One of our most recent graduates is already helping to ensure the transition from medical student to practising doctor is easier for others. And 25-year-old Dr Isaac Wade has been rewarded for his efforts.
Late last year the Central Coast Local Health District named him Junior Medical Officer of the Year for his “significant contribution to teaching and education as a prevocational trainee” at Gosford Hospital, where he works as a medical registrar.
The award acknowledged Isaac’s updates to an open access website called JMO Central, which provides advice and information for new doctors. He has also been teaching new medical students clinical skills at Gosford Hospital and earned the Joint Medical Program’s Central Coast Clinical School Dean’s Award for teaching excellence, as voted by his students.
“This one made me tear up a little bit,” said Isaac, who went through the Joint Medical Program – a five-year program comprising a Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine jointly run by UNE and the University of Newcastle. “I love teaching, and it was heartwarming to know that the students enjoyed learning with me.”
Isaac moved from Brisbane to Armidale to study medicine (living for two years in Mary White College) and completed placements in Armidale, Taree, Tamworth and Glen Innes, before moving to the Central Coast. He has stayed on since graduating and will this year rotate through Gosford, Lismore and Royal North Shore hospitals as he continues training towards a specialisation.
“I’m keen to continue contributing to the holistic education of medical students and junior doctors, to ensure that we are doing the best by our patients by practising high-quality, safe and evidence-based care at all times,” Isaac said.
“The NSW public health system is stretched very thin. There are ongoing efforts from nurses, midwives and doctors to advocate for better working conditions and improved staffing, to address the long waiting times for patients trying to access primary care. I encourage people to support their local health workers in this advocacy.”
Studying at UNE, Isaac learnt from “incredibly skilled and versatile” rural health practitioners.
“I was exposed to a diverse range of health conditions,”
“I was exposed to a diverse range of health conditions,” he said. “Our UNE lecturers would be delivering babies one day, providing anaesthetic support for surgical procedures the next, then sitting down to provide complex chronic disease management plans for patients the day after.
“While I’ve currently moved away from the country for work and study, I hope to one day be able to take up some work in a more rural setting and give back to the communities that have taught me so much in medical school.”
