Dr Jessica Driver-O’Keefe, better known as Dr Jet to the Condobolin community, is a rural generalist registrar and part of the amazing team at RFDSSE Medical Services Condobolin.
Dr Jet worked in the emergency/critical care/anaesthetics space for seven years before adding primary care to her rural generalist belt this year, deciding to make the move to general practice this year.
In February Dr Jet joined RFDSSE Medical Services - Condobolin as part of the NSW Government’s Rural Generalist Single Employer Pathway program and quickly won over all of her patients and those she met.
And the feeling has been mutual, with Dr Jet also developing a strong affinity for the Central West town. With a population of 3,100 people, Condo, as it is affectionately known, has a rich Indigenous heritage, vibrant cultural events, scenic river landscapes and distinctive art installations.
“There's so much to like about Condo! It is a really beautiful landscape with magnificent sunrises and sunsets, ancient redgum forests, and a proud and welcoming Wiradjuri living culture,” Dr Jet said.
“The whole community has a real sense of agency and self-sufficiency. You get a true sense of Condo with each patient as their history is interwoven with the history of the region itself. Moreover, they are such a gracious community.
“In some strange twist of fate, I was actually in Condo about 20 years ago as a nanny and a drover just after school. Despite growing up in the country, it wasn't until I was out bush here that my understanding of rural health inequity really began.”
The opportunity to work for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and its rich 97-year history of helping regional, rural and remote Australians was another attraction. Plus, how could I resist returning to the place that galvanised my hunger for risk nesting?!
“It is the quintessential icon of Australian medicine to me- responsive, adaptive, innovative and most importantly, benevolent,” Dr Jet said.
“Responding to underserved communities means doing medicine differently - and this is what the RFDS had always done. This ethos is the foundation of the kind of doctor I aspire to be.
“I am profoundly proud to work for the RFDS.”
To follow in Dr Jet’s footsteps and experience the excitement and challenge of rural medicine, apply for a 2026 Rural Generalist Single Employer Pathway program position.
For more information visit: www.health.nsw.gov.au/RGSEP
