It’s 9am and Assan Sam is reaching for his usual breakfast, a hot cup of coffee, before getting ready for a day of clinical placement at the Mater Hospital, Townsville. It’s a slow and steady stint: four hours of monitoring patients’ conditions, correlating patterns between observations and his theoretical knowledge. It’s an important part of Assan’s six-year journey to becoming an interning Doctor.
Now in his fourth year of Medicine and Surgery, Assan’s work is fuelled by an innate desire to help others as well as a daily dose of caffeine. When asked about his long-term career plans, Assan says, “Honestly, I’m just trying to survive each day,” with a laugh. “But I know I want to be a good doctor. A clinician who takes the time to connect with their patient."
Assan is one of five Indigenous students in his cohort of 212 students. This disparity is reflective of the amount of Indigenous registered doctors in Australia: approximately 400 of the 100,000 registered doctors.
Indigenous doctors in Primary Healthcare Services have the potential to impact significant positive change on the health outcomes of First Nations Australians. These outcomes are in the forefront of Assan’s motivators, and close to his heart.
I speak Creole and English, so I’d like to utilise both of those languages to help our people. That’s definitely a big motivator to keep going. I want our people to feel comfortable going to the health centre.”
“Growing up and seeing our people’s health, the treatment of some of our people, and the language barriers they face, has been influential. I speak Creole and English, so I’d like to utilise both of those languages to help our people. That’s definitely a big motivator to keep going. I want our people to feel comfortable going to the health centre.”
Assan, now 26-years-old, spent most of his childhood in Townsville. As a Bwgcolman man, his family ties run back to the Sam and Prior families of Palm Island.
During early high school, Assan was naturally gifted in both sports and academics and found himself excelling in both areas. Amidst his successes, he found himself in the throes of challenging interpersonal relationships, which lead him to move out of home at the end of Year 10. With the guidance of his Dad and Nan, Assan made the difficult decision to attend Brisbane Boys College (BBC) for Year 11 and 12 – an opportunity that came about through his successful application to CYLP.
As soon as you let shame go, for us mob, anything’s possible.”
“I don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for CYLP. Through the opportunity to go to BBC, I did a lot of personal development at a very important stage of my life."
During this time, Assan learnt to let go of shame.
“For younger kids, shame is a toxic word and a toxic feeling to have, especially when you have goals. The word shame can be used to belittle you and bring you down. That’s something that CYLP has taught us as we’ve gone through the secondary program heading into tertiary program. As soon as you let shame go, for us mob, anything’s possible.”
After graduating school, Assan remained with the Leaders Program, which supported him through the completion of a Bachelor of Sports Science and into his current studies with JCU Townsville.
Finding his pace in the academic marathon of Medicine and Surgery didn’t come right away for Assan. On occasion, his academic load demanded more time than he had for himself.
“It’s educationally intensive. There’s a lot of complex subjects and you have limited time to learn it as best as you can. There are a lot of concepts to understand and decipher.
“In the first semester we had our Molecules to Cells subject. It’s very chemistry intensive. You sit there looking at these lines, chemical structures, and only doing a block of chemistry to get into medicine, it was very intimidating. And you’re sitting around with a lot of these other students who are saying they understand things. And you’re sort of sitting there thinking, ‘am I in the right place if I can’t understand these things?’”
Pulling on the power of community through peer study groups, the JCU Indigenous Education and Research Centre and CYLP’s Townsville Student Support Officer, Sharon Phineasa, Assan managed to navigate the first four years of his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. Although, finding his study-life balance is something Assan is still working on.
“There’s been times where I’ve had a conversation with Aunty Sharon, especially this year when I was feeling a bit flattened down. Someone mentioned to her that I wasn’t feeling too well, and she gave me a call. We’re such a close-knit family and community that we just sort of go out of our way to help where we can. They’ve been a big emotional support as well as financial.”
Assan uses his knowledge to support younger CYLP Leaders through the CYLP give-back program. It is through this opportunity that Assan supported a younger Leader, Amily, through her application into medical school. Now in her second year of studies, their relationship continues as one of mutual support.
“I have conversations with Amily about what’s important. What to focus on. We just try and help each other as best we can.”
After finishing medicine, I see myself very stressed with an internship. But I’d like to go rural. Somewhere quiet. To refresh to country life.
In between Assan and his Bachelor of Surgery and Medicine lies two more years of study.
“After finishing medicine, I see myself very stressed with an internship. But I’d like to go rural. Somewhere quiet. To refresh to country life. My long-term goal is to be the best doctor I can be so that I can help as many people as I can.”
Regardless of what position Assan finds himself in, rest assured he will be working from a place of genuine care.