In late March, Mercy Health hosted more than 20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 10–12 students as part of the Weenthunga Health Network’s Nyarrn-gakgo Mangkie Girls Resilience Program, which means ‘hear within’ in the Woiwurrung language.
There is no better way to understand what a career in health might look like than to spend time in a health worker’s shoes. In late March, more than 20 Indigenous students from secondary schools across Melbourne’s north east attended a Girls Resilience Day Program at Mercy Hospital for Women.
Students and staff from Yiramalay/Wesley Studio School who attended the Girls Resilience Program, with Mercy Hospital for Women Aboriginal Postnatal Engagement Officer Cathy Garlett (second from left) and Mercy Hospital for Women Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer Merinda Slater (far right).
The event organiser was Weenthunga Health Network, an organisation committed to encouraging and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls into careers in health. It would appear the visit to Mercy Hospital for Women might have done the trick, says Mercy Hospital for Women Aboriginal Programs Manager Marika Jackamos.
“It was a fabulous event,” Marika says. “The main purpose of the day was to expose young Aboriginal women to what a career in health might be like. But an added benefit of the day was that it reiterated to these young women that hospitals are safe places for them to attend should they ever need healthcare.”
The girls were shown around the hospital’s Outpatient Clinics and maternity wards and were even offered a glimpse of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which cares for sick and premature babies at the hospital. A number of guest speakers also talked to the girls about careers in health, and they were treated to Marika’s insights and career journey.
“It was wonderful that Marika could share the story of her mob and cultural background,” says Mercy Health Group Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Erana Tito. “She spoke of what the Mercy Hospital for Women Aboriginal Program does and how it supports our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, consumers and staff. Hopefully in a few years’ time we receive job applications from some of the girls who attended.”
“In June, Mercy Health is piloting a work experience program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students in our health services.
Last reviewed July 5, 2019.