Rate My Professor Amanda Bentel

Dr Amanda Bentel is a dedicated General Practitioner based at Inverell Medical Centre in rural New South Wales and holds the position of part-time Senior Lecturer in the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England. Having completed her medical training at the University of Sydney with a strong focus on academic excellence and research, she transitioned into rural general practice through the former Family Medicine Programme (FMP). Placed in Inverell as a trainee, she was mentored by experienced practitioners who highlighted the rewards of country living and delivering healthcare in regional settings.

For over a decade, Dr Bentel has collaborated with the University of New England, beginning with outreach placements that hosted medical students for general practice rotations. Her current role centers on supervising Year 5 students from the Joint Medical Programme (JMP) within the innovative Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) framework. This 19-week program immerses students in a rural community, employing an apprenticeship model of experiential learning. Under her guidance, students engage directly with patients in general practice and track their care pathways across hospitals, allied health services, rehabilitation facilities, aged care, and back to the community. Dr Bentel emphasizes the unique advantages of this placement, noting the absence of competition from interns or registrars typical in larger centers, allowing students hands-on involvement valued by both patients and supervisors.

In her clinical practice at Inverell Medical Centre, a collaborative group practice comprising three principal general practitioners and rotating registrars from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACCRM), Dr Bentel delivers holistic, cradle-to-grave medical care. Supported by on-site nursing staff for procedural and chronic disease management, the centre also hosts visiting professionals including podiatrists, sleep study technicians, and outreach cardiologists providing echocardiography and telehealth consultations. Her areas of special interest encompass obstetrics, women’s health, mental health, anaesthetics, and procedural interventions such as skin excisions.

Dr Bentel passionately advocates for rural medicine, describing it as a profound privilege to accompany patients through life's journey, observe community interconnections, and embrace a wider scope of practice that enhances professional fulfillment. She hopes the LIC program expands to expose more students to rural opportunities, fostering future rural practitioners committed to regional communities.