Options are limited for those booking a doctor appointment in Boort, 260 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
Some consider travelling an hour and fifteen minutes to the closest regional centre, Bendigo.
But they often can't get into medical centres because they are already booked out a week in advance and are not accepting new patients.
Boort District Health chief executive Donna Doyle said some patients decide to go to the region's urgent care centre.
"Patients present to our urgent care centre with non-urgent presentations because there's no appointments available or they need to travel to get an appropriate appointment," she said.
A recruitment blitz has been launched to attract nurses to work and stay in the town.
"It's time to start thinking outside the square about how we recruit and retain our medical workforce in the region," Ms Doyle said.
Boort's struggle to retain health professionals isn't new.
It was without a local doctor for almost a year.
"Workforce is an ongoing issue; recruitment and retention is an ongoing issue," Ms Doyle said.
"We rode the wave of COVID and staff stayed."
But she said those staff were now tired.
"They're taking some holidays or reducing their hours or having a look at what they want to do," she said.
"So, we've got huge scope to grow our clinical workforce."
It comes as state government projections reveal 65,000 new healthcare and community services workers will be required across Victoria by 2025.
Hospitals look to overseas workers
The health service has advertised for six full time nurse positions.
It hopes to attract more graduate nurses, student nurses and overseas workers to bolster its workforce.
"We're working with immigration to recruit a family from the UK at the moment," Ms Doyle said.
"They're going to come here hopefully with their children who will go to school here, who might get involved in sport here."
Mohammed Mubarak Meera Sahib moved to Boort in 2016 with the intention of spending six months there before moving to Melbourne.
"It's not just the work, [it's] being in a small community that gets you involved," Mr Meera Sahib said.
"You get to be a part of that community, rather than just living and working in that place."
Mr Meera Sahib said his family fell in love with the community.
He has taken up a role as director of clinical services at Boort District Health.
"You don't know until you try," he said.
"There's a hospital, an aged care [facility] and an emergency, so you'll get all the skills you need.
"The community knows you, you support each other… we offer flexible working arrangements."
Boort District Health Service is part of the Integrated Health Network, which includes several surrounding rural health services.
They are all facing the same recruitment challenges.
"We're planning to put together a recruitment video and we're really excited about that opportunity," Ms Doyle said.
"You can have a work life balance if you come to a place like Boort, there are opportunities to do things other than work in Boort."
