Meet a member – Dr Jasmine Davis

Choosing to see this as a challenge rather than defeat, she has only grown more passionate about her profession, always seeking out opportunities where she can make a positive impact.

Her original passion for medicine grew from a desire to reduce health inequities, and the belief that becoming a doctor would facilitate her ability to do so.

“I’ll be honest that this passion has at times been squashed as I have learned how the systems (mainly hospital-based) we work within often today fail to serve our underprivileged, First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, women, and LGBTQIA+ people, and are not built to manage chronic disease,” Dr Davis said.

“However, I am continuously drawn back to medicine even as I’ve swayed slightly away from it to do other studies, because the impact that you can make as a doctor, whether you work in hospitals, in primary care, or in broader healthcare system, is unparalleled.

“I have been lucky to have seen doctors use this impact in such a positive way and hope to do the same in my career.”

Dr Davis said she entered university with an image of what she thought being a medical student and doctor would be like but found it to be quite different as she went through her training.

“Having not grown up in a family with any doctors I didn't have much of an idea as to what I was in for,” she said.

“My view of health and healthcare has always been very holistic and patient-centred, and in my first few years of medical school I struggled to see this in our overrun hospital system where medical students spend most of their time.

“Having the realisation that the system that we are required to work within for the majority of our training is not one that aligned with the image I had of my future career was very challenging, and then with the added experience of medical school in COVID-19 in Victoria, I found myself burned out and started to look into other career options.”

However, this didn’t mean she was taking time away from health. In 2021, she completed a Master of Public Health before returning to her clinical roots.

“I was very lucky to be able to complete a Master of Public Health where I found like-minded multidisciplinary professionals and was able to upskill in broader concepts of healthcare such as health policy, health economics and medical ethics health research,” she said.

“I found myself coming back to medicine as I still have a passion for improving Australia’s healthcare system and believe that in order to do this it is important to have some work experience in the system itself.”

Her persistence paid off, for she is now working as an intern at Bundaberg Hospital as part of the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway.

“Rural generalism aligns most with my interests in disease prevention, public health and holistic healthcare,” she said.

“I’ve always loved living in regional and rural areas and feel as though through this profession I can create a work life balance that suits my variety of interests both within and outside of medicine.

“I am also considering a career in Medical Administration in the future due to my interests in health policy and system reform, but I recognise the need to have good clinical experience prior to heading into management, so we will see where my career takes me!”

Since joining AMA Queensland as a student, Dr Davis has made a bold leap into advocacy and leadership, becoming President of the Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA), a Federal Councillor and an AMA Queensland Committee of Doctors in Training (CDT) Special Interest Group Lead.

“I was inspired by the work AMSA did and in my time as a student was able to be mentored by many AMSA alumni who ended up becoming members and leaders in the AMA,” she said.

“It wasn't until 2022 when I was elected President of AMSA and subsequently became a Federal Councillor that I realised just how important member-based advocacy and policy organisations are to make sure that decisions made by healthcare bodies and governments are fit for purpose and appropriate for our profession and to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.”

Marrying her love of rural health and health workforce advocacy, Dr Davis’ top priority lies in improving general practice pathways.

“My goal is to increase the number of medical students and junior doctors choosing a career in general practice (or rural generalism), and overall support for GPs and GP registrars,” she said.

“Since entering medical school, I have always wanted to be a rural GP, and it continues to concern me that our healthcare system undervalues the work of GPs, and that chronic underfunding of general practice has led to a declining number of people wanting to enter the specialty.

“We know that GPs keep patients out of hospital, and prevent disease, yet there has been a failure to adequately support and remunerate them.”

Although she is only just starting out in her career, Dr Davis is already proving to be a powerful and positive source in the advocacy and medical space, and we are incredibly fortunate to be able to support and work with her as an AMA Queensland and CDT member.