Wagga ED doctor, GP Katherine Smith encourages others to come through the city's rural clinical schools

Katherine Smith has been in Wagga for six years where she works as an emergency physician at the Base Hospital and as a general practitioner at Hammond Health medical clinic.

"I love still having that connection to the hospital community and getting that teamwork and clinical skills up in the ED," Dr Smith said.

"But also being able to have that that continuity of care that general practice brings ... So I really love the variety of both."

Dr Smith, who lived in Wagga for part of her childhood, returned to study at Notre Dame's rural clinical school and stayed on as a junior medical officer at the Base Hospital.

"There was the opportunity to do some of my medical training [here]. And that was one of the big draw cards to come back to Wagga. And then I loved the opportunities to train here," she said.

Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network chief executive officer Melissa Neil has said Wagga has a similar turnover rate of GPs to most regional communities.

Dr Smith said people wouldn't always stay in Wagga after moving to do their training.

"We have to move practices, at least twice during our training. So that's hard for patients who are seeing registrars as their doctors, because they have to move on as part of their training," she said.

"And as people's different life commitments change that makes it, you know, tricky if you're educating children, or where your partner's at with their jobs."

Wagga is home to two rural medical schools offered by Notre Dame and the University of NSW.

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Dr Smith, who teaches at both Notre Dame and medical training organisation GP Synergy, believes these regional training hubs are crucial to recruiting and retaining doctors in the long-term.

"I think if we can get people to come and experience what it's like to work in regional centres, they're more likely to stay," she said.

"I think that that's important to keep people here that they don't have to go away to do all their training, and then we risk them not coming back."

Andrew Heap, the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network's senior manager primary care engagement said the MPHN encouraged GPs to undertake their professional training in the region.

"We know from feedback that trainee GPs really appreciate the quality and variety of medical education provided in the Murrumbidgee region," he said.

"Doctors who have completed training to specialise as GPs in rural and regional communities have also asserted that the Murrumbidgee offers a rich and rewarding learning environment.

"The UNSW and Notre Dame Clinical Schools provide high quality education in great facilities, and, importantly, enable local students to stay or come back to the region once they have completed their training, helping to ensure we have sufficient doctors in the region."