Joanne Kaczmarek: Award winning JCU student’s plan to fix health crisis

An Indigenous-led start-up created close to home by four lifelong friends is the latest initiative aiming to battle the health workforce crisis.

The face of HEALTH JOBS, Joanne Kaczmarek.

An Indigenous-led start-up created close to home by four lifelong friends is the latest initiative aiming to battle the health workforce crisis.

HEALTH JOBS, a platform that connects job seekers and health sector employers, was created by medical student Joanne Kaczmarek, educator Claire Sainsbury, social worker Ryan Wiggins and HR professional Scott Green.

The four friends first met in 1998 when they attended high school together in Townsville, before going on to study at James Cook University together.

The face of HEALTH JOBS, Joanne Kaczmarek.

“We always knew we wanted to start a business together, and we always leaned toward business ideas that had social impact,” Ms Kaczmarek said.

Joanne and her sister Claire both grew up on Badu island, with commerce graduate Ms Kaczmarek pursuing a career in healthcare after the tragic death of Julieka Dhu in 2014.

“HEALTH JOBS is our contribution to addressing health workforce shortages not just in regional, rural and remote Australia – the regions closest to our hearts – but right across the country because this is a national issue. Our health sector is facing a complex set of challenges, and we certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we do want to be part of the solution.”

Despite travelling the world as a worker for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including stays in Myanmar and Nauru, Ms Kaczmarek became fully aware of the crisis unfolding in the health sector during rural placements on Thursday Island and Mount Isa.

“When I was in my third year of medicine, I started thinking about my future and where I’d like to work after graduation,” Ms Kaczmarek said.

“I looked online and was surprised to find that there was no national jobs board just for the health sector and that finding work in the sector meant knowing who to talk to and specifically where to look, as well as searching multiple sites and platforms to find job opportunities.

The HEALTH JOBS team circa 2004 on Magnetic Island. Claire Sainsbury, Ryan Wiggins, Joanne Kaczmarek and Scott Green.

“We think the idea of a central marketplace for health sector jobs just makes sense, and we couldn’t believe no one had created one already.”

Ms Kaczmarek said the substance of HEALTH JOBS would be based around indigenous focuses, though not necessarily the style.

“You won’t see indigenous design in our logo or on our website; HEALTH JOBS doesn’t look like an indigenous business, but you see it in how we operate, the connection we build with our customers and community, and the goals we’ve set out to achieve.

“We are Supply Nation listed, so every dollar spent on our platform contributes to increasing

supplier diversity. Not only can we help fill job vacancies, we can also help businesses toward their targets for procurement from indigenous businesses.”

Originally published as Joanne Kaczmarek: Award winning JCU student’s plan to fix health crisis