Student heads to Africa
As you read this, Gippsland Year 3B student Brooke Driessen is in Africa, gaining a totally different perspective on medicine.
Brooke flew to Africa last weekend (Saturday 31 August) for nearly two weeks as part of the Specialists without Borders group, which offers the opportunity to experience the issues and conditions in other lands.
Before she left, Brooke said: “I haven’t been to Africa before so it’s a really good opportunity to have a taste of the country and to meet the people. I don’t have any real expectations, I’m just really glad I will get to be there.
“It will be fascinating to see what health care is like over there and see what it is like to work with the community as an outsider group. I’m sure the needs are very different; it will be interesting to see the impact of diseases and health issues that they have.”
Brooke expects to spend time in Malawi and Zimbabwe. The project involves working with and helping to train health professionals, so that there are more local medical professionals who are able to provide services.
The chance to take part came about thanks to her year at the Gippsland Regional Clinical School, where tutor and local surgeon David Birks works. He has had a long involvement in the specialists without borders program and encourages students to grab the opportunity to be involved.
For Brooke, it is part of the benefit of spending Year 3B of her undergraduate program in Gippsland. “It has been really good this year, the group is great and it’s really nice being with the post graduate students (who come through the Gippsland Medical School). We all have a different perspective, which aids our learning, and here everyone gets to know you better so there are lots of opportunities.”