New South Wales rural general practice from a Yank's perspective

The author, a family practice specialist from Minnesota in the United States, worked as a locum in rural New South Wales for 6 months. This provided him with the opportunity to reflect on the differences between the specialty of family practice in his home state of Minnesota and general practice in New South Wales; and to recognise that general practice in New South Wales is at a crossroads. This paper highlights the need for general practitioners (GPs) to work together and support each other, to provide quality care and to lobby both State and Commonwealth governments on the importance of broadly trained GP specialists in rural communities. To influence the future of their profession, GPs in New South Wales need to focus on quality of care and on educating themselves, their colleagues and the communities in which they work.