Almost 43 years ago, Natalie Gordon was born in Goulburn Base Hospital's maternity unit.
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On Tuesday, June 11 the soon to be doctor stood on almost the same Albert Street site, where the $15 million Amanda Barnard Clinical Training Facility has been constructed.
Ms Gordon told a crowd invited to the opening that the realisation she was about to be "birthed again into the world," this time as a doctor, was "overwhelming."
"I hope this becomes a centre of inspiration for the generations to come after us," she said.
"To the many young people of the district who might dare to dream of becoming a doctor, especially those kids who just never imagined that this could be possible in our town, this is a place for you."
The facility is a new space for the 20-year-old ANU Rural Clinical School but sits within the broader School of Medicine and Psychology. It will be used for all medical training and research, including for doctors, nurses, and ambulance officers in Goulburn and surrounds. It's also designed for community use.
The two-storey purpose-built centre includes a high-fidelity simulation lab, clinical skills training room, tutorial and office spaces, auditorium, meeting rooms common areas for staff and students and a clinical library. There is also a library, named in honour of long-serving Goulburn GP, Dr Robert Grieve Wood.
The building was named after Professor Barnard who became an educator with the ANU Rural Medical School 20 years ago in an effort to train and retain more doctors in the regions. Today there are six ANU teaching facilities in NSW, including in Goulburn, Cowra and Bega.
She opened the Goulburn building beside Macarthur MP, Mike Freelander, a former paediatrician with an interest in rural health care.
Professor Barnard said doctors in rural areas were used to adapting. However she argued there was no reason country centres shouldn't have state-of-the-art facilities.
"You can make do with things but it is just so good to have something that's the envy of Canberra," she said.
"...This is better than I envisioned," she said.
The facility was funded by a federal government grant. However it is a partnership between ANU, Goulburn Base Hospital, the Southern NSW Local Health District and Goulburn Base Hospital.
Sally Hall-Dykgraaf will head up the Rural Clinical School, while Paul Fitzgerald is the School of Medicine and Psychology director.
Natalie Gordon's mother, Jennie Gordon, manages the onsite School's SENSW Regional Training Hub, providing career support to ANU medical students and junior doctors.
Professor Barnard said the evidence showed that doctors who trained in and hailed from rural areas were more likely to practice there. She told The Post there were "brilliant doctors" in the regions who taught the value of teamwork and continuity of care.
The early days
Goulburn's Rural Clinical School started in a demountable building at Goulburn Base Hospital.
Dr Isabella Hawke was there for the first intake of three students. It grew to five, then eight students every year since.
"They're now all over the country but the way I Iook at it, whether they end up in the city or country, they take a little bit of Goulburn with them and an understanding of rural medicine," she said.
Dr Hawke said the facility's opening was the highlight of her career as she'd always been interested in medical education and working with "young, vibrant students." She stayed in contact with many of them throughout their careers.
If the students did well in their ANU undergraduate degrees, they gained placement at the Rural Clinical School.
Dr Hawke is currently the only Goulburn born and bred GP in town. She hopes that will change, with incentives in place to encourage secondary school students to study medicine.
Currently, there are six Goulburn students in the rural clinical school program, including Ms Gordon, Sam Walterlin and Tash Polzin.
Longtime Goulburn physician, Dr Tony Whelan and Dr Mena Shehata also teach at the school.
Professor Fitzgerald said ANU offered students the opportunity to delve further into their areas of interest in the hope they would practice in country areas.
"To that end we're currently trialling a pilot project at Goulburn allowing fourth- year medical students to extend their clinical placements to cover two years in (here) ..." he said
"We hope this will make it easier for our students to train close to home and stay in or return to communities following graduation."
Ms Dykgraaf said the Rural Clinical School had made a difference in attracting doctors to the country.
Dr Freelander said such federal investment was crucial to address "the continued mal-distribution of doctors in rural and regional areas."
"Well trained students become well trained doctors," he said.
"Through the continual professional development offered through these facilities, we'll have better health care outcomes for the community."
Ms Gordon said one quickly learnt in the country that medicine was a "team sport and everyone had their role to play.
"I hope this place continues to dismantle the constructs of who can and can't be a doctor in Australian society," she said.
"And to that end, the Rural Clinical School/Clinical Training Facility will always be a special place to me."