In Principio_S1 2018_WEB

I N P R I N C I P I O | 7 CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN RURAL AND METRO AUSTRALIA Second-year student Callum Addison was inspired to follow a career in medicine after working as a dentist with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and treating patients in rural and remote towns in New South Wales. “The towns I travelled to lacked specialist services and I was having to deal with more and more complex oral health issues like taking biopsies and trying to treat oral cancer from afar,” he said. “It felt natural to take the next step into medicine to eventually try and close the gap between rural and metropolitan Australia.” MAKING A SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY Danaan Buckley discovered a deep sense of social responsibility while competing in Surf Life Saving competitions at both State and national levels. “During my HSC, I was intent on joining the Air Force as a pilot but my involvement in Life Saving shifted my career priorities towards medicine – and a need to understand physiological processes and various approaches to medical treatment.” “As doctors we have a unique platform to advocate on behalf of those in the wider population. As medical students we are so well placed tomake a socially conscious contribution to society and the lives of others,” said fourth- year student Danaan. GIVING UP “NOT AN OPTION” Nadine Sexton sat the Graduate Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT) three times while working full time, holding down two weekend jobs and caring for her father who was desperately ill with a rare lung condition. She was finally accepted by Notre Dame’s School of Medicine in 2014. “I would work all day and study all night. Each time people would tell me to just give up when I didn’t reach the cut-off for GAMSAT but, with my desire to do medicine and with my father’s encouragement, giving up was not an option,” she said. AN UNLIKELY CAREER PATH Going from being a senior policy adviser to the NSW Premier to first-year medical studies may seem like an unlikely career switch, but for Stephen Hurley , who graduated from the School of Medicine last year, it was a calling he could not ignore. After two attempts at the GAMSAT, he was offered a place in Notre Dame’s School of Medicine 2014 intake. “I feel very lucky to be one of those people who have had a second chance to go after their dream career,” said Stephen, who is now working as an intern and resident at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. ADDRESSING GEOGRAPHIC HEALTH INEQUITY Emma Spinks’ personal journey from living on a rural property in Western Victoria to studying Medicine at Notre Dame is also a remarkable one. At 19, she joined the Royal Australian Navy – not only to see the world, but to obtain a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA and Master of Science in Renewable Energy while training as a weapons engineer and submariner. She resigned from the RAN after having two children and went back to the country. “My return to the country brought back the reality of geographic health inequity. It was then I decided to pursue a career in medicine with the hope of helping to reduce that inequity,” said third- year student, Emma. A NEW GENERATION OF DOCTORS An overview of students at Notre Dame’s School of Medicine underscores its unique approach to attracting and selecting students from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences. Each tells a compelling story of life before Notre Dame and each has a crystal-clear vision of what they aspire to achieve as medical practitioners. Five students give a glimpse into what motivated their desire to become doctors. Students and graduates with the Dean: Callum Addison, Danaan Buckley, Nadine Sexton, Professor Christine Bennett, Stephen Hurley and Emma Spinks.