The sixth-year medical student is excitedly eying a career in rural generalism, with a special interest in obstetrics and emergency, where she believes she can make the biggest difference.
Born into one of the founding families of Dysart, a coal mining and farming town three hours west of Mackay, Makenzie is a small-town girl at heart.
“Growing up in a one doctor town, quite far from tertiary centres, my family and I were often required to travel long distances for specialist care,” said Makenzie.
“My brother and I both have a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, resulting in us needing lots of specialist input growing up.
“These experiences inspired me to not only pursue medicine, but to pursue rural generalism as my future career and provide care to those in rural and remote settings.”
Overcoming health hurdles
The ups and downs of her personal health are among the challenges Makenzie has faced as she studies a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville.
“Experiencing health challenges while studying has definitely been difficult,” she acknowledged.
“Thankfully, having a good group of peers around me and seeking support from supervisors and JCU has helped me overcome each challenge as different health issues arise.”
Makenzie has also struggled with imposter syndrome and financial challenges, feeling left behind as her other non-medical peers bought houses and cars and started their own families.
“I also felt like I was not an equal to my peers and that I had to work harder to keep up,” she said.
“In order to overcome this, consistency with study became very important. This helped me to keep up with the study and assignments.”
Creating a community of friends who support each other while pursuing their individual goals has also been critical for Makenzie.
“GPSN has been great at connecting students with practitioners, allowing for student networking,” she added.
“GPSN has been great at connecting students with practitioners, allowing for student networking.”
Community connections
Makenzie is now in her final year of medicine and completing an extended 40-week rural placement in Mareeba, Far North Queensland.
“I love being someone who people can trust and confide in in these small communities, and I love how different the medicine can be in smaller settings,” said Makenzie.
“The most rewarding aspect is definitely being able to help people at their most vulnerable.”
It is in Mareeba’s emergency department where Makenzie has experienced some of her most memorable patient interactions.
She recalled one night spent caring for a patient with a mental health condition.
“I left feeling like I had been able to make a difference in the trajectory of how their evening was going and this was such a huge winning feeling,” she said.
“It made me feel like I was choosing the right career and was actively making a difference to the community.”
Essential skills for rural medicine
Other memorable experiences have been obstetric cases, where Makenzie has been able to help women at their most vulnerable.
She hopes to one day travel Australia as a rural generalist with advanced skills in obstetrics in emergency, providing obstetric care to communities in need.
“I think some people see rural medicine as limiting in career progression, but it is really the opposite – there are so many avenues you can take with rural medicine and so many different ways to service communities in need,” she said.
Adaptability is key to practising rural medicine, according to Makenzie.
She said being a team player and a good communicator, who was open to learning and not afraid to show initiative were also essential skills.
“I also think it is so important to embed yourself within the community and go to community events, support your local shops and engage with members of the community outside of a healthcare setting,” she added.
