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During the month of Dec 2019, I completed an elective Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement in Bega, New South Wales. Bega Hospital is a small regional hospital in South Coast NSW with a catchment area extending into Victoria and north towards Bateman’s bay. The area itself is very charming. There are endless kilometers of pristine white beaches and plenty of opportunities to engage with the local farming community.

I already knew Bega well as I had spent the past year studying at the hospital; nonetheless, the elective was a satisfying blend of the new and the familiar. Because I was living close to the hospital, I had the opportunity to see some after-hours obstetric emergencies. During the day, I was in both obstetric and gynecologic clinics with the consultant OnG and his registrars.

There was always plenty of excitement. For example, I saw my first caesarean within 20 minutes on the first day. We were in clinic, and the consultant received a panicked call from maternity - the CTG of a laboring patient was deteriorating. We rushed upstairs; the baby was obstructed and the women needed a surgery emergently. A MET was called and a moment later, half the hospital came running to take the women to theatre. Less than 3 minutes later, the child was out - all before I had managed to scrub.

In clinic, I was able to take histories and examine patients and hand-over my findings. Doing so, I became more familiar with history taking in OnG and began to appreciate common OnG problems. Each week, I spent between 20- 30 hours in hospital, giving me ample time to swim, surf and enjoy the summer. Overall, I would highly recommend the placement. The staff and hospital are extremely welcoming, the learning is very valuable and the area is very beautiful.