Past Rural Nursing & Medical Scholarships Program

Having completed my primary and secondary schooling in Dubbo, I witnessed the challenges that rural communities face in accessing timely and specialised healthcare. My experiences in Dubbo have inspired me to strive towards improving healthcare services and workforce expansion in rural and remote areas which is why I have chosen Bathurst Clinical School.

I currently work as a medical transcriptionist, and NDIS support worker to cover my daily living expenses and costs associated with my medical program. I attend placement at Blacktown hospital and am a proactive medical student who always seeks opportunities to contribute.

When I’m asked incredulously by my peers – “why Bathurst” – the answer is so multifaceted it’s hard to put it in one sentence. After just a few visits to Bathurst it was obvious that rural medicine had infinities of unique experiences and opportunities to offer. One particular interaction has really stuck with me since then – a little boy proudly showing me his surgical scars from his numerous dirt biking adventures, telling me all about his experiences in hospital and the surgeries he had done. What stood out to me the most from his stories and my conversations about health with every person I have met was the resilience and resourcefulness of every doctor, nurse, paramedic, physiotherapist and community member, and the unique way in which healthcare is a collective endeavour in every regard when you’re rural, despite the relative isolation and lack of access that challenges rural healthcare.

The cost of living is rising, yet student placement hours are not reducing, and the role of medical student remains unpaid. Everyone has to learn at some point, but it cannot be denied that the demands of placement, compounded by assignments and study time, make it difficult to find time for paid employment. I currently have two jobs, one at the hospital at the switchboard and front desk, the other being a work-from-home administrative role with a cardiothoracic research institute. Being a casual in the former role, I have no guaranteed shifts, and I also struggle to give availability due to placement timetable often being released late and being subject to change constantly. The Australian Rotary Rural Health Scholarship would alleviate the stress of trying to pick up shifts in this role, and the subsequent exhaustion after working until 11pm and needing to be back at the hospital the following day for 8am placement.

Since starting medicine, I have been interested in studying and working in a rural area and am super fortunate to be studying in Lismore for the next 1.5 years.   Moving away from home for the first time has had its challenges but studying rurally has offered me a more hands-on experience with valuable learning opportunities for doctors who have been very willing to teach.   This close connection with the team has allowed me to learn more about the unique challenges of rural healthcare.  I have been travelling frequently to towns outside of Lismore to attend outpatient clinics and special schools, which has enabled me to gain an insight into the specific healthcare needs of these different communities.   This scholarship would help alleviate the financial burden of transportation, accommodation and living expenses, thus reducing my need for part-time work and instead enabling me to focus on improving my engagement with a rural community.

Since commencing my medical student journey, I have been fortunate to engage in multi-day rural experiences in Bathurst through Western Sydney University’s Rural Program. I have had the opportunity to volunteer at different community events such as community health checks at the Royal Bathurst Show and Bathurst 500. Through these community engagements, I was able to immerse myself in the local community. I also participated in the WSU Rural Health Club’s School Outreach Trip in 2022, whereby we demonstrated medical and allied health skills to high school students in Bathurst to provide an insight into health career options. I really enjoyed this experience as it gave me an insight into the community-oriented mindset of the staff and students at Bathurst Clinical School.

My name is Gahena Ram, I will be a fourth-year medical student in 2024 at Bathurst Rural Clinical School, and I would love the opportunity to receive the Australian Rotary Health Rural Clinical Health Scholarship. I am from Maitland but have been living in Campbelltown for the past three years because of my studies. I chose to come to Bathurst as I do feel like I belong with rural/regional communities much more due to the way I grew up and am looking forward to joining a regional setting once more.

As a future doctor, I believe community involvement and extracurricular interests are a vital part of becoming a holistic and well-rounded medical professional, to be able to fully understand the community that one serves

The Australian Rotary Health Rural Health Scholarship would greatly support myself as I transition my studies into the rural location. I have always been interested in studying in a rural area and broadening my scope for further work life potentially in a rural location. This scholarship would assist my transition to Bathurst and moving away from home for the first time would be a lot smoother until I can start supporting myself financially while being able to turn my focus to getting as much experience in the hospital and organising my study and assessments. I also hope to spend this time settling into the new environment and with this, I hope to put a good amount of time into my rural based MD research program which is looking at the comparison between screening and management of atrial fibrillation between urban and rural areas.

It was only when I moved from my hometown on the Mid North Coast to Canberra for my university studies that I truly realised and appreciated the incredible sense of community that rural places hold that just can’t be replicated in a city environment. Growing up, I was always eager to engage in community events, whether it be to raise funds for local charities or show off the town in local events. That is one of the reasons I am so excited and grateful to be able to move to the Bega Valley next year to live, work and connect with the local community. For me, the Australian Rotary Health Rural Health Scholarship would enable me to do that in several ways.

The support of the Australian Rotary Health Scholarship will allow me to engage with more than just my clinical studies and aid in fostering a more well-rounded future rural clinician. I believe that as a medical professional working in the future resource limited areas like rural Australia, one requires a critical understanding of the limitations in delivering care but most importantly the skills and aspiration to improve the systems to address these barriers of health care delivery which I believe my engagement with research can in part teach me in doing.

During my year studying at the ANU Rural Clinical School in Cowra, my goal is to succeed with my studies, and make the most of the opportunity I am being given in being able to study there. Beyond just learning and applying that knowledge with skills, I also aim to learn more about Cowra, both from a rural healthcare perspective, and also through community involvement that will be available to me there.

With this scholarship, I hope to aid my studies financially, with additional textbooks and online resources that will extend my knowledge and understanding. I would also aim for at least some of these resources and additional learning to be specific to a future career I may want rurally.