Medical student placement with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation gives an understanding of cultural holistic care
Monash medical student, Isabel Lee, was the first student to complete a new Indigenous health-focused speciality elective as part of her studies.
Isabel found her recent placement with Coomealla Health Aboriginal Corporation (CHAC) health clinics an eye-opening experience where she was able to make a real impact.
Isabel has a long-standing interest in social issues, especially their intersections with medicine, and how general practice plays a role in public health. Believing that the best learning is done on the ground from lived experience, she jumped at the opportunity to be placed at CHAC.
“I thought it would be a fantastic learning experience and a chance to see whether it’s a direction I could see my career progressing.”
Originally coming from Adelaide, Isabel found she learnt so many things about Aboriginal health that she could never have covered in a classroom setting, such as developing confidence in navigating difficult conversations with Indigenous patients. For the first time, she gained an understanding of the role of Aboriginal Liaison Officers in the hospital system, and has committed to working collaboratively with them at any hospital she works at in the future.
A highlight of Isabel’s Indigenous health rotation was experiencing NAIDOC week in Mildura
“It was so special to see the people we had been seeing in a more community-based, fun context. I appreciated that the time I had spent on placement translated to a stronger connection to the celebrations, and recognising the same people across multiple days of NAIDOC events helped me feel more integrated into the community.”
Throughout her placement, Isabel felt the passion of the GPs in the service, who are motivated by the impact they are able to have on the health of the community. This is achieved through holistic management of patients' entire health, connecting them to allied health supports, learning about their family and life, and identifying public health prevention strategies to support their health.
“This made each consultation feel important, and I left each day feeling accomplished that I had done something to impact even one patient’ health for the better.”
Monash Rural Health Aboriginal Community Engagement Lead, David Byrnes, who facilitated organisation of the placement with CHAC, hopes that this will be the first of many placements with them.
“We appreciate the outstanding work being done by CHAC in supporting the local Aboriginal community, and are excited about working more closely with them in the future to give our students knowledge and understanding of their culturally sensitive approach.”
For medical students considering a placement with an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO), Isabel cannot recommend the opportunity highly enough.
“I think the learnings from being placed with an Indigenous health service are useful for every doctor and will be beneficial to your whole career. It’s rare to get opportunities like this, especially once you are working full time and if you want to pursue a hospital-based specialty, so take the opportunity now!”