Dr Maha Selvanathan is a General Practitioner based in New South Wales, Australia. Medworld Institute talked to Dr Maha about her top tips for new general practitioners after her Facebook post on the subject went viral.
She wrote the post after frequently receiving messages from newly qualified General Practitioners, worrying about how they’d fare in their new roles and asking how to build a strong client base.
Dr Maha grew up in Malaysia, and as a young girl, she wanted to become a doctor so that she could help people. But her father couldn’t afford the school fees, so he suggested she become a hairdresser or work in a beauty salon instead. Still determined to become a doctor, at the age of 18 Maha ran to the local minister early one morning and pleaded for the opportunity to be sent on a scholarship so she could eventually study medicine.
Her wish was granted, and she went on to study medicine in Russia. Her father worked overtime and broke into his super funds to help cover the costs.
Dr Maha found it hard to be taken seriously by her mentoring doctors. It quickly became clear during her internship that Russian graduates were often badly treated; bullying and name calling happened routinely. Once, three slides into a presentation, Dr Maha’s boss told her to give up, quit medicine and get married.
Determined to practice medicine and help people, Dr Maha has overcome a lot of obstacles. It’s this determination and her success which makes her so passionate about supporting newly qualified doctors to become great GPs, serving their communities.
Here’s her original Facebook post, which still holds true for any GP aspiring to be better and do better in their communities.
"love your job, and don’t chase money."
How to build a strong GP client base in Australia
To each and every GP starting out my advice is simple; love your job and don’t chase money.
My belief is that money will come if you are a good doctor. By good doctor I mean being a humble, simple doctor with the aim to do what General Practitioners do best, serve their community.
My appointment books are almost fully booked, and patients always return to see me. When people ask me why, my answer is simple; I laugh with my patients. I listen to them. I take my time with them and don’t worry about them taking their time in my appointments. I don’t cut in to speed up the conversation.
My goals are simple. I own my community’s wellbeing. My typical patients are females which is great because in my area there are only a few female GPs and I feel really confident in dealing with female patients.
I work hard to push and educate my patients on the importance of having the right heath checks and screening, and make a habit of personally calling my patients to ensure their tests are up to date.
I also make sure I’m nice to and with work with my pharma reps who in turn provide me with educational materials that so I can provide written advice in different languages to patients whom English is not their first language.
My belief is that GPs need to take time to understand their community, for example there is a high rate of chlamydia where I am because it is a small community, so when it comes to buying contraceptives, people feel embarrassed that someone will see them or inform their parents. I recently had a chlamydia patient who was only fourteen years old, so I felt I needed to do something about this. As a result, I’m now arranging to make voluntary visits to local schools and give talks on this subject.
I also take time to make sure I’m looking after my own wellbeing too, as I’ve seen too many of my colleagues burn-out which means they simply cannot operate at the level required to give the best care to their patients. Like all doctors I’ve been there, but I make sure I never work more than six days in a row anymore and always make time to enjoy being with my husband at the weekend.
The final thing I always say to GPs looking to get work in a DWS area is this: being a GP is different from being a hospital doctor. There is a need for continuity of care, so what you do and how you interact with your patients can serve you well for many years.
And remember, there is no better blessing than helping people and servicing your community, so love what you do – you’re exceptional.
Top tips for new doctors in Australia
When Dr. Mahalekshmi Selvanathan’s post about the dos and don’ts of being a new GP garnered a lot of attention in a Facebook group for new doctors, Medworld decided to catch up with her to find out what her top tips were.
“My advice is simple,” Dr. Maha says.
Here’s a round-up of her top tips for new General Practitioners starting out in Australia:
1. Join the RACGP
You’ll gain access to seminars and workshops; make sure you do item number 4001 – on Pregnancy advice and support. This will equip you to do antenatal shared care and pregnancy support, which is essential in any community GP practice.
2. Undertake training in mental health
Around five out ten patients will have issues surrounding mental health. Screen all patients for signs of depression – you’ll be surprised.
In a city, it’s easier to refer cases to specialists; this is not so practical in a rural environment. Taking a course in mental health will help you confidently treat your patients when they need help.
3. Be aware of drug seekers
Learn how to recognise drug seekers – they’ll know that you are new to the area and they’ll often arrive at end of your working day when you’re tired and ask for specific drugs. You’ll be surprised to what extent someone can fake a disease. Do not prescribe addictive drugs to patients you’ve only met a couple of times. Call the MediCare Helpline if you are ever in doubt over someone’s behaviour – they will likely have further information.
4. Get the John Murtagh Patient Education Book
Remember that you’re a doctor, not God! You can’t know everything, so don’t be shy to tell your patient that you don’t know. Open the John Murtagh book (or use the desktop app) in front of your patient and involve them in the process, or tell them you’d like to confer with a mentor. Most patients are happy with your honesty – the worst general practitioners pretend that they know everything!
5. Become friends with specialists
…especially those who work in your area. Tell them you’re new to the area and will be referring patients to them and potentially asking them for help.
6. Call your patients
You’ll get a letter when one of your patients is admitted to hospital; give them a call and ask how they are.
7. Get a Copy of the Therapeutic Guidelines and Australian Medicines Handbook
These will set you back a few dollars, but they are a brilliant investment – you can’t go wrong and they’re worth every cent!
8. Family planning courses
Particularly if you’re a female GP, take a Family Planning course. You’ll use these skills on a daily basis; it’ll teach you how to deal with a wide variety of situations.
9. Do a skin course
It’s a common problem in Australia – learn to identify moles, learn to cut out moles, keep learning, save lives!
10. Do what you do best
It’s not hard to get patients – just do what you do best, be a good doctor. Laugh with your patients and connect with them – understand their pain and frustration. Remember you’re the first line of care and you can make a huge difference to someone.
Practice QUALITY over QUANTITY. Take your time with your patients and don’t speed up conversations. Some patients just want to talk; be natural, share and talk with them, there may be an underlying reason why they visit you often with small complaints.
Have goals and provide a service to your community BUT don’t forget to take care of yourself too!
Sit back and enjoy your job. There is no better blessing than loving what you do.
"There is no better blessing than loving what you do."
This article was initially published in 2016
