EIGHTTEEN medical graduates are putting all those years of studying medicine to the test as they start their two-year internship at Tweed Hospital.

The group, which started their rounds on Monday, includes Tweed local and former Lindisfarne student Brigid Doolan.

"It's nice to be able to finally make decisions and be part of the team,” Ms Doolan said, explaining the two-year graduate program would be an excellent learning experience for all the graduates.

"You get all the basics of being a junior doctor down pat and you're able work closely with patient sand consultants.”

While Ms Doolan admitted she was a bit nervous about her first week on the job, she said the graduates were already a strong team and looked forward to working alongside hospital staff.

"At Tweed they make you feel like part to of the team,” she said.

" It's great to have people you consider your friends instead of just as colleagues because it's all about helping each other out when one person is busy.”

Tweed MP Geoff Provest welcomed the graduates last week as part of the record intake of intern doctors funded by the NSW Government.

Mr Provest said that over $107 million had been invested into the state-wide internship program to boost the number of doctors in cities and regional areas.

"NSW is the only state to offer two-year employment contracts to graduates commencing their internship which includes a rotation through a network of metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals,” Mr Provest said.