Third year student Daniel singles out his time at the Hawkesbury Clinical School as one of the highlights of his entire Doctor of Medicine program. Apart from working alongside top medical practitioners, he also helped deliver several babies.

“That was such an amazing experience,” he says. “Birth is such a beautiful natural process.”

As he reaches the end of his medical training at Notre Dame Daniel knows that he will have to choose an area of specialisation and says the placement at the Hawkesbury Clinical School has helped in this decision.

“Surgery is something that I’ve been considering for quite a while,” he says. “And this year I had that hands-on practice experience at the clinical school. Being able to work so closely with senior consultants is a great privilege – and sets Notre Dame apart.”

This focus on problem-based learning was one of the reasons that Daniel, currently President of the Surgical Association of Notre Dame University Sydney (SANDUS), chose the Darlinghurst campus above its larger Sydney counterparts. The school’s strong sense of community and its emphasis on pastoral care were other factors.

“For me Notre Dame embodies that sense of community. Everyone just seems to get along really well and the lecturers really take good care of the students,” he says. “Notre Dame gives you the opportunity to become a well-rounded and ethical doctor.”