Making a difference with the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Dr Ida Khosraviani developed an interest in working in rural and remote communities when she volunteered with the Kimberley Dental Team as a student. So when she was told about the opportunity to work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, she jumped at the chance.

“I did not know the Royal Flying Doctor Service had a dental division until I met someone working for them,” Ida recalls. “As soon as I found out I applied, and I started working with the RFDS in August.”

Ida’s first trip was to Wiluna, 947 kilometres northeast of Perth.

“You are sent with a nurse and all your costs including car, accommodation and meals for the week are covered,” Ida says.

“I was working at Ngangganawili Aboriginal Health Service in an Allied Health setting, alongside a GP, Pharmacist, and child health nurse, amongst others. “Due to COVID they hadn’t had a dentist there since the start of the year. We were told by staff that one of the most common presenting complaints at the medical centre was toothache. 

“Working for RFDS is not just about dentistry, it is also about supporting the community,” she adds. “We would go to the local café run by students at the school for coffee on Tuesday and Thursdays, which provided a great opportunity to build connections with the locals and the staff.”

Ida says most of the treatment provided was emergency work. “There were patients in pain, due to not having access to a dentist for so long,” she says. “It was mostly extractions. We were mainly treating Indigenous Australians. It is quite different to working in private practice, as many of the patients had complex medical needs, so there was a lot more to consider.”

Ida’s second trip was to Broome, with a third planned for Halls Creek.“The thing I love about this work is it is so different to what you would normally do,” she says. “You get to go places you may have never been before and treat patients in great need of treatment. This work is meaningful because you really feel like you are making a difference, and the new environments and challenges allow for richer experiences and opportunities for growth.”

Ida adds she is able to work for RFDS while still maintaining a full-time job in private practice in Perth. “My workplace is very supportive of my involvement with RFDS and allow time off to work for RFDS,” she says. “RFDS is accommodating around other work you have, and it is up to you how many trips you can commit to a year.”

Dentists interested in applying for positions with RFDS should go to the website, flyingdoctor.org.au/careers/region/wa 

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