Dr Michael Clements
A journey from the defence force to rural medicine
We speak with Dr Michael Clements about the meaning of serving in the Australian Defence Force, and the lessons he learned that he still uses today as a rural doctor.
Dr Michael Clements is a rural doctor who wears many hats – he is a rural GP, a pilot, a Board member, an advocate and he specialises in supporting ex-service personnel and families of serving members.
He has had a fulfilling career in service to others, from his time in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) all the way through to his current commitments as a GP in Townsville, as well as Vice President and Rural Chair of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Board.
To better reflect on the true spirit of what it means to serve, we asked Michael a few questions.
Tell us about your military service
My military service started when I got accepted into medicine at Sydney University. I took my letter of acceptance into the medical program to Defence Force recruiting. I was looking to mix adventure with my medical studies. I had always been interested in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), perhaps as a pilot first. But, later in life as I chose medicine, I realised I wanted to serve the country. I wanted to use my medical skills here and abroad in support of the humanitarian work we Australians were well known for at the time. I had a fantastic career, and I stayed well beyond my minimum term. I got to experience living and working in Sydney during training, officer training in Melbourne and a three-year posting to Katherine in the Northern Territory. From there I went on several overseas missions and was deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Slipper. I completed several aeromedical retrievals. I got to fly in the back of most of the aircraft, including the F 18 Hornet, which was a career highlight. I was honoured to be selected as an exchange officer to the UK for a year. This was a fantastic year of experience, learning advanced aviation medicine side-by-side with UK doctors and other international doctors. I was able to take my family with me and we had a wonderful adventure. On my return to Australia, I settled in Townsville. I enjoyed leadership and management roles within RAAF that developed my management professional skills. A highlight was leading my team through the preparations for Cyclone Yasi and planning for tasks once the cyclone passed. From Townsville I was still able to participate in overseas missions in retrieval. I had a stimulating and satisfying career, however the toll on the family continued to escalate with my absences.
How did your military service shape your interest in supporting ex-service personnel and families of serving members?
I reached the point where it was the right time for me to transition to the Reserves. I settled as a GP manager in Townsville. I decided to open a general practice, which today is a total of three practices. I always planned to focus on providing support to veterans and serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) families. There is something special about being an ADF member with like-minded men and women who wish to use their skills to serve their community. ADF members display a willingness to respond to a community in need here and abroad at short notice, and at times in risky scenarios. This comradery, friendship, vision and purpose is hard to describe. It’s a feeling shared by all of those who have put the uniform on. It didn’t take long after I opened my practice to realise we were meeting important needs of the veteran community. The needs of veterans are unique. There are often immense amounts of paperwork, complexities about the discharge process and compensation. There is also the need to understand the journeys some of these people have been on. These journeys may include deployments, exercises, absences from families, injuries and mental health stress. There is a lot of stereotyping that goes on with veterans, most of which is unfair. Each veteran has their own unique story and journey. In the case of medical discharges, which form a large part of my work, there is an emotional burden that comes with being discharged from a job you love and gave everything you could to.
I still find myself drawn to the motto: ‘care where needed’.
What does your service mean to you?
I reflect on my positive experiences of being in the military. I felt valued. I felt I contributed to the community good and the health and welfare of troops in my care. I also reflect on the positive relationships I formed. What will always stick with me is the many stories, nights, events and exercises I shared with my colleagues. I often reflect on the sacrifice many of our colleagues made. The sacrifice of others might have been the ultimate sacrifice, their life. It might have been their mental or physical health, absence from family and missing many birthdays, sporting events and school recitals while they were serving their country. Every single Defence Force member who puts the uniform on signs a contract saying they will do what is asked of them, when it is asked of them. We each had our own journey while doing that.
What values and lessons did you take from the ADF into your work in rural health?
One of the things I enjoyed the most about my ADF time was working with a group of like-minded and highly motivated individuals that wanted to do the best that we could.
The motto of one of the squadrons I was with was ‘care where needed’. This really resonated with me as a worthy mission, to use all the skills and resources we had to deliver healthcare in any part of the world, in any environment.
This aligns the values I see from many of our remote and rural practitioners. It aligns with my commitment to use my skills to develop and support our remote and rural health workforce.
Tell us about your current work in service to others
I still find myself drawn to the motto: ‘care where needed’.
I find myself attracted to roles, tasks, committees and groups where I feel I can contribute meaningfully to health outcomes, whether that be face-to-face with a patient, in a zoom meeting discussing the workforce, or in Parliament House talking to politicians.
For me, this means continuing to work as a private practice owner, building my team to serve my local and remote communities that we run outreach clinics to.
Veteran’s health remains a core part of my clinical work as I help newly discharged veterans navigate the civilian health system and integrate back into a normal life.
I continue to work for Queensland Health with the Rural Generalist Pathway where I try to use my experience and skills to guide and mentor junior doctors through the exploration of their own careers, hopefully guiding them towards where we need them in remote and rural communities.
I serve on the RACGP Board as Vice President and Rural Chair in an effort to ensure at the highest level in the college we continue to advocate for high quality general practice care for all of our communities but in particular on the workforce and community needs of our remote and rural regions.
It has been a while since I have put the uniform on but I do remain a Specialist Reservist with the RAAF and I hope to do some more time in uniform when things settle down.
Tell us about your work in veteran health
The definition of a ‘veteran’ has changed over the years. It now refers to any person who has experience in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and it does not require a period of overseas or warlike service.
It is a term used to reflect people who have given themselves to join a group of like-minded people, to serve the Australian community and do whatever is asked of them in any part of the world, even if there is danger.
We know that all veterans have been placed at risk of both physical and psychological harm throughout their training and career, regardless of the kind of deployment and experience. This means that they leave their role in Defence with a set of risk factors for physical and mental health diseases that require additional clinical attention.
Australia has emerged from one of the longest conflicts in our history with thousands of veterans who may carry with them memories or scars of their service. It is important we have the right systems in place to ensure they receive appropriate general practice care.
Each veteran comes to you with their own military experience. To be a good general practitioner for my patients, I can bring my own ADF experience into the consult room. I help them navigate their new civilian life and to hopefully reflect on their time in the ADF in a positive manner. I have some understanding of the joys and hardships of military service. Sometimes I look after people now that I deployed with many years ago. For me, the most important part of looking after veterans is to give them a safe place to be themselves. I provide a place to not be stereotyped or judged based on their injuries, mental health, career or deployment experience.
What does ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day mean to you?
It is an important time to pause and reflect on military service for my patients, my family, for myself, but also for all of those who came before us.
When I think about the original ANZACs and those who served in the Boer War, I know that the sense of purpose and commitment to Australian values was there as I saw it in those I served with, and still see it in our current military and veteran population.
It’s a time where we don’t celebrate the act of war itself, but focus on the individuals who have committed themselves, their time, their bodies, their minds and their families to the service of the Australian people.
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