Bendigo intern wins junior medical officer of the year for her advocacy for young doctors during COVID
Last year Katie Blunt graduated from Monash University. Originally from metropolitan Melbourne, Katie thought her third year as a rural health student in Bendigo would be a short stint in regional medicine. Now as an intern at Bendigo Health and with every intention of staying and working in the region, she has been surprised at how quickly, and permanently, she has become a country person. “I grew up in a city bubble with little exposure to rural life. My first placement in Bendigo, however, completely opened my eyes to both the perks of the regional lifestyle and also the sense of community that I have enjoyed, working as a student and then a doctor in rural locales,” she said.
Earlier this year Dr Blunt was awarded the prestigious Junior Medical Officer of the Year Award by the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria. She is currently Vice President and Intern Representative of the Bendigo HMO (Hospital Medical Office) Society.
In past years, according to Dr Blunt, the HMO Society was more involved in organising social events so that interns and junior doctors, often new to a hospital, could form social connections. This year, with COVID-19, Dr Blunt felt that the society could have a more crucial role in advocating for the needs of young doctors suddenly finding themselves in hospitals preparing for a potential surge of patients with coronavirus.
“We advocated for the guaranteed provision of protected teaching time for interns. Intern year is a steep learning curve and it was crucial that educational opportunities continued despite the pandemic. As an HMO society, we encouraged Bendigo Health to ensure teaching and training despite increased pressure on medical staff.” Importantly she also pushed for junior doctors’ concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic including access to PPE, access to and covering of sick leave, and the provision of a safe working environment.
Dr Blunt established the Bendigo HMO Society feedback form to ensure the ability of members, and also importantly non-members, to provide feedback on issues affecting themselves. “This allowed us to know what the needs of the HMOs were and to respond appropriately,” she said.
Other initiatives advocated for by Dr Blunt included the formation of a medical education officer role within the Bendigo HMO Society, the rolling out of video-conferencing-based intern teaching for interns and coordinating input for the intern orientation program.
In her role as Academic Officer for the Prevocational Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society ANZ Committee, she organised the annual Women’s Health Conference, transitioning the content to a free online format due to COVID-19.
Dr Blunt advocated for the cancellation of membership payments, whilst ensuring the continuing role of the HMO Society during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were also acutely aware that, this year more than any other, we needed to be supportive of HMO’s wellbeing, developing a series of online wellbeing events to encourage connectedness and mindfulness during COVID-19 lockdown.”
For Dr Blunt the award is recognition not just for her advocacy but for the advocacy of the HMO Society. “This was a year when we needed to advocate for more educational and wellbeing opportunities to be provided by the HMO society - rather than just social events,” she said.
Professor Robyn Langham, Head of the Monash School of Rural Health, said the school is enormously proud of what Dr Blunt has achieved. “As a student you were skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate and it’s fantastic to see that you have taken those characteristics to helping your fellow doctors during this very trying year,” she said.