Dr Coleman said she had always wanted to come back home.

“I have a desire to live and work in the area long-term and I’ve heard the training program here is great,” she said.

Port Macquarie MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health Leslie Williams, along with Mid North Coast Local Health District senior staff, welcomed the medical interns at Port Macquarie Base Hospital during a morning tea on January 23.

The 10 junior doctors will spend two years here including terms in their first year rotating through the core specialties of medicine, surgery and emergency.

Port Macquarie MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health Leslie Williams said she was really excited for the community and also extremely excited for the 10 interns who were just at the start of their medical careers.

She said the internship was such a great opportunity for the young men and women to immerse themselves not only in Port Macquarie Base Hospital but in the community.

Pre-vocational education and training director Associate Professor David McDonald said the internship years were the springboard from which to launch careers.

“It’s almost like a kind of crucible of testing people’s skills, testing their determination, testing their judgment, their strategic thinking, their ability to get on in teams and their character,” he said.

Dr Georgia Heron studied three years of her six-year medical degree in Port Macquarie.

Dr Heron said she really grew to love the place.

“The hospital is great, everyone is so friendly and willing to help out so I know it will be a great place to work,” she said.

What else is making news?

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.