Your Own Personal or Professional Health Crises

    How do doctors look after their own health while caring for their patients? In this episode of RG Life Hacks, Dr Emily Moody speaks with Dr Roger Sexton, rural GP and Medical Director of Doctors’ Health SA, about the importance of seeking support during personal or professional health crises. With over 35 years of experience in rural practice and doctors’ health advocacy, Dr Sexton explores the unique barriers doctors face when accessing care, including stigma, confidentiality concerns, and professional expectations. He also reflects on the cultural shifts that are changing how the profession understands and supports doctors’ well-being. The conversation highlights the critical link between doctors' health and patient safety, the evolving support systems available to rural clinicians, and the importance of showing up to work ‘in good shape’. A must-listen for registrars and early-career rural generalists navigating life and work in remote settings, this episode offers clarity, reassurance, and practical strategies for staying healthy and thriving in practice.   Wellbeing Support Services Doctors' Health SA: (08) 8366 0250 Doctors' Health NSW: (02) 9437 6552 Doctors' Health QLD: (07) 3833 4352 Doctors' Health NT: 08 8366 0250 (via SA service) Doctors' Health Advisory Service WA (DHASWA): (08) 9321 3098 Victorian Doctors Health Program (VDHP): 1300 330 543 Drs4Drs: 1300 374 377 (1300 DR4 DRS) Bush Support Line (CRANAplus): 1800 805 391 For more information and additional resources, visit ACRRM Wellbeing Support: https://www.acrrm.org.au/support/wellbeing/well-being-support

    38 min

About

The ACRRM podcast RG Life Hacks is a series exploring key topics that support registrars beyond the Rural Generalist Curriculum. Episodes cover areas such as settling into rural practice, medico-legal issues, self-care, and long-term professional sustainability. You can listen to RG Life Hacks via the podcast webpage or on your favourite podcast platform. New episodes are added throughout the year, so be sure to subscribe to stay up to date.