I am an Indigenous woman, with 4 children. I have experienced or seen first-hand the barriers and difficulties Indigenous people face when accessing healthcare. I am a registered nurse and chose to become a doctor as I feel I will have greater influence in making real change, towards closing the gap that indigenous Australians currently experience, my people.

Through my encounters accessing healthcare and acting as a support person for family members, I have recognised the profound impact people’s experiences have on individual’s health choices. For instance, Indigenous people experiencing non-culturally sensitive health services and/or dealing with professional individuals who are culturally unaware, has a significant impact in service delivery. As the individual (and consequently wider community network that gets feedback) often choose to avoid the health services/health professionals, live with their health as is, and as it deteriorates, rather than try to access services that they feel are not meeting their needs.

I recognise as an individual I can’t change the world, but I can help to facilitate change in someone’s life and subsequent wider community, by building a therapeutic, culturally safe relationships based on trust and mutual respect. I hope our common heritage will give Indigenous patients a sense of ease, allowing me to better able to holistically treat and facilitate patients with improving their health, on their terms.

I am passionate about closing the gap and ensuring user-friendly care for Indigenous Australians. I acknowledge this isn’t enough to influence change, on a state or national level. I therefore have a 10+ year plan on how I can be part of the drive in improve Indigenous health.

Post medical school, my 10-year plan is to work towards becoming a fellow in my chosen field (unsure yet) and to be the medical practitioner I want my family to encounter when accessing services. I also hope to influence health policy, I am not sure how I can achieve this as I start medical school, but if ever given the opportunity to, I hope to be a part of policy changes.

My 15+ year plan is to work remote once my children are grown, I’m a single parent to 3 small children. I understand most Indigenous Australians live in metropolitan or regional areas, but I recognise the most disadvantage live in rural or remote Australia, and they need the most help. This, coupled with Indigenous Australians still suffering from third world diseases, such as rheumatic heart disease, in a first world country is the driving factor for me in wanting to work in rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory.

Throughout my journey, I also want to support and inspire other indigenous people to become involved in the health sciences, whatever role they feel eg health workers, nurses, doctors to further empower families and communities. Every First Nations Australian who reaches for further/higher education can create belief in the youth (and others) around them that it is achievable.

Thank you for your ongoing support and apologies in the delay in writing to you. I didn’t and haven’t appreciated how difficult moving, commencing internship, completing a masters and having a baby would add be.

To give a quick background to my situation:

I graduated medical school last year heavily pregnant with my fourth baby. I delayed internship by one term and decided to move from Darwin to Alice Springs with my 4 children and husband who is also studying (Engineering). Whilst juggling my family and internship I am also completing a Master of Surgery and undergoing research as these are ‘boxes i need to tick’ to gain entry into the Surgical Training program.

An update on progress

I didn’t appreciate how difficult the transition from medical school to internship would be, as well as transitioning to a new town. I now have a better understanding and meaning behind the advice I received during medical school. I was told one of the greatest transitions in medicine is from medical student to internship.

It is difficult to describe why internship is difficult… I will do my best.

During medical school our role on placement is to learn how to make clinical decisions and link the ‘textbooks’ to how patients present and to understand how to manage/treat. Compared to an intern or junior doctor, the role within the team at times is more supportive of senior doctors. For instance, as a team, we see patients and it is the junior’s role to ensure the jobs are completed from seeing the list of patients (starting a patient on medication etc). While there is definitely learning, it’s different type of learning compared to medical school and at times is more job orientated.

The role I have as a junior doctor also varies between different shifts as well as each rotation. Currently on my medical term, during ‘normal hours’ I have the above role of seeing patients in a team and ensuring jobs are completed. When I am on med evening cover, I cover the entire medical patients (normally covered by 4 medical teams) as the only junior. In this role, I am expected to attend emergencies as well as assist other health professionals (nurses) with any concerns, enquiries or issues they may have relating to patients admitted under any medical team. During this shift as a junior, I have to prioritise patients or jobs that need to be done. It’s learning how to ask the right questions and identify what the issue is to ensure I can safely triage as these shifts are very busy and it isn’t uncommon not being able to have dinner. I do feel the skills I gained as a parent has assisted me in working under pressure with a high workload at times and feeling tired.

It has been difficult juggling shift work with having a young family. At times I won’t see the kids at all, as I might be sleeping in the morning due to late shifts and I’ll be at work when school is finished. To get around this at times, I will FaceTime them quickly if I can or I will sacrifice sleep and wake up and take the kids to school. Shift work can be difficult with having a work life balance, but I am figuring out, it is just about being creative and making sure the time I am at home is quality and not quantity.

Unfortunately, due to the hours I have worked I was unable to complete the final exam of my unit last semester due to my rostered shift and short staffing. I am waiting to hear back from the university about arranging an alternative date for it.

To summarise, while internship does suck at times and has its own challenges, I have no regrets with the decisions I have made, and I just need to keep moving forward and kicking my goals.

Thank you for your ongoing support,