We invited scholarship winner Jasmyn Williams to share her journey since receiving the Pegasus Workforce Development Scholarship in May 2021.
Here’s her story.
I’ve just started my 5th year at Christchurch hospital and I’m loving it. My first run is orthopaedics and advanced surgery which has actually been my favourite so far.
Over the summer I was up in Auckland working for a Māori health provider as part of the clinical team supporting whānau who were isolating at home with COVID. This involved triaging, dropping kai and medications, and referring for financial aid. This was really rewarding mahi as I could expand my clinical knowledge and engage meaningfully with whānau. Now back in Christchurch, I’m hoping to be a part of the community isolation supports here, while continuing remote work for our Auckland whānau too.
Considering the future, I’m still unsure about which specialty to choose for my career. However, I am planning on remaining in Canterbury for the remainder of my studies and early years as a doctor, with the focus of improving Māori health outcomes.
Winning the Pegasus Scholarship last year was a big highlight. It alleviated a lot of my financial worries, which is pretty rare being a student, and instead I was able to focus more on soaking up everything the Medical School has to offer. I’m still very humbled to have received the scholarship as I know Canterbury has a lot of academic talent and rising numbers of Māori and Pasifika health care professionals in training (which in itself is amazing and will create generational positive change for our people).
In summary, I’d like to thank Pegasus Health again for their support.