AMAV VICDOC SUMMER 2023 - Magazine - Page 81
YOU WRITE REGULARLY FOR WOMEN’S
AGENDA AND HAVE JUST RELEASED
YOUR FIRST NOVEL THE REGISTRAR.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING
AND WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO
START WRITING?
—
I was having a coffee with a journalist
friend in 2017 and got a text message from
my son’s GP practice, asking me to confirm an
appointment for the following day. The thing
was, I had never taken my son to the GP, and
we had tried on multiple occasions to have my
husband listed as the primary parent. This is no
criticism of the GP practice, but just an example
of how implicitly gender roles are reinforced
in society. My husband also works full time but
has always been a bit more flexible in his work
and has thus borne more of the parenting tasks
and emotional labour of keeping a household
running, and yet has faced specific challenges
because no one expects it to be him. I told this
story to my friend and she asked me to write
about it. On a whim, having not written for
years, I did, and she sent it to her editor
at Women’s Agenda, and it kind of
went everywhere.
Since that time, I’ve written small bits of
commentary, often about gender or health
equity. Having a day job allows me some
privileges when it comes to writing ‒ I don’t
have to write every day and I’m not trying to
earn an income from my writing, so generally
I only write when I’m interested in something or
moved to. Not everything I write sees the light
of day! I’ve written and thrown out plenty, as I’m
still very much learning the craft.
The novel arose from an almost overwhelming
need to tell the story. I had just learned that a
former colleague had died, and I sat down and
wrote the first three chapters of a first draft
that evening (two of those three were later
cut, proving that writing is actually
rewriting, repeatedly!)
Share an interest or
hobby away from
medicine
–
Email:
vicdoc@ amavic.com.au
YOUR NEW NOVEL THE REGISTRAR
FOCUSES ON THE CULTURE OF MEDICINE
AND THE IMPACT OF THIS, ESPECIALLY
ON DOCTORS EARLY IN THEIR CAREER.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGE
AND HOW COULD THIS BE ACHIEVED?
—
I think that storytelling is a really powerful to
understand the human experience and impact
of things that we more often hear about as facts
or statistics. There are so many issues with the
culture of medicine, and overall I would like
to see it be a profession that is physically and
emotional safer and more inclusive.
This needs people to understand not only facts
but rather the stories, as this is what changes
hearts and minds. As acclaimed author, Zadie
Smith, argues in her essay titled ‘Fail Better’,
storytelling is not just about the responsibility
of those telling tales to try their hardest, to
avoid sleepwalking through not only cliched
sentences and misformed paragraphs, but whole
misconceived stories, but also the responsibility
of the reader, the listener to understand that
this is a two-way street. That understanding, done
properly, is as tough as telling. She compares
the reader/listener to a music performer handed
sheet music rather than the audience. The
composer might have written a beautiful score
but it is the skill of the musician, hard-won, that
translates it into something beautiful.
I don’t have solutions to these problems.
They might look like different things to different
people in different places. But I do think the
starting point is all of us, especially those in
positions of power and authority to approach
the issues our colleagues and patients face
with curiosity, courage and genuine effort.
WHAT IS YOUR KEY MESSAGE
ABOUT WELLBEING FOR DOCTORS IN
TRAINING AS THEY JUGGLE WORK,
STUDY AND PERSONAL COMMITMENTS?
—
Please seek assistance
and support, especially
if you are struggling.
It is not a failing to
f ind things diff icult.
VI CD O C SPRI N G 2022
81