The inaugural Boots to scrubs scholarship is being rolled out across the country.
Boots to Scrubs: Rural women in medicine scholarship, was founded in 2023 by Chloe Campbell and co-founder Georgia Goodhew within the Australian Medical Students association to help encourage and support the next generation of rural women to pursue a career in medicine. Chloe and Georgia grew up in the rural towns of Bombala and Narabri respectively and experienced first hand the lack of mentors, support and education around pursuing medicine as a career. This experience fueled the drive to start Boots to Scrubs.
In its first year Boots to Scrubs has provided free quality educational resources to rural women across the country and has hosted mixed modal events where interested women were able to hear the stories of current women studying medicine and have their questions answered in a supportive environment. The inspiring stories program which highlights our amazing mentors has been an incredible success, highlighting the stories of rural women in medicine across the country. These doctors have been extremely candid with their journey’s offering not only advice for those aspiring to become doctors but also sharing a unique insight into the highs and lows of the reality of being a female doctor in the bush.
The success of 2024 has led to us expanding the team and adding four highly accomplished women to the team, all with a passion for supporting women in the bush. Briony Littlejohns from University of Newcastle, Bridget Gaul from The Australian National University, Ulyana Kondratova from Monash university and Katie long from Charles Sturt University.
On behalf of all of the Boots to Scrubs team we are thrilled to announce the launch of our inaugural scholarship. The Boots to Scrubs Rural Women in Medicine SMWEA scholarship aims to support and empower women from the country in their first year of studies. The Scholarship includes a $7500 scholarship, a $50 Birdsnest voucher and a mentorship from a female rural doctor. The scholarship is open to first year rural female students at any accredited medical school in Australia.
Our major sponsor for the scholarship is Dr Venassa Wong of SMWEA. SWMEA is a versatile enterprise dedicated to delivering essential medical services in rural and remote areas. Our commitment extends to providing Cultural Safety Training, a distinctive program informed by our dual perspective as a patient from humble origins and as a seasoned doctor. In addition, we engage and inspire through keynote speeches, sharing valuable insights on resilience and determination.
You can Explore the vibrant world of rural and remote doctors through Dr Wong’s instagram page @ur_outbackdoc, offering an intimate look into the remarkable challenges and experiences that herself and many rural doctors navigate.
Birdsnest is proudly sponsoring our scholarship winners with $50 vouchers to help with the cost of professional attire for placement. “As a regionally based business that employs over 150 locals, most of which are women, birdsnest understands the power of women and connection in rural communities. We value empowering women within our team and our extended community, which is why we are so honoured to support the next generation of female rural doctors.”
“ It is a surreal feeling to this project succeed and to be able to now offer our first scholarship” Chair of Boots to Scrubs, Chloe Campbell quoted. “We built this project based on our own experiences and challenges of pursuing a career in medicine. Hearing directly from students we have engaged with about their stories and how they are now inspired and feel supported to pursue medicine is truly so rewarding. I cannot wait to see the journey of our scholarship recipient, I think all of us at Boots to Scrubs and AMSA will be immensely proud to be part of their journey in medicine”.
“As someone who grew up in Narrabri, rural NSW, I’ve always believed in the power of community and the resilience of rural women” Vice Chair Georgia shared. “The launch of our Boots to Scrubs scholarship represents not just new opportunities, but provides hope for aspiring female doctors just like myself. Already we have touched the lives of so many female medical students, and I can’t wait to follow along on the journey of our 2024 scholarship recipient”
The Boots to Scrubs Rural women in medicine scholarship opens on the 1st of March and closes on the 31st of March. To apply for the scholarship and to learn more about what we do at Boots to Scrubs go to our website or follow us on instagram or facebook.
