AMA QLD’s Dr Nick Yim on Rethinking Healthcare: People, Policy and Purpose
How do we strengthen healthcare in Queensland? According to AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim, the answer isn’t just more funding, it’s smarter systems, stronger support, and listening to the people who know the work best.
In Season 2, Episode 24 of It Takes Heart, Dr Nick Yim joins hosts Samantha Miklos, CEO of Cornerstone Medical Recruitment (cmr), and Kate Coomber, Head of Talent and Employer Branding, to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and the bold ideas needed to futureproof the system. From his early days in pharmacy to life as a rural GP, and now as the President of AMA Queensland, Dr Yim brings both heart and hard-earned perspective to the conversation.
Dr Yim opens up about the real pressures clinicians are facing, from burnout to bureaucracy, and shares a powerful solution: a digital passport to help doctors move seamlessly between hospitals and communities across the state. In a system known for red tape and delays, it’s a refreshingly practical idea with huge potential to improve access and flexibility, especially in rural and regional Queensland.
“We’re one state. Why can’t we move people across it more easily?”
This isn’t just policy talk, it’s personal. Dr Yim didn’t set out to be a doctor, or an advocate. His career, like many in medicine, hasn’t followed a straight line. But what’s guided him is a clear purpose: to make the system better for both clinicians and communities. He speaks candidly about the mental load many doctors carry, the culture shifts underway, and the importance of making healthcare careers more human and sustainable.
“Medicine now is totally different to medicine 10 years ago. And it’s going to keep changing. But great care starts with great people and supporting them well.”
Whether reflecting on his own time as a junior doctor in Tully and Roma, or the broader role of AMA Queensland in shaping health reform, Dr Yim’s message is clear: we need more than just numbers and resources, we need connection, clarity, and care that runs both ways.
He also shares how retaining doctors in rural areas is about more than incentives. It’s about feeling part of something. Knowing your coffee order at the local café. Playing in the town footy team. Feeling seen and supported. These are the things that make people stay and thrive.
“It’s not just about food and wine. It’s the whole package. People want to feel part of something.”
This episode of It Takes Heart with Dr Nick Yim AMA Queensland is packed with insight, warmth, and optimism. It’s a timely reminder that behind every health policy is a person and when we get the support right for them, the whole system gets stronger.
Watch Season 2, Episode 24 of It Takes Heart to hear how Dr Nick Yim AMA Queensland is championing practical, people-first change in medicine.
More about The AMA Queensland Foundation
The AMA Queensland Foundation brings together medical colleagues and the business community to deliver vital services outside those catered for by the public health system. They were established in 2000 as the charitable arm of AMA Queensland, with a mission to improve medical conditions in areas of need. Learn more here.
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