Past Indigenous Health Scholarships Program

Last year, I attended my Grandmother’s funeral; I never got the opportunity to meet her in person. As a very young girl, she was stolen from her home in NT and raised on a mission. She was institutionalised until she was 21 in what was described as ‘an experiment in assimilation’. Her son, my father, was also forcibly removed, this time at his birth, and sadly, as a result, he has grown up with identity issues, anxiety, depression and addiction; I have barely seen him for most of my life.

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.

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.

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.

No one ever calls a paramedic when they are happy. Paramedics are called upon in distressing times, when someone needs vital, time critical, emergency support. Yet when an Indigenous person is facing such times, they are less likely to call for help due to a general distrust form emergency services. This puts our Indigenous population – my mob – at a greater risk of severe injury or death. As a front-line health worker, I want to change this and I want to change the stigma attached to emergency services among the Indigenous community. This is how I hope to improve Indigenous health as a qualified medical practitioner.

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.

Indigenous health is an important and broad area with many challenges facing health workers and professionals. From my time working in Indigenous affairs for ten years I have seen first hand how difficult making effective change and advancements can be. I know there is not an easy answer to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. What I do know is with the skills and knowledge I have gained through my work and studies I can make a purposeful contribution to improving these issues.

I started out in the health field when I was a mere 17 year old. I had completed high school, and had completed subjects in school that I enjoyed, rather than what would set me up for a career. When I commenced a traineeship as an Aboriginal Health Worker, I surprised myself with how much I actually enjoyed learning about health.

When I become a qualified medical practitioner, I aspire to help the Indigenous peoples of Australia by improving their overall health and preventing chronic illnesses.

I am to do this by working rurally and remotely in Aboriginal communities all over the country. I would like to work within an outreach program that targets Indigenous health, usually in remote communities but can also be in rural communities.