The House Call Doctor is inviting Indigenous students to apply to Futures in Medicine Indigenous Scholarship. The scholarship is aimed at supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students along the journey to their career in medicine.

The scholarship will give $10,000 to one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student to go towards their academic costs in 2018. To be eligible, they have to be an undergraduate/postgraduate student in a medical/ health field at an Australian University, and entering at least 2nd year of study in 2018.

Dr Mark Wenitong, founder of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and an advocate for the scholarship program, said that Indigenous Australians have a vital role to play in our national healthcare workforce.

“The Australian healthcare system works very well for the majority of Australians. However, there is great discrepancy in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this country.

For Indigenous Australians, there are significant barriers in accessing medical professionals who can communicate effectively and understand cultural approaches to healthcare.

Encouraging more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to pursuit a career in medicine, and supporting them to study and succeed, should be a major focus for our nation’s health workforce.

A career in medicine is an attainable aspiration for our Indigenous youth today. I would strongly encourage young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands to study within this field, and make a positive difference to the lives of their communities and families.

Medicine is a highly professional career that opens doors to multiple avenues to success and fulfillment in life. Whilst medicine can be a challenging career, Indigenous people have been healers for millennia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are already working in a range of specialities and medical studies. We have runs on the board to show that Indigenous Australians can have a successful future in the medical field.

I would encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to apply for the Futures in Health Indigenous Scholarship, along with other programs like it, and aim to make a difference in your own life along with that of your community.”

The House Call Doctor believes that healthcare professionals should reflect the diversity of patients they care for. Indigenous Australians currently comprise just 0.3% of the national healthcare workforce, and the Futures in Health Scholarship has been designed to address this imbalance.

Applications opened on 15th June 2017 and close on 15th December 2017. Click here for more information.

More articles on My Health Career:

• New index to examine geographic supply of clinical health workforce for Indigenous Australians
• $54.4 investment to boost clinical training in regional Australia
• Can the redistribution of medical school solve the problems in training places shortage?

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