Relocation information for health professionals

Testimonials

Scores of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals have made Coffs Harbour their home over the years and are enjoying a fullfilling career and a great work/life balance.

Below, some of them explain in their own words how they have experienced their move to Coffs Harbour and their job in the Coffs Coast medical and health care sector.

Skip to: Radiation Oncologist / Registered Nurse / Physiotherapist / RN/Midwife / Haematologist

Radiation Oncologist:

Coming to Coffs Harbour from Ireland in December 2007 to finish my specialist training in radiation oncology, I have found it a privilege to work in such a technologically advanced area and in a new cancer centre. The recruitment process from overseas went smoothly and I found the support from the administration staff of the hospital very helpful.

I'm very lucky to be able to take part in all of the accredited teaching activities here and presenting research that I've done here nationally and internationally.

General practitioners in this area are very supportive, there's a good relationship between specialists within the hospital and referring general practitioners, which gives good continuity of care for patients, more so than in urban centres.

My family and I enjoy the beaches and shopping in Coffs Harbour and we've been really impressed with the way the community has taken us to heart. I have also been able to pursue a dream of mine and that is learning how to fly, right here in Coffs Harbour. I now have my pilot's license, and I have several other international colleagues here who are enjoying their improved work/life balance. Boating, scuba diving, flying and other great activities are all available within a few minutes' drive from work here in Coffs.

Dr Noel Aherne MD AFRCSI

Advanced Trainee in Radiation Oncology at North Coast Cancer Institute
Conjoint Lecturer at UNSW
Relocated from Ireland to Coffs Harbour in 2007

Registered Nurse:

My main concern when relocating from interstate was whether I could adapt to working in an environment much different than what I was used to. I spent most of my working life in one specialty in large city teaching hospitals in various states and overseas.

How fortunate for me that I chose to become part of the Baringa Private Hospital team. I was welcomed and given help and support by my colleagues, which made it easy to settle into the job.

There is strong leadership and all health care professionals at Baringa deliver excellent care. Teamwork and communication happens between all employees – from the Boiler Room to the Boardroom – and customer focus is a fact of life.

All this means my working days are happy and I have a great sense of fulfilment and worth.

Gillian Pollinger

Registered Nurse at Baringa Private Hospital
Relocated from Brisbane to Coffs Harbour in 2006

Physiotherapist:

I came to Coffs Harbour in late 2007 when my partner got a job here, after finishing my degree in physiotherapy at Charles Sturt University. A friend alerted me to the position at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus and I was very happy to get the job.

As a new graduate, I got to do rotations of 3 months at a time in different sections of the hospital, which is a great way to understand how the hospital works. That is probably different in large city hospitals, which have so many wards.

I really like working at the Coffs Harbour hospital, everyone is so friendly and I was made to feel very welcome. Physiotherapists in our small rehab unit are very well respected by the doctors and are really put in charge of a patient’s rehabilitation.

After living on a couple of acres in Karangi, which was great because it was a quiet rural lifestyle but still only 10 minutes from the city, we recently bought a house in Bellingen. We now enjoy living in a lively cultural centre with its cafés and festivals, while also being able to come into Coffs Harbour for the coastal lifestyle.

Jacquie Wynne

Physiotherapist - Rehab Unit at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus
Relocated from Central NSW to Coffs Harbour in 2007

Registered Nurse / Midwife / Nurse Educator:

Moving to beautiful Coffs Harbour was a goal my husband and I had been striving towards for many years following several family holidays here over previous years. The climate, people and gorgeous beaches and countryside always made it easy to keep focused on the move from the hussle and bussle of busy very cold winters in the Lower Blue Mountains.

I made a ‘sea change’ and have never looked back. The transition from stress of the daily traffic jams to a serene calm unrushed drive to work along a glorious coastline during a mild sunny day justifies the decision.

Being organised by acquiring employment at both the Coffs Harbour Health Campus and NCI TAFE prior to our move gave us security and reassurance. I was working as a midwife in Sydney as well as a nurse educator at TAFE Kingswood, and had also facilitated nursing for Charles Sturt and Sydney Universities. I sought work in Coffs Harbour by keeping an eye on NSW Health Website and contacting TAFE. I now also work for SCU in Nursing and there is so much familiarity in all these jobs despite different locations.

There are many Coffs residents that also have a story to tell on their move to Coffs from another destination. This, as well as intermingling with friendly locals, has helped make the welcome even warmer.

Michelle Pinci

Registered Nurse & Midwife at Coffs Harbour Health Campus
Nurse Educator at NCI TAFE
Relocated from the Lower Blue Mountains in 2008

Clinical & Laboratory Haematologist:

I had worked in big cities all my life, including Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne, but I don’t like big cities. When I saw Coffs Harbour, with its beautiful coast and green fields, it reminded me of home in South-East Ireland and it was somewhere I would love to move my family to.

After emailing back and forth with the hospital administration, I was offered a job as a haematologist at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus. We live in Karangi, which is only 15 minutes away from the city and the hospital but very quiet, we’re completely out in the bush, away from any neighbours. My wife and children love it here too.

Coming to Coffs was a lifestyle choice and one that I'm glad I made. It’s great to be able to work in a good hospital system, get to the beach after work in 10 minutes and still also be able to easily go to Sydney and other major cities thanks to regular flights and an airport right in town.