Past Indigenous Health Scholarships Program

My main motivation for wanting to become an Aboriginal doctor originates from my upbringing in the Gold Coast Queensland. Like any child I had my ups and my downs, all of the best times were spent with my family and friends. In the bad times I experienced homelessness, poverty and loss. Some of these losses which really resonated with me as a child included watching the complications of people, I loved faced with breast cancer. These good and bad times all contributed to shaping my personality and now has become the main drive behind me wanting to become a good doctor.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People experience the greatest health disparity of any race in Australia. This can be traced back to colonisation and the creation of assimilation and protectionism policies and programs that were introduced with the goal of the eradication of First Nations People. Being displaced, forcibly removed, relocated, and denied access to Country, lore, identity, family, and community by settlers continues to have ongoing effects on the social and cultural determinants of health for First Nations People. Evidence shows that understanding and addressing the cultural and social determinants of health are imperative to improving health outcomes for First Nations People.

At a young age I was lucky enough to have the skill and support to participate in sport at an elite level. As a result, I was offered an incredible opportunity to complete a Cert 3 and 4 in Fitness. An opportunity not many get the change to do at the age of 16. Appreciating how advantaged I was, this became my influence/driving force to be able to follow my dreams and continue in the field I had started, loved and thrived on. To achieve this, I had to work hard and earn it, and when you work hard, results and satisfaction are your reward. I want to take my qualifications to the highest level and be the best that I can be. I want to support my people with better outcomes and in return, better lifestyles, enabling them to achieve their goals. To be able to reach for the stars, I want to be the person who can give that hope and chance to others by giving back. As it is well recognised that Aboriginal people face barriers to accessing healthcare.

When I successfully complete my medical studies, I plan to bring benefit to my community in numerous ways. Firstly, I hope to be a role model to other Indigenous students, where despite disadvantage and being told your dreams are unrealistic, hard work and determination will get you there if you truly put your mind to it. Once I am a doctor, regardless of the field I end up choosing, I plan to practise in rural and regional areas of Victoria and I would love to head back to the Gunditjmara country, which is my community. As a teenager who spent a lot of their time unwell and in hospital, I was tired of having to travel to receive the care I needed. People should never be disadvantaged because of where their home is, and I want to offer exceptional healthcare and expertise in these areas.

I have always been extremely passionate about health as it is an essential component to quality of life. But it was not until I experienced a number of personal adverse circumstances that placed me in a very detrimental situation, that I really was able to appreciate how far backward different hardships can place someone. I am privileged and live a blessed life – which is evident in being able to study at a Master’s level, and while I continue to work through adverse circumstances, I am so grateful and want to give back because no one should be left behind. In a country with as much wealth as Australia, it really is not acceptable to have such a significant population difference in health outcomes for those from Indigenous backgrounds.

I am a full time Bachelor of Nursing student through the Deakin University, Institute of Koorie Education and I strongly believe that this scholarship will greatly enhance my experience and allow me to achieve my goals in the strongest way possible.

I am from a small rural town on the North-West coast of Tasmania. Growing up, access to physiotherapy was not always available and such treatment in mot instances meant travelling with at least a two and a half hour return trip. I have grown up aware that many areas of healthcare can be very limited in small rural towns and I would like to focus on drawing attention to and reducing the current shortage creates health care inequality and I am passionate about trying to reduce common difficulties associated with accessing appropriate resources. In doing so, there is hope that less people will avoid seeking health care and treatment. I strive to uphold the continuity of care while maintaining a holistic approach towards health and making a real difference to patient’s lives and the treatment and care they receive.

Becoming a nurse was something I never thought I would do but it has ended up the most amazing experience of my life. I started an Aboriginal Trainee-ship in Nursing in 2013 and have achieved my Diploma in Nursing. In this time I was given the opportunity to become a founding member of the Aboriginal Resources Group and the work we have done has shown a huge different in Indigenous health outcomes and our Indigenous patients reported feeling more comfortable staying in the hospital for all their treatment. This in turn has resulted in a reduction in representations to hospital for the same diagnosis. This has brought me great pride and ended up being the light-bulb moment that has led me to continue my studies and completing my Bachelor of Nursing.

My aim is to become a registered nurse and midwife so that I can go out into rural/remote areas within Australia and increase health outcomes for Indigenous people. I also aim to learn from the incredible Indigenous midwives who are on country who have birthed many generations and continue to teach new generations their skills. I intend to be a registered nurse and midwife within rural communities so that I can use my qualifications to not only do everything in my power to keep Indigenous peoples on their own country when receiving care as this is a huge problem for Indigenous communities but also to educate for better lifestyle choices.

I have always had a fascination for the human mind. Taking my time to learn about and educate others on the phenomenon of mental processes and techniques has only fuelled my passion. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a topic that holds most of my interest within the field, particularly surrounding the traumas of war and terror. In the future, I hope to work closely with Australian Veterans of war, and more specifically, Indigenous Australian Veterans. I believe mental health support requires plenty more attention amongst veterans and that there is not merely enough assistance for the selfless members of our country integrating into society.