Rural Allowance: No
Doctors Quarters:
- Clean and nice and close to hospital but overpriced for what you get in comparison to other places. Single DQs are fairly small, but the married couple units are great.
- Expensive compared to others.
- Pricey – R4000 per month, but you save far more than that on fuel as you stay across the road and don’t need to drive for anything except groceries down the road.
- bachelor flat across from the hospital, well kept.
- Super convenient. Across the road from the hospital. Fairly pricey.
Academics:
- Incredible consultants. Willing to teach any time however no focused academic time. Everything is done according to protocols and newest guidelines, so in that sense very academic but no one tries to ever quiz you. You part of the team like everyone else.
- Great teaching, Linked with UCT.
- Some academic meetings, but focus much more on learning on your feet.
Supervision:
- Protocol driven and Evidence based medicine.
- Lovely consultants and MOs. Although not always on site – they are always a phone call away and willing to help with anything.
- Consultants are very approachable and eager to help.
- You are expected to perform at the level of a MO in most departments, but help always available. The sisters are immensely skilled and will teach you and guide you when you feel overwhelmed or alone.
Clinical Exposure:
- Busy pressurised hospital, so often good clinical skills are rather done be seniors due to time pressure. However, if you show interest you can do plenty and people are always willing to teach you.
- It’s a secondary hospital but it’s so far from the tertiary hospitals that some cases cannot be referred due to logistics thus the exposure is very broad. You also get 6 months at a district hospital which provides invaluable insight into the referral pathway and resources available to the smallest of centers.
- Couldn’t ask for better clinical exposure, you walk out of each department independently competent.
Social Scene:
- Hospital team is really lovely and supportive, however Covid has possibly taken away the spontaneous social aspect of the hospital. Small town, so often difficult to meet other people outside of the hospital. Perhaps easier to be here with a partner.
- It depends what you enjoy as fun, lots of outdoor activities.
Additional Comments:
- Very high in demand for a reason. But if you do not like to work hard, do not apply for George!!
- Would recommend George any day! You work hard but the team is wonderful and the environment outside of work is bliss. Would really recommend if you enjoy being outside, running, cycling etc. Felt prepared and competent for Comserve.
- You really couldn’t ask for a better place to do your internship. The only down side is that George is far away from Cape Town/Johannesburg but the surrounding countryside easily distracts you from any sort of homesickness.
- Best 2 years of my medical career, even though quite tough with a very steep learning curve – would choose it 100 times over.
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