For Dr Angela Glenn, becoming a Rural Generalist wasn’t part of the original plan.

After completing a science and genetics degree at the University of Western Australia, Angela entered the graduate medical program at Notre Dame Fremantle. At first, she imagined a future in genetics or possibly surgery.

“I never saw myself as a rural doctor,” she reflects.

That changed in her final year of medicine when she undertook a placement in Charleville with Rural Generalist Dr Chester Wilson. Over a few packed weeks, she watched him deliver babies, give anaesthetics, perform surgery, run a GP practice and support a nursing home.

Seeing one doctor seamlessly move between hospital, clinic and community care made a lasting impression. Rural generalism tucked itself “away in the back of her mind” as a real and exciting option.

Rethinking the path

After graduation, Angela pursued orthopaedics in the city. But the long hours, long commutes and the impact on lifestyle began to take a toll.

She was spending up to three hours a day in the car, often exhausted driving home after shifts. Her senior colleagues looked stressed and had little time with their families. It didn’t feel sustainable.

“I remember thinking, this is not much of a life.”

Angela decided to make a major change and applied for General Practice, this time with a clear intention to go rural. She wanted to stay hands-on, develop procedural skills, and explore anaesthetics.

A six-month placement in Geraldton – part of the entry into GP anaesthetics at the time – proved pivotal. The local team welcomed her and encouraged her to return once she had completed her anaesthetics training in Perth. She did just that, returning with her husband, who now also works at the local hospital. Geraldton has been home for more than a decade.

Discovering ACRRM and choosing REEF

Even early on, Angela was interested in pursuing dual Fellowship, but at the time ACRRM was less established in Western Australia and she chose the pathway with more local study support.

That changed when she became involved in Regional Training Hubs and started attending Rural Medicine Australia conferences.

Attending her first RMA – the joint ACRRM/RMA conference – felt like “being in a room of like-minded people”. Surrounded by doctors who understood the realities of rural hospitals, emergency departments and small-town practice, Angela recognised the alignment with her own work as a rural generalist anaesthetist and educator.

Over the years, the seed grew. After six years in Geraldton, she was eligible for ACRRM’s Rural Experienced Entry to Fellowship (REEF) pathway.

REEF offered a streamlined way to have her rural experience formally recognised and to gain FACRRM without needing to repeat exams or workplace assessments she had already effectively done in practice.

She applied through REEF a few years ago and successfully attained Fellowship, switching her college affiliation to ACRRM.

Why ACRRM makes sense for Rural Generalists

As both a practising clinician and a medical educator with the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, Angela now spends a lot of time talking to students and hospital doctors about training pathways and college choice.

Her advice is simple: choose your college based on the kind of career you want.

For those who see their future in places like Geraldton – or even more remote communities – Angela believes ACRRM offers the training and skills that rural generalists truly need. The integration of Advanced Specialised Training (AST), the strong focus on emergency, obstetrics and anaesthetics, and the ongoing support through college resources such as Tele-Derm all align with the realities of rural practice.

She also points to the sense of community and backup, even in smaller towns, where ACRRM Fellows are linked into regional centres and each other.

“If you end up quite remote, you feel like you’ve got the skills you need – and people you can call.”

A life well lived on the coast

Today, Angela’s week is deliberately varied. She spends Mondays with her young daughter, and splits the rest of her time between teaching medical students, developing rural pathways, and providing anaesthetic services at both the public hospital and the local St John of God hospital in Geraldton.

The lifestyle benefits are real. Short commutes mean more time for family, friends, sport and the gym. Living in a community where she knows her patients – and they know her – feels like a natural extension of the small-town holidays she enjoyed growing up in Busselton.

Each morning, she wakes up to an ocean view and drives to work along the coast.

“There’s something good for the soul about looking at the ocean.”

For Angela, choosing rural generalism – and later, choosing ACRRM and the REEF pathway – has allowed her to combine advanced skills, meaningful community impact and the lifestyle she and her family wanted.

Her story is a reminder that for experienced rural GPs, REEF isn’t just a pathway on paper – it’s a way to have the work you already do recognised and to step fully into the identity of Rural Generalist.