As a qualified medical practitioner and eventually an ophthalmologist, I will be committed to improving Indigenous health and addressing the significant health disparities that exist within Indigenous communities. One of the ways that I plan to contribute to this goal is by becoming an ophthalmologist and using my skills to address the high rates of eye disease that are prevalent in Indigenous populations.

I am particularly interested in researching genetic eye diseases, which disproportionately affect Indigenous communities. By gaining a deeper understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to these diseases, I hope to be able to treat and help prevent disease.

More specifically, I plan to take my skills to Aboriginal communities in Alice Springs, where I will work closely with Indigenous health workers and community leaders to provide culturally sensitive and appropriate care to Indigenous patients. I am from Alice Springs and it is a place close to my heart I have seen with my own two eyes the health disparity in rural Aboriginal communities. Even though my family ties are from far north Queensland and Thursday Island, the Aboriginal communities I grew up around were in Alice Springs. That is why I want to return one day with ophthalmic skills and gene therapy knowledge to help reduce the disparity of healthcare between those communities and the rest of Australia.

Furthermore, growing up I would watch Fred Hollows foundation ads on tv and would think how amazing it was that he could give sight back to people. Hollows worked tirelessly to improve the eye health of Indigenous Australians and I wish to follow his footsteps.

Overall, my goal as a qualified medical practitioner or health worker will be to use my skills and knowledge to improve the health of Indigenous people, particularly in the area of eye health mainly in Alice Springs. By working closely with Indigenous communities and focusing on culturally appropriate and sensitive care, I believe that I can make a meaningful difference in the lives of many, and in the same stroke, fulfil my career goal.

Semester 1 of Year 3 has been my favourite semester of the degree so far. The topics were interesting, I had my first placements, my work/life balance was good and the challenges I faced were handled well.

This semester we tackled the neuro and endocrine systems primarily. Although the topics were difficult, I was able to stay on top of them and study them in an effective way for me. Initially the anatomy was hard for me to grasp, but the function came easier, then the anatomy eventually came. The content was also spaced out more because of the placement weeks. This gave me more time to focus on my weak points and work on it at my own pace. I really appreciated the extra time I had to study and I put it to good use.

I was fortunate enough to have my very first placements in the hospital this semester. I had four different week long placements in radiology, acute rehabilitation, upper GI/hepatobiliary surgery and orthopaedics.

Radiology was great for showing me the importance of imaging in the hospital and how every discipline relies on radiology. The pressure radiology has on it from the system is enormous, but for good reason. I enjoyed learning about the imaging modalities on a deeper level and it has since helped me in my learning. On this rotation, I was invited to scrub in for an operation, and was fortunate enough to assist in a debridement of a gangrenous foot. This was a life-changing experience for me. It gave me so much confidence and validation of the work I have been putting in over these years. It grew my love for surgery and it enforced my desire to pursue a specialty with surgery as a component.

Acute rehabilitation was an emotionally packed rotation. It was tough to see people recovering from brain injuries and seeing their lives altered forever. There were a few patients roughly my age, which naturally struck a chord with me. The whole experience gave me respect for life and a deeper understanding of the fragility of it.

Upper GI/hepatobiliary surgery was a full on, jam packed rotation. Early mornings, long days, ward rounds, surgery, clinics, the full works. I loved the Registrar and Interns I was with during the rotation and I learned a lot. Constantly managing patients and their issues 24/7 was a big thing I saw during the rotation. There was always another fire to put out and harm done in the process of healing. The problems were diverse and interesting. I felt like part of the team and tried to be useful where I could.

Unfortunately I had COVID during the orthopaedic rotation so I was unable to attend that one.

This semester I felt like my work/life balance was the best it’s ever been. I had energy for my studies, for my health and for my family. I felt like everything was taken care of and everyone in my life had some of my energy.

I passed all my exams, not amazingly, but passed. I was very happy with my results and the semester I was able to pull together.