What makes Apsara different is the fact she has an advantage over her fellow medical colleagues, having spent a few months working at Blacktown Hospital as an Assistant in Medicine (AiMS) in the geriatrics and neurology departments in 2022.
“I’m more confident in performing procedural skills because of the time already spent working at the hospital so I feel like that gives me a head start,” Apsara said.
Apsara’s passion for medicine began when she was young and grew during her school years. She describes practicing medicine as “a unique privilege as sickness is non-discriminatory and can affect anyone no matter their background – something other careers do not offer”.
In 2018, Apsara relocated from Sri Lanka to complete her Bachelor of Medicine degree at Western Sydney University.
“I am very excited to start working at Blacktown Hospital,” Apsara said.
“The hospital has an outstanding reputation as a friendly, warm, diverse and accepting place of employment and was rated number one by a number of my student peers.”
The Merrylands resident is thrilled to begin her medical journey working at BMDH in the geriatrics, cardiology, Allied Health and surgery departments and gain experience and knowledge from the medical and nursing teams.
“I’m excited as this job can be so rewarding – helping others and hopefully giving people a reason to smile,” she said.
“Medicine is such an interesting subject and a challenge. You never stop learning, never get bored and there are always exciting new developments and advancements,” she said.
Apsara is favoring dermatology but wants to keep an open mind and experience all the specialties before she makes her decision.
The new junior medical officers (JMOs) have been welcomed to undertake a supervised year of practice in medicine, surgery, and emergency medicine across both hospitals.
The JMOs have completed a comprehensive two-week orientation program that included didactic presentations, procedural skills, mandatory training, competency assessments, buddy rounding and orientation to Mount Druitt Hospital.
Director of Medical Services Dr Alison Loughran-Fowlds welcomed the new cohort of future doctors to western Sydney.
“BMDH is an extraordinary place for interns to commence their careers,” Alison said.
“We offer peer mentoring and specialist programs for them to train as specialised doctors or general practitioners. Working at BMDH can lead to a rewarding, satisfying career opportunity that offers long-term job opportunities for all.”
Almost 1100 medical graduate interns have commenced work across NSW rotating between metropolitan and rural
hospitals.
SOURCE: The Pulse, Western Sydney Health
