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. I hope to complete and publish this paper as this would provide me with further research opportunities to discover other disparities in healthcare between rural and metropolitan areas, a great interest of mine. Being part of the Rotary Club I hope to share my research and potentially expand my knowledge of rural life and in particular rural healthcare. This will also allow me to explore my interest in working as a rural doctor in the future and build a foundation to secure potential long term opportunities.

Furthermore, I also look forward to joining the Rotary Club and getting to know the community I will be studying in as I feel this will be one of the best ways to make Bathurst more homely for myself and be able to involve myself in everything Bathurst has to offer. I think this will make me a better medical student as having a well balanced lifestyle while living away from home is imperative and I think being part of the Rotary Club will be a fantastic opportunity to be more socially involved and gain connections and relationships with the community in Bathurst. This scholarship will also enable me to give back to the community and participate in extracurricular activities, as a current Learn to Swim Instructor in Campbelltown area, I will bring my passion for swimming to Bathurst
and with the support of the scholarship that role will be less stressful.

In summary, this grant not only will serve financial assistance but will allow me to excel in my studies while becoming connected to the community while having a profound impact on my personal growth. I believe I will benefit from this scholarship during the transition to Bathurst and support my educational journey as well as lay the foundation for a future career in the medical field and rural healthcare.

Since moving to Bathurst I have completed my oncology, research, paediatric and mental health terms in. I have thoroughly enjoyed not only the placements and encouragement from all the doctors, nurses and other health professionals across Bathurst and Orange Hospital but also the experience I have received as part of the town and wider community as well. I have been inspired by various people in the community to eventually come back and work rurally as the connectedness and support that has been shown is something I never experienced in Sydney and I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this program in Bathurst.

I attended my oncology rotation at Orange Hospital and although it was a difficult rotation it was amazing to be apart of a team working very closely with extremely unwell patients that are mostly palliative and creating a comfortable environment for both the patient and family in such a difficult time was very
rewarding. The team environment at Orange hospital in which their entire goal is to emphasise patient care through communication and support of one another was fantastic to see. Many of the interns, nurses and other staff members from various wards knew each other which rarely occurs in Sydney hospitals and it
made me consider Orange, Bathurst and other rural locations for my internship in 2026.

My research project was based on screening programs between rural and urban areas in which evidence confirmed that rural areas have lower rates of screening therefore meaning the burden on patients and the healthcare system is much greater in rural locations. This data was presented at many Bathurst hospital and
research team meetings in which I was able to join discussions about ways to implement and improve screening programs in the future. I really enjoyed seeing how my research can have such a significant impact on the community and the future of rural communities.

Finally, the paediatrics rotation has been my favourite rotation thus far as I am very interested in paediatrics as a future career. The paediatrics team were very welcoming and encouraged to teach as much as we wanted to know and get us involved in everything possible, compared to my Sydney colleagues I had a lot more exposure and experience performing paediatric cannulas and helping with parental education. I was very interested to learn that the amount of paediatricians in Bathurst is very low and it is an area where more is needed, I would be interested in potentially coming back to Bathurst or other rural areas if I was to go on to become a paediatrician myself.

When I am not in the hospital I like to remain as involved in the community as possible by attending sporting activities such as the local swimming pool and parkrun events every Saturday morning in which I have met so many lovely people who have made my experience in Bathurst even better. Along with this I have always been intrigued to understand the challenges of interacting with patients throughout the town and whether it would be awkward considering I had seen them in a clinical setting, however it has been very encouraging as it has improved the patient-doctor relationship as patients are able to recognise that students and doctors are just regular people and there is a limited power indifference making clinical encounters more comfortable.

Overall I have enjoyed being in Bathurst already and look forward to staying on for next year. I am very happy that I made the decision to stay here next year as I am surrounded by very supportive students and staff that care about the wellbeing and improvement of students. I believe that being in Bathurst for my final year will help me to be the best possible intern in 2026.