Wambo Medical is a truly beautiful little country practice with friendly and caring doctors and support staff
The practice consists of a large waiting room, nine consulting rooms, on-site pathology, two treatment room areas and a kids play area equipped with a play panel and plasma TV
The practice is warm, bright and airy with little patient benches outside the medical centre as well to take in the pretty gardens and flowers.
MBBS, FACRRM
Wambo Medical was established by the founder and owner of the practice Dr Luke Dwyer, according to simple, guiding principles that underpin the philosophy of the practice.
These principles involve providing and maintaining top-quality care for the people in the community in a way they feel comfortable.
Dr Luke Dwyer is the Medical Superintendent with Private Practice at Jandowae Hospital and a General Practitioner at The Wambo Medical Practice.
He attained his Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) fellowship in 2014 with advanced skill in emergency medicine.
Working across both primary and acute care settings means Luke can provide continuity of care for his patients when they really need him.
“Most of my patients can see me as a GP and if they come to me after hours with an acute care issue, I know them, I understand what’s important to them, and it helps me work out the best course of action.”
Luke credits his Rural Generalist training for providing him with the skills to operate independently, safely and competently to address whatever comes through the door.
Undertaking training in rural communities has also been invaluable in helping him provide optimum care for his patients.
Dr Dwyer has taken a big step by investing in new facilities to train the next generation of Rural Generalists and provide much-needed services in the Jandowae community. The practice is slated to be a medical education and training hub that reflects Dr Dwyer’s values of community-based workforce development and continuity.
His leadership skills and experience as Medical Superintendent of Jandowae Hospital have placed him in good stead for owning and operating his new practice.
Luke is passionate about helping emerging Rural Generalists navigate their own journey and design their own careers.
“That’s what I want; a place to provide training for medical students and Rural Generalists so they can take care of my family and me in my old age. It’s a big but important step in ensuring continuity and to have a place for people to work when they come out here.”
As the Medical Superintendent, Dr Luke has the right of private practice at the Jandowae hospital, where his role is largely in emergency medicine, acute care and palliative care.
He also visits the Taralga Retirement Village, a 22 bed aged care facility weekly or as required.
Doctors are also on an on-call roster for 24/7 for the Jandowae Hospital and are relieved by rotating doctors from the Toowoomba Base Hospital, and at times senior locum doctors.
BPharm, MBBS
Dr Kim Huynh is a passionate advocate for rural medicine and plays an important role in supporting rural registrars during their GP training.
As a junior doctor in Toowoomba, he came to Jandowae to do some relieving work. That’s when he really experienced country life and fell in love with rural medicine.
He is noted for saying that, now he has experienced country life, he will never move back to the city.
Dr Kim Huynh has spent a number of years traversing across a large section of the east coast of Australia.
“I grew up in Sydney and did my primary school years there. We then moved up to Brisbane where I went to high school and then the University of Queensland (UQ),” .
At UQ, Kim studied for a pharmacy degree and upon completion, started working in the field. It was then he realised the medical knowledge he’d accumulated put him in a great position to study medicine. And that’s exactly what Kim did, opting to first finish off his year training as a pharmacist and getting registered, before making the trek down the coast to Victoria to study.
“I did my medical degree at Deakin University, while also working at Geelong Hospital. I was attracted to Deakin as it was opened specifically to train rural and regional doctors, and I knew that was an area I wanted to work in,” he explains.
“After four years in Victoria, I’d had enough of the cold and also really missed my family back in Brisbane. Then Queensland Health called me about an intern position that had just opened up at Toowoomba Hospital. So I said yes and moved back to Queensland, where it’s thankfully much warmer!”
BA (Phil) MBBS FRACGP-RG
Dr Tanvir was born in Kenya, studied physics and philosophy in California, and moved to Australia over ten years ago, where he attended medical school at the University of Sydney.
He undertook speciality training in emergency medicine and intensive care before committing to a career in rural generalism after driving over 39,000km to explore as much of Australia as possible, working in places like Broken Hill, East Gippsland, and the Northern Territory. He settled on Jandowae because he believes in the mission of Wambo Medical Centre – to provide healthcare for rural people.
Dr Tanvir is the Medical Superintendent of Jandowae Hospital, where he is also a Senior Medical Officer. He’s been nominated to teach both Adult and Paediatric Advanced Life Support through the Australian Resuscitation Council. He is a Senior Lecturer of Medicine at Griffith University and a Local Medical Educator for the Royal Australian College of General Practice.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practice and a qualified Rural Generalist with advanced training in Adult Internal Medicine, the study of complex medical diseases. He has a particular interest in the prevention and treatment of heart disease.
MBBS, FRACGP
Dr Michael Mrozinski graduated in medicine from the University of Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and a vocationally registered doctor.
Dr Mike is originally from Scotland and has practised time in Melbourne, where he’s already accomplished so much in his early career.
He’s an accredited Skin Cancer Doctor, former team doctor for the Scottish football team, and has advanced training in emergency medicine as a rural generalist.
MBBS
Dr Greg was born in Warwick, started his medical training in Toowoomba, and undertook specialty physician training at Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Mater in Brisbane.
His medical research has been published internationally in journals like JAMA Neurology, and he loves to teach medical students.
He has a particular interest in cancer and palliative care.
The doctors are supported by a nursing and reception team.
There are usually two nurses on per day who assist with chronic disease management, health assessments and various clinics.
There are also two receptionists and and a remote practice management team who assist with all administration and strategic management.
All staff meet for morning tea between 10.30am and 11.15 am each morning whilst phones are switched over to give the staff an opportunity to bond, drink coffee and eat cakes.
Are there are any medical centres left in Australia that do this?
Nicky Jardine provides telemedicine management working with the doctors and support staff of Wambo Medical.
She is a multi-award winner in leadership and management, working with some of the best medical centres in Australia.
For over a decade Nicky has directed her own business and lead the way in Telemedicine through her virtual practice management services over the last decade.
Whether rural or urban, single owners or several partners in a practice, Nicky Jardine helps doctors own profitable medical centres through creativity, innovation and technology.
Nicky has also managed and assisted medical centres in achieving awards such as the RACGP Practice of the Year.
