Doctors not dancers: New recruits hit Coffs Harbour

Are these people starring in a medical musical or are they the next generation of GPs?

NOW CONSULTING: Mid North Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick (front centre) is pictured with new Coffs Harbour-based interns (back L-R) Thomas York, Trefyn Francis, Bridie Peters, Ursula Cooper, Nicholas Hui, (middle) Mark Roberts, Jayden Conaghan, Callista Raharjo, (front) Emily Chen and Bingzhi He.

Much like the social media meltdown over the colour of a blue and black dress - this picture is sure to capture the internet's imagination.

Is this a photo of the next generation of medical professionals or a promotional shot for 'Coffs Harbour Health Campus - The Musical'?

No matter your perspective, this crop of young doctors are sure to be a hit in Coffs Harbour hospital as they begin their careers with NSW Health.

Ten new recruits who started internships this week are part of a record 1,041 interns commencing work across the NSW public hospitals this year.

Among them is Jayden Conaghan, a favourite with local league club Coffs Harbour Comets who he has played with for several seasons while finishing off his medical degree.

'The Doc' as he is affectionately known, grew up in a small town outside Rockhampton and has made Coffs his home as he continues his career in medicine.

Jayden Conaghan has recently completed his final exams on the way to becoming a doctor. He will begin a two-year contract at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus next year.

Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh said the junior medical officers had joined NSW Health at a remarkable time.

"Starting your career as a doctor amid a global health pandemic provides a unique opportunity to play a vital role in our extraordinary health system," Mr Singh said.

"These new interns will be a fantastic asset to our local frontline health staff."

Interns are medical graduates who have completed their medical degree and are required to complete a supervised year of practice in order to become independent practitioners.

There has been a 35 per cent increase in the number of intern positions on offer each year in NSW and of those 150 belong to a scheme in which they complete the majority of their training in rural hospitals.

The Rural Preferential Recruitment scheme has doubled in size since 2011 and is designed to encourage interns to work in regional and rural hospitals once they graduate medical school.

The new doctors started their internships this week and will be based in Coffs Harbour for formal and on-the-job training over the next two years.

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