Congratulations, Dr Laura MacDonald
You may have heard in the news a lack of General Practitioners in Australia, particularly in regional and remote locations. This shortage has resulted from several factors, including the usual flow of overseas doctors during the COVID period. Fewer medical students also choose General Practice as a career path because of the relatively modest income possibilities compared with some of the more specialised fields.

Eastbrooke doctors choose General Practice for many reasons. Generally, when we ask doctors why they want to be a GP, the most common answers seem to relate to providing patient care. Delivering positive health outcomes for patients and improving the lives of patients and their families motivates them to commit to the long hours and hard work involved.

One example of this commitment to patient care comes from one of our young doctors at the Eastbrooke Family Clinic in Townsville. Dr Laura MacDonald was recently named Queensland General Practitioner in Training of the Year by the peak training body – The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

This is an outstanding achievement and a prestigious honour for Dr MacDonald, who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to general practice and continuing the highest standard of care to patients, community and training. In particular, this award acknowledges her dedication to patient welfare and always showing patient-centred care, empathy and patience.

We congratulate Dr Laura MacDonald on this outstanding achievement!