I come from a family of lawyers and teachers but both my parents are very practical. I definitely inherited an interest in physics and mechanics from my father which manifested in a shared interest in motorbikes. This resulted in me working on my own bikes as well as a casual job in the workshop at the racetrack. While I get my mechanical disposition from my father, I think I get a lot of my hands-on, practical abilities from my mother, who is very creative.

Unfortunately, outdated stereotypes pertaining to orthopaedic surgery still exist in medical school and I remember being relatively unenthused when I saw I had been given a rotation in my third year. However, by chance I was paired with an enthusiastic, personable consultant at Hawkesbury Hospital in NSW. He involved me in absolutely everything and I was struck by his humility and passion for the specialty. I came out of the rotation utterly inspired. From there, I sought another orthopaedic rotation in Ballarat in my final year and ended up joining the team again for my elective term. I took every opportunity I could to learn and, as a result, I have found two incredibly inspiring and supportive mentors who continue to encourage me and help me to further develop my surgical skills.

Having just begun my internship, I am focused on gaining experience and skills in all areas of medicine because I believe it is important to have a solid grounding. In the longer term, I am focusing my energy on orthopaedics. I want to excel at what I do, but it is equally important to me that I am the kind of surgeon that continuously gives back and is an inspiring and supportive female role model.

Last year was tough for everyone and I think there was a much larger awareness of how colleagues were coping. I feel like I saw a shift towards more supportive team environments, especially in surgery. It was great to see everyone regularly checking in on each other. By continuing to look out for the entire team as the pandemic continues (and when it subsides), we can better care for each other and therefore provide better care for our surgical patients.

The pandemic has also altered the ways in which we communicate with colleagues and patients. Online access to conferences and teaching is something that I have certainly benefited from and would love to see continued for the benefit of the surgical community as a whole. I also think that telehealth has proven useful by providing patients with better access to aspects of surgical care. While it is certainly not a perfect modality, I think we should consider how it can be better utilised moving forward.

I was often told to keep an open mind and I still believe that is good advice. It is important to experience all areas of medicine. Further, never judge a specialty too quickly based on stereotypes. As with many things, everyone will have an opinion about your future and your chosen path, but at the end of the day if you know what you want, you have to go for it. My advice would be to put yourself out there and seek as many opportunities as possible through your university as well as through the Australian Orthopaedic Association and the Orthopaedic Women’s Link. Finally, gravitate towards surgeons and orthopaedic trainees you look up to and who will guide and support you.