Having dedicated most of his working life to federal politics, Dr Andrew Southcott has made a rare leap from the Canberra jungle to the more benign and less dysfunctional ecosystem of general practice.

After spending two years as a GP registrar, he posted a picture on Twitter two weeks ago that showed him alongside 30 other doctors who had just learnt they had passed their RACGP exams to become fully fledged fellows.

“I was absolutely delighted. Working as a GP — it’s already been a very rewarding career change for me, personally and professionally.”

Dr Southcott, 52, was seduced by politics early on. He originally graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1990, eventually winning a place on the surgical training program. But at that point, he began to question whether medicine was the right vocation.