Former teacher Jo Bourke to intern as doctor in Rockhampton

A high school teacher has swapped her days in the classroom for a career helping others in another way, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree in Rockhampton.

Former school teacher Jo Bourke left her job in 2018 to pursue a career in medicine and will do her internship in Rockhampton.

A high school teacher has swapped her days in the classroom for a career helping others in another way, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Jo Bourke is a medical student based at the University of Queensland Regional Clinical Unit in Rockhampton, graduating on Friday.

She was recently accepted into the five-year Rural Generalist program and will intern with CQ Health, based in Rockhampton, for the next two years.

Formerly a deputy principal, Ms Bourke witnessed first hand the daily mental health struggles teenagers faced, but didn’t feel equipped with the knowledge to be able to help them.

But helping her students wasn’t the only reason Ms Bourke was drawn to healthcare.

When her dad fell ill and required chemotherapy, dialysis and later a stem cell transplant, she saw the divide between what doctors say and what patients hear.

It was during that time she wished she had the ability to speak their language and have that power to help her father.

In 2018, she quit her job to pursue a new career in health, which led her to study medicine.

She said her path to study medicine came after she learnt of the shortage of general practitioners in Australia.

“I decided to take time off to study a Master of Public Health in Darwin to help me in my work as a deputy principal,” she said.

Former school teacher Jo Bourke left her job in 2018 to pursue a career in medicine and will do her internship in Rockhampton.

“Through those years of study, I learnt about the shortage and decided to sit the GAMSAT to see whether I was cut out for it.

“I wasn’t expecting to pass, but I did.”

Ms Bourke was then accepted into UQ’s Doctor of Medicine program and spent two years studying in Brisbane before deciding to complete her third and fourth years in Rockhampton.

“I chose Rockhampton for many reasons; I like the smaller community and the smaller medical community,” she said.

“I was one of 400 students living in Brisbane, and here I am one of 30, which has meant I have had a close-knit group to study with, socialise with and feel supported by.

“Living on campus has been a good financial decision for me and has meant I haven’t had to fight traffic every morning.”

She said one of the best things about finishing her final two years in Rockhampton was the access to the medical fraternity and the teaching support from the Rural Clinical School.

“We have had direct access to consultants, who invite you to appointments, surgeries and to review results, which has meant more opportunities to get involved and get that hands-on experience,” she said.

“The weekly clinical skills sessions and real-life simulations have been such a valuable learning experience to build my confidence and knowledge, more hands-on learning than what I would have got in Brisbane.”

Regional Clinical Unit Rockhampton head, Associate Professor Sunday Pam, says the graduating students have shown a great interest in learning and participation throughout their time in Rockhampton and hopes they maintain the same level of spirit as they enter the workforce.

“Being a student is just a scratch of a career and now the real work starts,” Dr Pam said.

“I hope the students keep the same humility to learn as they have shown here, to stay humble, to ask when they need help and explore the unknown.”