The Doctor of Medicine at UWA introduces students to a diverse career and a journey of life-long learning. Through excellent supervision and top clinical and academic staff, students can pursue placements in Perth, with the Rural Clinical School and overseas, producing capable and caring doctors who are committed to the wellbeing of the patient, community and society.

Personal life experiences have inspired many of UWA’s future doctors to pursue medicine, but they also have broader ambitions for their careers. 

They look up to their teachers and mentors who are not only clinicians, but also educators, leaders and researchers.
Niklesh Warrier is a final year Medical School student at UWA.

“My first interactions with the medical field was as a kid, tagging along with my father whenever he visited his Neurologist for his epilepsy.” 

“I had exposure to his journey, from his first seizure happening behind the wheel causing multiple spinal fractures, through uncontrolled absence seizures, through to returning to work and enjoying life again.”

“This really fostered a sense of awe at the idea of medicine as an ever-evolving field that can make very tangible differences in a person’s life, and the medical professionals who helped my father,” Niklesh said. 

Prisha Goel, a first-year medical student at UWA, is also drawn to the dynamic and challenging nature of medicine as a career, feeling a personal connection to the field, as she sees how it can make a difference in people’s lives.

“From an early age I was able to appreciate the altruism of doctors when I witnessed a doctor volunteering to care for a very sick passenger on a long-haul flight. 

“It helped me to realise there are opportunities to help others both within and outside the clinic, and the outcomes are very tangible,” Prisha said.

Depending on whether a Medical Student has completed an undergrad prior to Medical School, the learning curve is steep in first year.
“I completed a Medical Science undergraduate degree before Medicine, and I consider myself fortunate that this large volume of entry-level science was separated across three years,” Niklesh said.

“When I started Medicine, it was within months that we translated all the anatomy, physiology and pathology theory into clinical medicine,” Niklesh said.

“I was able to fully appreciate the complexities of neuroanatomy when I completed my first cranial nerve exam in medical school,” Niklesh said.

Prisha also explains that first year is content focussed and based on campus.

UWA has a systems approach to study in first year with each system block starting with anatomy and physiology, the two most heavily emphasised disciplines, with laboratory classes to supplement, followed by several weeks of pathology, pharmacology, microbiology and immunology.

“Each week finishes with small group clinical skills classes where history taking and clinical examination related to the current system are practiced,” Prisha said. 

“There is also a heavy emphasis on group study and we are encouraged to approach discipline leads, who are very responsive, with questions to fill any gaps in knowledge,” Prisha said.

The students commence clinical placements in hospitals and general practices in May of their second year. By third year, students are learning the value of bedside tutorials and clinical training, expanding on the experience gained on placements around either metropolitan Perth or rurally through the rural clinical school, where good clinical supervision is the key to successful medical education.

Ben Milne is a third year Medical Student at UWA and knows the value of good clinical supervision.

“By third year we are able to further our clinical skills learnt in second year and apply this to a range of disciplines where we work alongside junior and senior doctors,” Ben said.

“Students benefit from the kindness of registrars and consultants, who take the time out of their busy schedules, to give students tutorials in formal or informal settings, such as during ward rounds or in a clinic setting.

“The team you are assigned can significantly change the learning that you receive and further makes compassionate and charitable senior doctors very valuable,” Ben said.

Not only do clinical supervisors impart knowledge and skills, they also mentor, coach, and inspire the next generation of doctors. They help students develop their professional identity, values, and ethics, as well as their clinical competence and confidence. They also create a supportive and stimulating learning environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.

It enables students like Niklesh to try out various kinds of new experiences that unexpectedly arise in the final year.

“Despite being in my final year, it was a year of firsts: I got to intubate my first patient with an Anaesthetist right by my side, made my first call to the RFDS during my rural GP rotation with help from a GP registrar and clerked my first patients in the Emergency Department with my buddy RMO,” said Niklesh.

Today’s medical students greatly benefit from their supervisors who set them up on a path to a successful and rewarding career in Medicine. 

The students themselves honour the opportunities for diversity and greatly admire the UWA academic staff who balance their clinical roles with teaching, leadership and research activities.

Many aspire to have such multifaceted careers in the future with face-to-face and team-based learning that prepares them for a collaborative work environment.

Learn more about Niklesh, Prisha and Ben’s “Typical Days” here.

If you’re ready to share your wisdom and help medical students discover their potential, mentoring could be your opportunity. 

Email us for more information on becoming a clinical mentor.