Local doc returns to regional roots
BORN and grown Wellington resident, Kate Jeffery recently graduated from Western Sydney Uni to become a doctor.
Committed to giving back to her regional community, Ms Jeffery has returned home to advance her career at the Dubbo Base Hospital.
“I was always interested in science as a student, then in year 10 I did my work experience at the hospital and knew I wanted to work in the healthcare system,” Ms Jeffery said.
“I fell in love with the idea of medicine.”
The 23-year-old commences work next Monday at the hospital with her first rotation beginning in the Emergency Department.
“I’m both excited and nervous,” she shared. “It will definitely be a learning curve, but it will immediately make me more prepared for the rest of the year.
“I get the opportunity to learn a lot of things quickly.”
Ms Jeffery was presented with the Ganya Indigenous Academic Excellence Award at her graduation ceremony.
The award is offered to the most outstanding Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander graduating student in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
“Seeing more Indigenous people becoming medical and healthcare students is very important to our
community as we get the opportunity to support others,” she said.
Ms Jeffery, alongside other medical students, initiated an Aboriginal medical council to support indigenous students in medicine and assist the community in how services are offered.
“We attend events such as NAIDOC, Aboriginal medical services and other volunteer work,” Ms Jeffery said, adding that through the council, both the students and the community are equally supported.
“We’re fulfilling our dreams in our chosen careers because of what the community did for us when we were younger, so they deserve something back.”
Ms Jeffery said the five-year course in a metropolitan area can often attract people to settle down and establish their careers in the city.
“This makes it a lot harder to want to pursue a career in regional areas, but I was always set on returning home,” she said.
“I would really like to see initiatives to get students and doctors into remote and regional areas as there are a lack of services and staff provided,” Ms Jeffery said even the wait times to see a GP to receive a transcription are extremely long.
“They tried to replace the need for face to face contact with telehealth services but it just isn’t the same.
“People around the country should have access to the same services provided in metropolitan areas – healthcare is a human right,” Ms Jeffery said.
"Healthcare should not matter where you are located."