I’m Waka, a 5th year medical student at UNSW.
2016 will mark my 16th year living in Australia. Despite living here for 2/3 of my life, completing primary and high school in Sydney, I too will be affected by the internship crisis and uncertainties of employment post-graduation. I still find it hard to believe, that after 6 years spent at medical school, and my family sacrificing everything to invest in more than ¼ million on education fees alone, I may not be able to complete internship, which are compulsory years of training for us to be accredited doctors.
Without internship training, no hospitals in Japan will accept us, so going back is not an option. Having lived in Sydney for so long, my life is here. I love Australia, and I cannot wait to be able to give back to so many Australians I’ve met over the years, through helping them in the best way I’ve come to know, through being a doctor. For my supportive family who have invested so much in my degree, the idea that all this will amount to nothing, is too painful.
We have a shortage of doctors and healthcare demands to meet. And there are so many Australian trained doctors who want to stay in this country we’ve come to love, being pushed away. It’s a disappointment that this issue exists, and my only hope is that the government will take responsibility and realise the importance of keeping Australian trained doctors in Australia.
Waka is a 5th year medical student from the University of New South Wales
#HelpMeHelpYou is a collection of stories from current NSW students who are genuinely interested in working in NSW after graduation & are worried that they may not be able to make good use of their hard-earned medical degree. Read all students' stories here.
Want to share your story? Email [email protected]
2016 will mark my 16th year living in Australia. Despite living here for 2/3 of my life, completing primary and high school in Sydney, I too will be affected by the internship crisis and uncertainties of employment post-graduation. I still find it hard to believe, that after 6 years spent at medical school, and my family sacrificing everything to invest in more than ¼ million on education fees alone, I may not be able to complete internship, which are compulsory years of training for us to be accredited doctors.
Without internship training, no hospitals in Japan will accept us, so going back is not an option. Having lived in Sydney for so long, my life is here. I love Australia, and I cannot wait to be able to give back to so many Australians I’ve met over the years, through helping them in the best way I’ve come to know, through being a doctor. For my supportive family who have invested so much in my degree, the idea that all this will amount to nothing, is too painful.
We have a shortage of doctors and healthcare demands to meet. And there are so many Australian trained doctors who want to stay in this country we’ve come to love, being pushed away. It’s a disappointment that this issue exists, and my only hope is that the government will take responsibility and realise the importance of keeping Australian trained doctors in Australia.
Waka is a 5th year medical student from the University of New South Wales
#HelpMeHelpYou is a collection of stories from current NSW students who are genuinely interested in working in NSW after graduation & are worried that they may not be able to make good use of their hard-earned medical degree. Read all students' stories here.
Want to share your story? Email [email protected]
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