It's all in the mind. It depends what one wants of life. Practice in partnership allows us to see, learn from and criticise our partners much more freely than can isolated teaching hospital physicians. Conferences keep one up to date with one's peers, as does a network of acquaintances and specialists in the major teaching hospitals. Local practitioners readily exchange information from attendance at meetings, probably much more so than in the city.
Roster sharing with other physicians means cross-fertilisation of many ideas.
We are certainly less isolated than many suburban consultants. The clinical problems, the patients I meet and the staff with whom I work continue to stimulate and teach me. I learn something new every day. Access to general medicine and treating the whole person are the advantages of country physician practice. One regret is that our children often have to leave their homes for tertiary education and to find work as opportunities in country areas decline.