Vacancy at Royal Darwin Hospital

In general a very good experience. Very interesting ED case mix with relatively high acuity and good Resus exposure as an SRMO once the consultants and registrars have established your level. Good FACEM support. The hybrid paper-digital system is quite antiquated and takes some getting used to. The accomodation left a lot to be desired - an old studio with no wifi and an outdoor laundry that lacked privacy and inadequate ventilation in the bathroom. It can be quite isolating given the sometimes extreme weather and the distance from the hospital to the centre of town. There is also no lock or gate to stop anyone accessing the staff accomodation - and I had laundry powder stolen from outside my front door. That said, it was easy to get to work and the included pool access was nice. Would definitely recommend hiring a car or bike for a protracted stay. All in all, would definitely recommend RDH as an opportunity to experience Darwin and medicine in the top end. You may want to outlay some of your earnings on nicer accommodation or a car if you want to live more comfortably while you are there!

Evangeline Shaw

I worked in ED and found it to be a very supportive environment (standard set up of FACEMs/accredited registrars) with great registrars on over night. It was busy and there was a broad range of presentations including a lot of domestic violence/assault, trauma and infectious disease. There is often double bunking of patients (two patients in one ED bay) which can be a little awkward to manage, but I felt that there was a manageable patient :doctor ratio most of the time compared to other hospitals I’ve worked at. The accommodation is on site and is pretty basic, the windows don’t open but there is air con, a studio-style kitchen, and there’s an outdoor pool.