Deputy Principal turn graduating Doctor
Former high school teacher Jo Bourke is a medical student based at The University of Queensland Regional Clinical Unit Rockhampton, graduating on Friday with a Doctor of Medicine.
Jo has been accepted into the five-year Rural Generalist program and will intern with CQ Health in Rockhampton for the next two years.
As a Deputy Principal, Jo witnessed firsthand the daily mental health struggles teenagers faced, but didn’t feel equipped with the knowledge to help.
In 2018, she quit her job to pursue a career in health, eventually leading her to study medicine.
Jo says that her path wasn’t direct and only came about after she learnt of the great shortage of General Practitioners in Australia.
“I decided to take time off to study a Master of Public Health in Darwin to help me in my work as a Deputy Principal,” Jo said.
“Through those years of study, I learnt about the shortage and decided to sit the GAMSAT to see whether I was cut out for it.
“I wasn’t expecting to pass, but I did!”
Jo was then accepted into UQ’s Doctor of Medicine program, where she spent two years studying in Brisbane, before deciding to complete her third and fourth years in Rockhampton.
“I chose Rockhampton for many reasons; I like the smaller community and the smaller medical community.
“I was one of 400 students living in Brisbane, and here I am one of 30, which has meant I have had a close-knit group to study with, socialise with and feel supported by.
“Living on campus has been a good financial decision for me and has meant I haven’t had to fight traffic every morning,” Jo said.
Jo believes the best part about completing her final two years in Rockhampton has been the access to the medical fraternity and teaching support from the Rural Clinical School.
“We have had direct access to consultants, who invite you to appointments, surgeries and to review results, which has meant more opportunities to get involved and get that hands-on experience.
“The weekly clinical skills sessions and real-life simulations have been such a valuable learning experience to build my confidence and knowledge, more hands-on learning than what I would have got in Brisbane,” Jo said.
Regional Clinical Unit Rockhampton Head, Associate Professor Sunday Pam says that the graduating students have shown a great interest in learning and participation throughout their time in Rockhampton and hopes they maintain the same level of spirit as they enter the workforce.
“Being a student is just a scratch of a career and now the real work starts,” Dr Pam said.
“I hope the students keep the same humility to learn as they have shown here, to stay humble, to ask when they need help and explore the unknown."
Helping her students and trying to better educate herself around youth mental health wasn’t the only reason that drew Jo to healthcare.
Jo’s dad tragically fell ill and required chemotherapy, dialysis and later a stem cell transplant.
During this time, she saw the divide between what doctors say and what patients hear.
She wished she had the ability to speak their language and have that power to help her dad.
The knowledge and communications skills that she has gained as a teacher and a daughter advocating for her father’s health will prove to be invaluable in her time now as a doctor.
In the future, Jo hopes to call herself a local in Central Queensland and be a Rural Generalist with advanced skills in mental health for the community.