Past Research

To contribute to improving Indigenous health as a registered nurse and qualified medical health practitioner I plan on doing so in numerous ways.   I will provide cultural safety and respect to not only all my patients but especially those that identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.   I will provide them with dignity and confidentiality as well linking them with an Aboriginal Liaison Officer if they wish so.   This can help with myself providing health education and nursing in a way that is culturally appropriate, safe and dignified.

Where possible I will also take the time to yarn with my Indigenous patients, getting to know them, their culture and ensuring my nursing care and management strategies are individualised and tailored to specific needs.

After completing my Certificate IV in Health (Nursing in 2003, I became very passionate about patient care and enjoyed the rewards of helping others.   Since that time my motivation for continuing professional development grew.   Nursing offers a broad range of areas to develop skills and over the last few years, my interest in the area of Women, Children and Families, in particular Pregnant Women has grown.

As a registered nurse, I envisage the opportunity to work within my community to promote the importance of achieving and maintaining good health across the lifespan.   I have a particular interest in community health and the delivery of health education within our indigenous communities. To achieve this, I have plans to further my education into postgraduate studies in midwifery and health promotion.

Creating, promoting and implementing health programs that cater specifically to the community, to be run by community members. Indigenous health can be improved by healthcare professionals being actively involved in the community and working together to improve risk factors associated with poor health.

I am a Yuin man from the Bodalla mob on the south coast of NSW.   My great grandfather was John Pittman the King of Bodalla.   My father and grandmother moved from the mission in Batemans Bay after the second World War to find work in Nowra and this is where I was born and grew up.

The reason why I decided to study medicine was that I have seen and experienced much inequality in the health of my people and wish to make a difference.   Like myself my brother had a career change late in life to become a GP and is now working in Nowra Aboriginal Medical Service which is what I intend to do on completion of my studies, to give back to my community.

I am currently on the executive board of the Rural Allied Health and Medical Society (RAHMS) at my university as their Indigenous Community Engagement Activities Director organising any and all events surrounding Indigenous celebrations and raising awareness around Indigenous health.   As well as being the Representative for Social Work for the same society.

My aim for the role this year is to get more people interested and involved in rural health with a strong focus on Indigenous health.   This is to get hopefully more medical and allied health students excited to get involved in the betterment of health for Aboriginal peoples.   I am also in charge of planning a trip out to rural Australia of which I am hopping to visit Aboriginal Medical Services and schools to promote overall health and well-being and to show kids there are so many opportunities for them to get out and make a difference for our people; that they are not stuck where they are and are destined to be a certain way.

I grew up in a country town just outside of Ballarat (VIC), physically distanced from my community in the Warungu tribe in Ceduna (SA), but accepted by my local Wathaurong tribe. Through my mother, uncle and grandmother, all nurses, I learnt the art of caring, and the importance of caring for someone’s body. Through my grandfather, I learnt the importance of caring for someone’s spirit.

My grandfather set up a health centre that incorporates cultural sensitivity in the care of patients. I then watched as he himself was treated in this facility, and the difference he displayed when transferred into the hospital he was fearful of as a child of the stolen generation.

To answer the question to what my contribution would be as a qualified nurse in improving Indigenous Health would come down to my years spent working on the lines as a health worker. The current position in which I have spent 5 years in has been a true eye opener for me. I have come to learn so much about our culture and the many chronic diseases our people face day in and day out. It has been a rewarding career for me to be a health worker as I can be an educator, act as an advocate, a guide and a voice for many individuals and families who feel unheard.

It has always been my strength and fight to help others and to stand up for what is right. When I see the amount of young and elderly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fighting against sickness and disease.

Hi, my name is Alyssa Lampton, in regards to how I will contribute to improving Indigenous health as a qualified medical practitioner or health worker, it is the whole reason why I wanted to become a registered nurse. Becoming a registered nurse is the first step towards how I can use my role to give back to my community and other communities. Being an aboriginal woman, I see the health issues that are affecting our culture. I see it in my family, and I see it in the community around me, I want to be able to be that one person that has opened their eyes to how they can help themselves in order to better their health. As I study here at Deakin Institute of Koorie Education being able to fly in and out of home I can use what I learn here and take it back to my hometown and utilise my skills in progressing indigenous health.

My name is Marlee Paterson. I am an Aboriginal woman of the Yidinji people of Far North Queensland. I am a 6th year Medical student.

My interested in Indigenous health began when I was in high school. As a result I would volunteer at my local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) during my school holidays. Throughout my years volunteering, I saw that the AMS treated their patients in a holistic manner, with a focus on providing services for physical, spiritual, cultural, emotional and socials needs. The AMS achieved this by employing and engaging a multi-disciplinary team that involved doctors, nurses, Aboriginal health worker, counsellors and social workers to meet the needs of the patients.

It is evident through numerous amounts of Nation-wide research, that many Indigenous Australia suffer from poorer health than other Australians, as they are more likely to suffer from multitude of health issues and therefore have a higher mortality rate.   Health care professionals play a vital role in reducing mortality and morbidity in Indigenous Australians through education, appropriate communication, cultural awareness and health promotion.   I am ambitious towards addressing all of these areas when working with Indigenous people.

My goal is to relocate to a rural area where Indigenous communities are predominant as I have the knowledge of the historical background of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people and a great understanding of how history influences our people’s lives.