Twenty-four Monash medical students completing placements in Bairnsdale and Sale have been warmly welcomed to East Gippsland this semester.
These students are undertaking rotations across Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Central Gippsland Health and local general practice clinics.
For final year medical student, Isabella Shelton, the placement allows her to reconnect with her hometown.
“I grew up in Bairnsdale for most of my childhood. Despite some bouncing back and forth between Melbourne and living overseas, Bairnsdale and East Gippsland have always been my home base and I am so excited to be back to complete my clinical placement,” she said.
“After having moved away to study at Monash University, coming back into the town six years later feels like a breath of familiarity.”
Isabelle has completed her first rotation in the emergency department of Bairnsdale Regional Health Service and is currently placed in the rehabilitation ward. It was important to Isabelle to reconnect with the place and people who inspired her to study medicine. She is thrilled to be able to give back to her local community.
“While metropolitan medicine is fast-paced and exhilarating, often people are lost in the system and it is easy to forget the humanity of our profession. In Bairnsdale, I have the time and support to connect to patients on a far deeper level, and being on a smaller team means I am far more proactive in my learning as I can contribute to the team in a legitimately helpful way,” she said.
With a passion for working with children, Isabelle aims to pursue a career in paediatrics and hopes to return to work in East Gippsland after further training.
“There is something about being a small-town GP and taking such a proactive and important role in the wellbeing of your community that I can’t pass up, and all signs point to returning to this area to live out that dream.”
Director of Monash Rural Health Gippsland, Associate Professor Cathy Haigh, noted that the local community had warmly welcomed the students to Bairnsdale and Sale.
“We are grateful for the support of our placement partners and the East Gippsland and Wellington Shire communities in making our students so welcome here – whether it’s their first time in the region or they’re returning home,” Assoc Prof Haigh said.
“We know these experiences have an impact on where our students practice in the future and I hope to welcome them back as part of Gippsland’s medical workforce.”
