Dr Karyn Ashley loves feeling like she’s making a difference and working in a team which supports each other. Dr Ashley, from Southern Medical Centre at Moss Vale, is also a South Western Sydney HealthPathways Senior Clinical Editor and says she hopes the work they do at HealthPathways helps local GPs navigate our medical system.
How long have you been a GP and how long have you been practising in Moss Vale/the Southern Highlands?
I finished my GP fellowship at the end of 2018 having done my training in Sydney and started working at Southern Medical Centre in Moss Vale in early 2019.
When/why did you decide you wanted to become a GP?
I knew throughout medical school my path would lead me toward being a GP. My only exposure to medicine had been through my own local GP while growing up in Armidale. Once I had seen the hospital system, I decided early on that the somewhat cutthroat nature of many specialities wasn’t for me. I signed up for GP training as an intern knowing the flexibility of training and long-term job prospects was ideal for me. I also knew I was more interested in general medicine than focusing on only a small aspect of medicine.
What do you love most about being a GP/what part of the job gives you the most satisfaction?
I love feeling like what I do is making a difference. Even in the smallest of ways. It might just be reassuring a new mother her baby’s skin rash is completely benign or dealing with the complexities of cognitively impaired patients living on their own with no family support to call on. What we do as a GP really matters. Specifically, I really enjoy antenatal care and paediatrics.
I am also very fortunate to work in a practice where we all support each other. We are all on the same page with our clinical practice, and we are aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I will often run cases past my colleagues as we all have different experiences or we may refer in-house to someone with more interest in that area, like antenatal care or skin excisions. We are also a teaching practice and always have several registrars and a medical student. This is a really important way to keep up-to-date as well as to give back to the next wave of GPs coming through.
What is the most important thing you/your practice contributes to this community?
The practice I am in was established by the practice principal’s father in 1964 and it has provided a high standard of medicine since then. We have patients coming in who were delivered as babies by the founding GP, with their babies being delivered by his son who took over the practice. Their children are now coming in pregnant themselves. It’s a great example of cross generational care.
Our practice is also very committed to looking after residents in the many nursing homes across the Southern Highlands. We try to ensure our registrars all gain experience in this area as, although it is not glamourous and in fact can be exhausting and frustrating, it is one of the most important places we can contribute to our community.
We also do a lot of drug and alcohol work which can be very complex but rewarding, and have a very strong diabetes and osteoporosis program.
There is a lot of media currently about the potential downfall of general practice due to poor federal funding and years of GP small businesses taking the financial hit to continue to provide high quality services. There also seems to be poor public and government awareness of what we actually do in general practice. The overall thought is it is a triage and referral service only.
We all know funding general practice is the most cost-effective way of keeping the population healthy and out of hospital. Despite this, government policies continue to miss the mark. At Southern Medical Centre we continue to strive to provide great care for those legitimately unable to afford it, while educating the remainder of our population about the need to contribute to their healthcare so we can continue to service our community.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My two primary school aged kids and husband keep me busy outside of work! But I am also lucky to be able to play trumpet in our local symphony orchestra and big band. I took up boxing just before COVID which I have found extremely enjoyable (therapeutic!) and have started crocheting small soft toys this year (which my children tend to steal prior to them making into my clinic office!).
Is there anything else you’d like to let your fellow primary carers know about you?
I also work for South Western Sydney HealthPathways as the Senior Clinical Editor. I have been involved with Health Pathways for about three years and enjoy the change from clinical practice. I hope the work we do at HealthPathways helps our local GPs, especially when new to an area, to navigate our medical system.
What do you love most about Moss Vale/the Southern Highlands?
I like not having to commute! Having a backyard, fresh air and minimal traffic! I don’t mind I often run into my patients at the supermarket, at the gym or at school functions. Generally, everyone is quite respectful of work boundaries.
We have a fabulous group of GPs here as well as specialists and allied health and we all work really well together. It’s nice to know the specialists you refer to socially so it’s not just a name on paper.
We are also lucky we are close enough to Sydney we can do a day trip in for a fun family day. Patients are also not worried about travelling into the city for specialist care they can’t get locally. We are also close to Canberra and Wollongong, so have so many options.
What advice do you give your patients about maintaining good health?
I really try to focus on preventative care and education where possible. I like to empower my patients by educating them about simple home remedies for their ailments like heat packs, stretching, salt water gargles, honey for cough. I emphasise the importance of quality sleep, stress reduction, limiting alcohol, regular exercise within their capabilities, and eating less overly processed foods. We see a lot of people in our practice with chronic disease so often the focus is on preventing deterioration and working on stabilising their comorbidities. I spend a lot of time talking to people about movement and strength training to prevent or improve back and neck issues as a lot of our population are unable to see a physiotherapist.
