u/Lydnhurst_park

I’m a UK GP about to start working in Australia, and I’m hoping there are some GPs here who could give me a bit of insight into what to expect from Australian patients.

For those of you working in Australian general practice, is there anything about the patients, their expectations, communication styles, common presentations or attitudes towards GPs that you think would be useful for a UK GP to know before starting? Anything that surprised you or took a bit of getting used to?

I’d really appreciate any advice on what to expect or anything you wish you’d known before starting.

I appreciate this is a UK GP forum, but I know there are a few former UK GPs on here who have made the move to Australia, so I’m hoping someone might be able to offer some advice! I’m a UK GP about to start working in Australia and would be really interested to hear from anyone who has made the same transition.

How different did you find the patient population and expectations around consultations compared with the UK? Are there particular differences in presentations, health beliefs, communication styles, or patient expectations that caught you off guard?

Is there anything you wish you’d prepared for before starting? Any tips, anecdotes or general advice would be hugely appreciated — especially from anyone who has made the UK → Australia transition.

Edit: work location is south Melbourne 🙂