Dr Hugh Pearson recently moved from Sydney to Armidale to complete his training as a specialist GP and he says he has no intention of returning to the 'big smoke'.
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He said enjoying his training at accredited GP training practice, Rusden St Medical Practice, and performing well in the final exams has reinforced his intention to work as a GP in Armidale.
"We aren't planning on moving, we've bought a house in town and my practice is happy to keep me on once I complete training," Dr Pearson said.
"I always wanted to be a GP, I'm curious about people, I find them fascinating, and I love the dynamics of a consult.
"But during my training my wife and I knew we wanted to get out of Sydney, it was just a matter of where.
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"We looked at several towns and felt like Armidale would suit us with its great climate, good mix of people and culture, and churches where we knew we would find community which would help us feel settled".
It's not just the better work-life balance that has attracted Dr Pearson, but also the clinical experience.
"I enjoy that being a GP in a smaller place means I get to see a great diversity in practice compared to a smaller homogenised pocket in Sydney.
"My patients include tradies, farmers, staff from the university, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and our local refugee population.
"The variety of people and presentations keeps it interesting."
CEO of regional GP training organisation GP Synergy, Georgina van de Water, said the local community plays an important role in helping doctors settle in and form personal networks.
"GP registrars contribute significantly to primary healthcare provision in rural areas like Armidale," Mrs van de Water said.
"Over the many years that we have been training doctors to specialise as GPs in rural communities, the consistent feedback we receive is that they find rural training a rich and rewarding learning environment.
"Collectively, and individually, we all have a role to play to encourage these doctors to stay working rurally after completing training.
"Receiving a first-class training experience is critical, as is ensuring doctors and their families, are well- supported and nurtured by their local community."
GP Synergy is a provider of general practice training, funded by the Australian Government to deliver vocational GP training to doctors seeking to specialise as general practitioners in NSW and ACT.
Dr Pearson is currently one of 54 GP registrars training in the New England/Northwest subregion and 10 in Armidale.
