Tracy Lim has the honour of being the first Radiation Oncology Advanced Trainee to complete all her specialist training at the North Coast Cancer Institute (NCCI) in Lismore.
Tracy first came to Lismore as a locum, and it cemented her love of the radiation oncology speciality, and the Northern Rivers area.
Embarking on a five-year commitment, Tracy left Australia’s largest cancer centre in Melbourne, to move north and train under the close supervision of the experienced and supportive team in Lismore.
“Everyone looked at me funny when I first told them I was going to leave Melbourne to go to the middle of nowhere. But I’ve never once had a single regret,” Tracy said.
“The community is beautiful, the staff are wonderful, the patients are really, really nice.”
With a great mix of patients, opportunities to learn practical skills, and strong collaboration among clinicians, being in a smaller regional facility has many benefits, and Tracy credits the supportive environment as one of the main factors in her success.
“I was successful at both my exams the first go, so it shows the training is fantastic, and the supervisors are great. I worked one-on-one a lot with the consultants here who are passionate about teaching.
“The on-the-job learning that you get here is sometimes hard to get in a bigger centre. I’ve had a richer, better experience by being here in Lismore. If anything, I think the training is superior,” Tracy said.
Tracy has also been supported to take on advocacy and leadership roles, and to stay closely connected with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, serving as Chair of the Radiation Oncology Training Committee last year.
Tracy’s supervisor and head of department in Lismore, Associate Professor Patrick Dwyer said the team were thrilled to see Tracy successfully complete the training in Lismore.
“Tracy has been an asset to the department with her kind and approachable team attitude,” A/Prof Dwyer said.
“It is great to know that our training program in Northern NSW, in collaboration with the RANZCR Northern NSW Training Network, can support and facilitate trainees to become highly qualified specialists in a regional area.”
Now that Tracy has qualified as a specialist, if the chance came to stay in the area in a senior role, she would jump at it.
“If you’d have asked me five years ago if I’d work here if a consultant job came up, I would have had to think about it. But now, having lived here, it’s an easy decision. Definitely I would stay here!”
Pictured:
Assoc Prof Dr Patrick Dwyer, Dr Tracy Lim Advanced Trainee and Dr Shreya Armstrong.