‘Not that terrifying’: Pitcairn GP post has solitary appeal

+Summer Hiatus
In print
Cover Story

‘Not that terrifying’: Pitcairn GP post has solitary appeal

Patrice
Dougan
14 August cover Pitcairn no text
Pitcairn Island has all the usual tropical trappings – coconuts, bananas and mangoes – but no sandy beaches

We are on our summer break and the editorial office is closed until 13 January. In the meantime, please enjoy our Summer Hiatus series, in which our journalists curate an eclectic mix from our news and clinical archives throughout the year, The Conversation and other publications we share content with. Please note the comment function has been turned off while we are away. Happy reading!

This article was first published online on 16 August.

From Patrice: This story took months to get over the line – who knew getting someone who works on a remote island, thousands of kilometres away from the nearest hospital, on the phone would be difficult. But it wasn’t just getting through to the clinic, there were the layers of Government officials to get hold of before I could be given permission to speak to someone about what life is like for a GP working on the remote Pitcairn Islands. Adverts for the role make frequent appearances in New Zealand, so if you’ve ever wondered what taking up the post might be like, read on

Isolation isn’t daunting from my point of view, but I think it does make it interesting A two-day boat trip to the nearest airport and four days