Teenage Mackay high school student aims for hospital career

Teenager Tamika Mooney has made her mind up to work in allied health.

A school-based healthcare traineeship has provided the pathway to her career after she finishes high school in Mackay.

“I now want to work in allied health at the Mackay Base Hospital,” Ms Mooney said.

The 18-year-old took part in the Big Dreams, Small Steps school-based healthcare traineeship program.

“The program has helped me make decisions about my chosen career. Now I know for sure that I want to work in health and that I definitely want to work in the allied health team,” Ms Mooney said.

“We work at the Mackay Base hospital every week and meet with our teacher and the program co-ordinator during the training sessions in the afternoon.”

Ms Mooney said the program had helped her achieve a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and had also led to a part-time job at a Mackay general practice.

“I really enjoyed being part of the program and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the program.”

After a presentation at her high school, Ms Mooney applied for the traineeship.

“I wanted to try something different and explore my options in health,” she said.

Mackay Hospital and Health Service (MHHS) has partnered with CQUniversity (CQU) and Australian Training Works (ATW) with support from Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) to recruit Year 11 students to the school-based traineeship.

Ms Ramsamy said the Big Dreams, Small Steps, or Budyubari Bidyiri Kebi Stapal, program started in the Mackay region in January last year with 15 students undertaking a Certificate II in Health Support Services.

She said in September last year, 11 of the students converted to school-based trainees undertaking a Certificate III in Health Support Services.

“There are now nine trainees continuing in the program and they are due to complete in September this year,” Ms Ramsamy said.

“At this stage we are looking to continue and build upon the current program to take it further.

“We currently work in partnerships with NQPHN as the funding body, ATW as the Group Training Organisation as well as CQU as the Registered Training Organisation.

“The trainees take on placements in the hospital as well as doing a 10-week block at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service to gain primary care exposure.”

The trainees are from Mackay Christian College, Mackay Northern Beaches State High School, Mackay North State High School, Mirani State High School, Sarina State High School, and Moranbah State High School.

Ms Ramsamy said the main achievement for the trainees had been the completion of the Certificate II in Health Support Services and being able to manage the traineeship while also balancing the pressures of completing Year 12.

MHHS Chief Executive Officer Lisa Davies Jones said the program allowed students to achieve healthcare qualifications while they were still at school. She said the health service was committed to employing more staff who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. About 2 per cent of the workforce currently identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. “We want to increase that to 5 per cent to be in line with the proportion of the wider health service community that identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,” Ms Davies Jones said. She said having more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff was important to improve the health service’s cultural capability to support patients. “We want to engage a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Investing in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce will also support our Close the Gap initiatives,” Ms Davies Jones said. “By providing a culturally supported and structured health career pathway we hope to grow a sustainable workforce as well as improve education outcomes for young people.”

CQU Associate Vice-President NQ and Hinterland Pierre Viljoen said CQU was “proud to be recognised as Australia’s most inclusive university with the highest ratio of students from disadvantaged, mature age, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and first-in-family backgrounds.”

“This inclusive approach and commitment to access and participation shows that the University defines itself by who it embraces, rather than who it excludes, and we are overjoyed to be able to work with MHHS on this wonderful project”, Professor Viljoen said.

Picture shows Tamika Mooney with her supervisor Allyson Smith.