Broome resident is Doctor of the Year

Broome Hospital has continued its winning streak with its resident Doctor Nicholas Gilbert being named WA Junior Doctor of the Year 2015.

This is the second year the hospital has won such an award as well as having the 2014 WA Nurse of the Year.

Dr Gilbert received his award at a ceremony in Darwin recently from the Post Graduate Medical Education Unit of WA for the most significant contribution to the medical workforce by a junior doctor.

The award recognised Dr Gilbert’s strong interest in Aboriginal health and his role as a patient advocate.

He is considered to be a role model by championing the patient experience in every interaction with his Aboriginal patients and their carers.

Dr Gilbert originally came to Broome in 2011 as a medical student with the Rural Clinical School and returned in 2014 for five months as part of his internship.

“I was delighted to receive the award, Broome is a great place to work and live,” he said.

“As a doctor I am given much more responsibility that in a big city hospital and I also see a greater range of patients,” he said.

“I would recommend coming to Broome to any young doctor, it is really great being part of a small community.”

Dr Gilbert grew up on a small farm in Mt Barker and was obsessed with roads and wanted to be a grader truck driver.

However, he changed to medicine and his long term career plan is to become a community physician, or an infectious diseases physician in northern Australia.

Dr Gilbert is currently developing an admission checklist to improve the emergency department to hospital ward communication. His next project will be the development of a smart phone application to aid in orientation of junior doctors at Broome Hospital.

Bec Smith, regional director WA Country Health Service—Kimberley, congratulated Dr Gilbert on his award.

“Having another junior doctor of the year, along with nurse of the year shows the high calibre of staff we have working in the Kimberley,” Ms Smith said.