Bowral Hospital

Bowral and District Hospital is a 72-bed major rural hospital which provides a wide range of services for its size, including general medical, obstetric and gynaecological, paediatric, surgical, orthopaedic, ophthalmological, geriatric, and emergency services.  The main wards are the HDU (8 beds), Milton Park (35-bed general medical/surgical ward), children's ward, and maternity ward.  Medical students from the University of Wollongong medical school rotate through the hospital and local GP practices.

The physicians who work at the hospital are extremely talented, and the nursing staff are used to working very indepently.  There are 2 theatres in the hospital.  The HDU is equipped to deal with many issues, but will not accept intubated patients, who must be transferred out.

Each week, there is a radiology teaching meeting.  There are also monthly grand rounds sessions. 
 

Terms Available

Each term, 2 residents rotate out to Bowral Hospital.  One resident works in the HDU, covering all the patients there (whether medical, surgical, or GP patients).  The other resident works on Milton Park, and primarily cares for the medical patients, but will also often be asked about any issues that arise with surgical and GP patients.  Half-way through the term, the two residents then swap wards.  The consultants rounds regularly and the nurses are independent in their working style, so residents feel well supported.  Interested residents may also attend some operations in the theatres, if the workload permits (for more information on Bowral rotations, go here).
 

Further Training

Rotations to Bowral in residency are terrific for residents considering a career in BPT, as they deal very closely with some excellent physician consultants, and because they learn a degree of independence and how to work directly with consultants.
 

Facilities

There is a Doctors' room in the clinical information department, which has a computer linked into the intranet.  There is also a small library open most of the time, but only staffed by a librarian on Thursday.  On-site accommodation is available to residents.  While the accommodation is basic, it is entirely suitable for most residents, as it is close to the hospital and has basic cooking and washing facilities.
 

Bowral Transport Access Guide