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. I have enjoyed a variety of community involvement experience both in Maitland and in Campbelltown as outlined my CV, however recently it has increasingly difficult to keep up with previous commitments and have had to forego some things I enjoy including sport, hobbies, and roles in university interest groups. This has mostly been due to time constraints; with the beginning of my Clinical years and commencing full time placement as well as independent study and part time work, it has been very difficult to keep up with the things I enjoy both personally and in the community. I believe this sentiment would be relatable to all university students, especially those who undergo unpaid placements, as the time pressures on students to keep up with study commitments and financially support themselves is immense.

Therefore, this scholarship would be extremely beneficial to me in terms of allowing me to support myself without foregoing opportunities I would love to take part in. It would free up time I would otherwise use doing part time work, which, while has taught me many things about professionalism and responsibility, is not necessarily as helpful in my development as a medical professional. This will be especially useful as I understand that rural medical students are given many opportunities to get involved in the Bathurst community, which I would be very happy to seize, to immerse myself in the placement and community completely. I have also had a keen interest in taking up research opportunities, and the scholarship would free up time to be able to do so, which could contribute to improved health outcomes for the community. Furthermore, I understand that the scholarship comes with Rotary Club responsibilities, something I am excited about as I share the values of “providing service to others, promoting integrity, and advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace” as outlined in the mission statement. The presentations and reports I would be expected to give would be a great way to keep myself accountable in my involvement, allowing me to reflect on my experiences in the rural placement and how they have contributed to my development as a professional and community member.