Working towards my goal of becoming an Aboriginal doctor I believe that I can contribute in numerous ways to help our mob when I am qualified. I aim to provide support and advocation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families. One of my aspirations is to work for a First Nations healthcare service. I strongly believe that familiarity and understanding through empathy and lived experience will be a valuable contribution to improving health and well-being. In a health service I may be the first contact for patients coming in and I believe I can provide a culturally safe experience for mob.

Having an Aboriginal doctor can help patients feel more comfortable in a daunting setting, however due to the low numbers of First Nations Health workers, we require allies to be on board as well. Creating an environment where all health care workers in a clinic or hospital are culturally safe will be quite a challenge, however it is a passion of mine, and I will do everything I can to help improve this. I am very open about my culture, and I enjoy educating others to the best of my ability. I believe it is non-Indigenous peoples responsibility to educate themselves, however I am happy to do so if I know it will contribute to a better environment.

First Nations People deserve time and respect to feel comfortable in a health care setting, something that is lacking in health services. Many health care professionals focus on the condition and how to treat whilst not taking time to build effective rapport. I endeavour to break down the barriers and treat our people with humility and respect, with a rapport focus initially rather than the condition. If I see there is an issue with a patient not feeling comfortable or not being treated right I will speak up. I believe to move forward and help our people we need more voices and allies, an aspect that I can help with.

During my studies I have participated in community service through an internship program, where I worked at various health care organisations on my university holidays. The experience I have gained through working with health care professionals, assisting patients and being familiar with the hospital setting will contribute to my growth and learning. My background and experience will help me reach my goal to become an Aboriginal Doctor who will be able to provide holistic care.

I am an extremely hard worker who has overcome adversity to get to the position I am in today. I did not think university was a realistic option in my early 20’s and to be training to become a doctor shows my resilience and determination. I will continue to work hard and contribute to our people and help wherever I can as the journey has just begun.

Semester 2 consisted of two main rotations, general practice and paediatrics. Starting with my general practice block I was fortunate enough to attend 2 different clinics per week with the addition of structured teaching sessions through the university. During placement I performed history taking, examinations and assisting with formulation of management plans. Parallel consulting was my highlight of the placement block, where I was able to see patients on my own in another clinic room before the Doctor reviewed. Feedback was provided and it was an amazing learning experience. I was able to see a lot of different presentations from cold and flu, mental health check-ups, musculoskeletal complaints to assisting in skin cancer removal on patients.

My last placement for the year was paediatrics, an area I thoroughly enjoyed due to the willingness of the team to teach and get me involved. The care the doctors showed to the patients and their families was a highlight and I learned valuable communication skills. Although it is a tough time seeing a child unwell in hospital, the empathy that was shown helped lift the spirits of the patient and their families. My favourite area in the paediatric block was neurology, the team was very helpful in assisting me with required tasks to be signed off and teaching me wherever they had the chance. I was able to perform assessments and take histories from the parents, an aspect I was quite new to, thus exposure helped my learning immensely.