Emergency Medicine Network 3

Why Coffs Harbour Hospital?

Coffs Harbour is the hub of the spectacular Mid North Coast, geographically located midway between Sydney and Brisbane with a population in excess of 73,000 and a catchment of over 100,000. To the north and south of Coffs Harbour are endless beaches and the Solitary Islands Marine Park lies adjacent to the harbour. The area is flanked to the west by World Heritage rain forests and National Parks of the Dorrigo plateau and the Bellinger Valley. This is one of two places on the east coast of Australia, where the mountains meet the sea. Our town is well connected with flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle. The town is known for its' relaxed lifestyle, surfing beaches, hiking, camping, mountain biking and wonderful local produce.

The Coffs Harbour Health Campus (CHHC) is a 230 bed busy regional referral centre which offers critical care (10 bed ICU), interventional radiology, general medical and surgical, interventional cardiology, obstetric, paediatric and mental health services. CHHC is part of the Mid North Coast Local Health District and is the receiving hospital for the smaller Macksville Hospital, Bellingen Hospital and Dorrigo Hospital. Construction is underway for a new hospital.

The Emergency Department is the largest between Newcastle and the Tweed Coast with an annual census in excess of 40,000 presentations (25% of which are Paediatrics). The Department has a 35% admission rate with 9.2 FTE FACEMs. Coffs Harbour Health Campus is the busiest regional trauma centre in NSW and its ED boasts supportive FACEM supervision 16 hours per day, 7 days a week. We have access to onsite MRI, 24h CT and ultrasound services.  The ED has a 10 bed EMU and a purpose built Fast Track area. We experience a fantastic case mix including trauma (road, surfing injuries), stroke, snake bites within an increasingly diverse population. After work, there is plenty of time to relax afterwards as there is no traffic and minimal commute times.

Coffs Harbour Health Campus offers Australasian College of Emergency Medicine Training opportunities which include:

• 12 months ACEM accredited advanced training
• Approved for paediatric log book
• Rotations through Anaesthetics, ICU, Cardiology,Psychiatry and a Rural Special Skills Term
• Weekly protected teaching time with SIM, Primary and Fellowship Exam Preparation
• Well established, high quality Simulation centre
• Rural Salary Loading and Housing Allowance (rent-free 3 months) for rotating trainees
• Associated with UNSW Medical School which has an onsite campus.

For further information, please contact:
Dr Alan Tankel    
Director of Emergency Medicine              
Ph: (02) 6656 7428 | F: (02) 6656 7414
alan.tankel@health.nsw.gov.au