Callum Jones and Shumi Jonhera (second from left) are the first to come through a pharmacy internship program.(Supplied: NWHHS)
Callum Jones has been a city kid all his life, but a four-week internship in remote outback Queensland during his studies inspired him to make a different kind of tree change when it was time to start his career.
It turned out to be probably the best choice that I've made in my life so far, he said.
Callum Jones (left) graduated from UQ with friend Samuel Birchall last year.(Supplied: Callum Jones)
After graduating with a degree in pharmacy, the 22-year-old packed up his car and drove 2,000 kilometres away from friends and family to take up a role as a pharmacist at the Mount Isa Hospital — the same town where he did his rural placement.
Leaving your home town in your 20s is really a life hack, he said.
If I was still in the city, there'd be rent that I'd have to be paying for, sitting in traffic for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.
Financially, it's a huge head start.
The shorter commute has also given him the spare time to begin his Master of Pharmacy degree.
I don't think I'd be able to do that if I was back at home, purely because of the time that you lose, he said.
The work itself is much the same, [but] the culture within the hospital, the people, obviously, it's a smaller town, everyone's a lot closer.
Callum Jones regularly takes advantage of the water sports Mount Isa has to offer.(Supplied: Callum Jones)
He is not alone.
Occupational therapist Alex McDonnell has a similar story.
Growing up in Goondiwindi and studying on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, she found herself at the Mount Isa Hospital for placement in 2023.
Everyone's very open and happy to help, she said.
Just that sort of stereotypical, friendly country people.
Alex McDonnell moved to the outback a year ago.(Supplied: Alex McDonnell)
Although having grown up in a small town, the outback is much more remote than she was used to.
In Mount Isa you are in the middle of nowhere, you don't have the opportunity to just drive a couple hours up the road to a bigger town, she said.
Ms McDonnell thinks the trade-off is worth it, and when it came time to graduate she applied to return to the mining city.
Alex McDonnell and her peers at a community event in Mount Isa.(Supplied: Alex McDonnell)
I have found the cost of living out here, compared to the Sunny Coast … a lot cheaper, she said.
Instead of paying $400 or $500 for a 1-2 bedroom unit you're paying that for a house that has a yard.
'You can't be what you can't see'
University of Queensland Professor Bruce Chater has been an advocate for rural medicine for decades.
He worked as a GP in the rural town of Theodore for 40 years.
We know that small, rural towns are struggling to get the next generation of doctors, he said.
Professor Chater and his colleagues recently tracked student intent to practice medicine in a rural area post-graduation.
The study found that prior to COVID-19 student intent to practice in rural areas increased to 75 per cent after completing a rural industry placement.
During the pandemic, when students could not travel to rural areas during their study, that dropped to 25 per cent.
We must have students live and learn in rural areas, Professor Chater said.
If you don't do that, you don't inspire them. It's the old 'you cannot be what you cannot see'.
Kylie Bower is the clinical lead for occupational therapy at the James Cook University's Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Mount Isa where she is a clinical educator for allied health students completing their remote placements.
Kylie Bowers celebrated OT Week last year with current and former students.(ABC North West Qld: Maddie Nixon)
The campus hosts students from across the country, training them to deliver allied health services in the outback.
Ms Bower said gaining professional experience prior to graduation was a win-win situation.
Students get a quality experience, the community gets a free health service, and if there's a good fit, then the community gets to recruit those students, she said.
'Nothing on Isa'
Rory Busch's family are third-generation outback Queenslanders.
With limited opportunities to study in Mount Isa, the 29-year-old moved to Townsville to finish his degree in occupational therapy at James Cook University.
Rory Busch is glad to be back home in Mount Isa.(Supplied: Rory Busch)
When he graduated he moved to Brisbane, but after a decade away returned home.
No matter who you run into in this job, someone will know your family, someone will know your story, it just makes the connections a little bit more special, he said.
I've done a bit of travel around the state, but it has nothing on Mount Isa.
Callum Jones has found it easy to make friends in the outback.(Supplied: Callum Jones)
Country convert Callum Jones agreed, admitting that although he was saving money on rent he resisted not spending it all on the social activities the outback had to offer.
There's trivia through the week, you can go do pottery, there's a lake which you can stand up paddleboard on, you can boat, you can wakeboard, you can ski, he said.
And if camping is something that's up your alley you can drive pretty much two to four hours anywhere out of town and there's, like, the most beautiful campsite you've ever seen.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-13/cheaper-rent-work-life-balance-young-professionals-head-outback/104923136
