Dr Michael (Mick) Reinke is a rural generalist with an advanced skill in obstetrics. He has worked as a senior medical officer at Bowen Hospital since 2013. Mick also provides general practice to the Giradula medical clinic. More recently Mick has been applying his expertise in obstetrics in the cape at Weipa’s new birthing service and Cooktown. Mick pursued medicine as a mature age medical student and finds living and working in small rural communities very fulfilling.
Mick joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an apprentice and spent many years at different locations around the world. ‘I left school when I turned 16 and joined the Air Force as an apprentice Radio Technician. I served for 27 years and had postings around Australia and overseas in Malaysia, Canada, and the USA. Initially I worked on the Mirage fighter as a radio technician, then on the F/A-18 Hornet that replaced the Mirage.’
Mick worked as an engineer at the aircraft research and development unit. He later did software development and integration of new systems onto the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft in Australia and the USA.
Mick’s career took a change of direction after becoming a father. He decided to pursue medicine with the intention of becoming a rural doctor. ‘At the time I served, the Air Force had a compulsory retirement age of 55, and when I became a father in my early forties, it started to look pretty close. For most of my RAAF career I lived in very small communities and really liked the “vibe”. Considering my future career options, it didn’t seem like there were many jobs for aircraft electronic systems integration specialists in our smaller communities, and certainly at the time, there were not that many in the cities either. It became clear I needed further training to be employable. A friend asked if I could go back in time to choose another career what would I do? I had some friends who were military doctors and appeared to really enjoy their work and were employable anywhere – so there was my answer.’
Mick studied medicine at the University of Queensland. He was ‘lucky enough’ to get a rural placement with Dr Michael Rice in Beaudesert. Dr Rice pointed him in the right direction for a career in rural generalism. ‘I could see that our rural communities needed doctors with obstetrics skills and in my obstetrics rotation at Ipswich Hospital, I found a quite supportive and inspirational team.’
However, Mick’s path to obstetrics was not easy. ‘I did have a bit of a problem working with blood early on. There were not many caesarean sections that I sat in on where I didn’t feel faint. My end of term assessment with the director was a bit challenging. The feedback suggested that while I appeared very keen and knowledgeable, I should perhaps consider a non-surgical field.’
Mick soon realised being the surgeon is quite different to being an observer in an operation. ‘While observing, all I seemed to see was the bleeding and thinking that is a lot of blood. However, as the surgeon, I was more focussed on the task I was performing than on the amount of blood. And, if I didn’t like the amount of bleeding, I could deal with it before I moved on.’
Mick’s decision to choose obstetrics has proven to be an invaluable skill and very fulfilling. ‘After spending many years in the emergency department and dealing with trauma and bleeding, I know that my time doing obstetrics solved my fear of bleeding and gave me the skills and confidence to explore wounds and control bleeding in trauma. Obstetrics is a very rewarding area to work. Much of our work in general practice or in emergency deals with people who are acutely unwell or living with chronic disease. In obstetrics, we deal with people in the happiest time of their lives. Mothers and fathers remember everything about the day their children were born, and it is a privilege to be involved in such a significant part of someone’s life.’
Mick may now share his time across multiple locations, but he enjoys the flexibility his current mix of practice offers. ‘Now that my kids have grown up and have moved from Bowen, I have sought a more flexible role. I can use my obstetrics skills, help support the maintenance of our rural birthing facilities and still be available for my kids. I still work to support the antenatal clinic at Bowen Hospital. I am also doing some general practice in Bowen supporting the more vulnerable in our community by working in the Giradula – Making Tracks - medical clinic, with some rural relieving work at locations such as Weipa and Cooktown.’
If Mick’s past is any indication of his future, his journey in rural generalism has much more in store.
‘If I was asked at the age of 16 when I joined the Air Force what my future looks like, I am pretty sure that I would not map out anything like the path I have followed. Throughout my life, I had a desire to continue to learn, study and gain new skills. This desire opened new doors and pathways that were not obvious to me even a few years before. I had to be flexible and adjust my plans as opportunities presented. I would like to continue to work with my current mix of jobs at the moment, but will not close the door on opportunities in the future.’