Nateika Ramsurrun and Grace Gable among 75 new doctors welcomed in Tasmanian hospitals

Tasmanians hospitals have welcomed 75 graduate doctors across the state, including five at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Nateika Ramsurrun (left) with Grace Gable – two graduate doctors to start at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Picture: supplied

As the first person in her family to go to university, Nateika Ramsurrun’s journey to becoming a doctor started with some trepidation.

Dr Ramsurrun trained as a nurse in New South Wales before successfully applying for medical school – an outcome that came as a shock, she said.

Two children and three bachelors degrees later, the Palawa woman has commenced her career at the Royal Hobart Hospital as one of 75 new doctors across Tasmanian hospitals.

She said despite a “long tough journey” through her studies, she was proud to stand as an “Indigenous doctor and mother”.

“It’s about time we accept doctors can be both male and female and can be parents,” she said.

“What I’ve experienced so far is very supportive, and the doctors are understanding and compassionate about the stresses of having children.”

Left to right: Jack Beswick, Nateika Ramsurrun, Luke Muir, Grace Gable, and Miles McTaggart. Five graduate doctors to start at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Picture: supplied

On Friday, Dr Ramsurrun was among five medical interns — or first year doctors — to be introduced by state health minister Jacquie Petrusma at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Dr Ramsurrun was the only doctor to have moved interstate with the four others having completed their medical degrees at the University of Tasmania.

After losing her father to terminal brain cancer at the age of 20, Grace Gable decided to shift careers from medical research to medicine — “to work more on the ground and be hands on with patients”.

“I want to be part of those vulnerable interactions,” she said.

Despite some emotion, she said she was proud to work in the hospital that had treated her father years before.

“Your whole life’s worth of memories are in this hospital so it’s nice to have that reminder that really important things happen here,” she said.

The appointments come at a time of major stress for the state’s health system, where critical shortages are leading to burnout among doctors.

But Dr Gable said her generation was bringing “a different culture” through the hospitals.

“We’re going to have really long, healthy and happy careers,” she said.

“There’s also relief being here in Tassie because we know with certainty we can get jobs in the state.”

State health minister Jacquie Petrusma with graduate doctors at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Picture: supplied

As part of their training the doctors will rotate through a variety of specialties across the hospital including the emergency department, surgery and general medicine.

Ms Petrusma said Tasmania was a “fantastic” place for doctors to begin their careers, adding she was “so pleased” to see a majority of Tasmanian-trained medical students.

Hospital executive director of medical services and research Kate Burbury congratulated the doctors for their dedication and “personal and professional growth”.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of the medical profession,” she said.

“This is not a job, it’s a vocation and we’re here to support the future generation of medical professionals.”