For the first time since 2008 it’s a full house at Warrumbungle Medical Centre, with Dr Jessica Yabsley joining the team in recent weeks.

Dr Yabsley is no stranger to the area, growing up at “Newstead”, her parents’ mixed farming operation near Mullaley.

Now living back on the farm with her own young family and working full time in Coonabarabran, Dr Yabsley said she felt she had finally come full circle.

“It feels really good to be back home,” Dr Yabsley said.

“I feel like I’ve been aiming to get back here since I was medical student and did some placements in Coonabarabran with Dr Iannuzzi,” Dr Yabsley said.

“He was very generous and said any time you want a contract, let me know, and so I took him up on his offer - I think he’s pretty happy with that outcome!”

Pathways

After attending boarding school in Armidale and enjoying a gap year overseas, Dr Yabsley studied nutrition and dietetics at university in Sydney and Canberra, but the pull of medicine ultimately proved too strong.

After completing her final year of medical school in Dubbo, Dr Yabsley undertook her internship and residency in Orange, including just over a year of additional work in emergency and anaesthetics.

After considering pathways in emergency medicine and obstetrics, it was the diversity of general practice that appealed to her the most.

“Being a GP is never boring. I love the constant challenge and problem solving,” she said.

“I work full time and do full time rooms, except when we are on call at the hospital, which is about three times a month.”

After six weeks on the job, Dr Yabsley said she was starting to settle into the groove of the surgery.

"As this has been a long term goal of mine, I was a little bit anxious about whether or not it would be what I expected or whether I had built it up in my head, but now that I’m here I’m relieved, because it’s really lovely.

“It’s also amazing to have Dash and Charlotte here as well.

“We get on really well and it makes for a really nice team - when you can’t follow someone up, they can and vice versa.”

Recruitment

Warrumbungle Medical Centre practice manager, Dr Aniello Iannuzzi, said everyone at the surgery was delighted to have recruited another registrar.

"It is particularly satisfying to see a local young adult return to the district to practice - especially one who spent a couple of student placements with us!” Dr Iannuzzi said.

“After losing Dr Smita Joshi early in 2018, it had been a tough two years trying to stay on top of the workload.

“We are pleased to be able to once again have waiting times of only a few days, or even same day.

“The last time we had so many resident doctors within our practice was 2008.”