11 January 2023

We are proud to welcome aboard 65 first-year doctors starting their internship orientation at Austin Health this week!

After graduating last year, they will transition from medical student to junior doctor with the support and guidance from our experienced staff.

Our junior doctors will be working across a variety of specialties in the hospital including general medicine, surgery, psychiatry and ED.

We spoke to two new starters to find out a little bit more about them.

Dr Yusuf Hassan spoke to us about where he hopes to see himself in medicine.

“Having completed my undergraduate major in Anatomy, I was constantly intrigued by General Surgery throughout medical school.

“A big reason why I chose to start my medical career at Austin Health is its reputation for excellent surgical training within a welcoming and friendly environment.”

Yusuf’s first rotation will be in the Emergency Department, he says medicine is like one big team sport and he’s most looking forward to making a positive impact on his patients and their families.

“The interplay between People, Problem Solving and Pathology is why I chose a medical career.

“Getting to go to work every day and see patients from all walks of life, hear their concerns, assess their problems and reassure them they're in safe hands, sounds like an extremely fulfilling career that I'm excited to start!”

Dr Ashleigh Russell is heading up north to complete her first rotation in Echuca.

“I’m looking forward to getting to have some experience working in a rural setting! I didn’t get much time in rural placements as a student, so I’m excited to see the differences between working metro and rural. I’ve heard the rural rotations are a lot of fun and a good learning experience, so I’m excited for that too,” she said.

While Ashleigh isn’t sure of where she wants her career to go just yet, she was drawn to medicine through of her love of helping people and finding science and learning about the human body interesting.

“My top three at the moment are paediatrics, psychiatry and GP. I liked these rotations as a student and found them really interesting, plus the people are generally really kind and supportive.”

We send our warmest welcome to all new interns, we look forward to seeing what you can achieve in your first year at Austin Health.