100 | Dr. Ralston D'Souza on autism, carer burnout & rural hospital medicine

Dr. Ralston D’Souza graduated from the University of Auckland and is currently dual training in rural hospital medicine and general practice. He's passionate about being a voice to the voiceless having grown up with his autistic brother and currently advocates for his colleagues through his roles with the NZRDA and RNZCGP Registrars' Chapter. While most of his whanau are still based in Auckland, he currently lives in Taupō with his wife.

In this episode, we discuss his journey into dual training for GP and rural hospital medicine. We discuss the evolution of his choices and his family circumstances around caregiving for his brother with autism, and unpack the models of funding, lack of support, and challenges surrounding caregiving, particularly as a medical relative. Dr. D'Souza talks about the pros and cons of rural hospital training, its flexibilities, and his advice for prospective applicants. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Ralston D'Souza (Compiled)
• 1:28 Finding medicine
• 6:12 Finding rural hospital medicine
• 9:52 Rotations prior to rural hospital medicine
• 13:28 Timing for applying to rural hospital medicine
• 17:25 Flexibility of rural hospital medicine
• 24:57 Working across Australiasia (ACRRM vs RNZCGP)
• 28:42 Dual training
• 37:10 Choosing GP - growing up in a family with autism
• 47:24 Carer burnout