At the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), we regularly have the opportunity to train and educate some of the finest up and coming doctors not only across Australia, but the world.
This year, aspiring paediatrician at King’s College London, Jasmine Yap, spent three weeks working with the RFDS South Eastern Section team at Broken Hill.
There were many highlights for the final year medical student, including being a part of the retrieval and primary health teams, to support some of our most remote patients.
It quickly dawned on Jasmine how heavily these communities rely on the Flying Doctor.
“Some of these areas didn’t have doctors at all, with the closest ones being hours away by car or plane,” she said.
“I was therefore able to run consultations with nurses and patient’s 200 kilometres away via telehealth, with high-technology video cameras used to assess patients and view observations.”
Reflecting on her time with us, the aspiring paediatrician at King’s College London, who holds a BSc (Hons) in Remote Medicine from Imperial College London, was in awe of her experience the outback.
“As a life-long Londoner, I was aware that the outback would be a completely different experience. And it really was – but in the best way possible,” Jasmine explained.
“Some of my favourite things to do were visiting Aboriginal art galleries, watching the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and being able to see the milky way every night. Plus, I’ve loved seeing the wildlife!”
Jasmine was also appreciative of the RFDS and the opportunity to work alongside our passionate medical staff.
“I can’t thank the wonderful RFDS team enough for being so kind, welcoming, and inspiring. I have learnt and experienced more than I could ever have imagined,” she said.
“As someone who has always been interested in rural health, I was very excited to carry out my placement in Broken Hill. Being able to discuss perspectives with different team members was invaluable. I also enjoyed learning more about what makes aeromedical retrieval unique as a medical specialty, for example having pilots and engineers as part of the team.”
Following her time with the Flying Doctor, Jasmine spent the next three weeks of her elective in the paediatric department of Western Regional Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal.
On behalf of the Flying Doctor, we wish Jasmine all the best in her studies and career, and hope to see her again in the near future.
