Future Doctors Australia

The Future Doctors Australia program was more than a camp—it was the turning point in my life. I attended in Year 11, and until then, I had no idea what the UCAT was or how much preparation went into medical interviews. The mentors broke everything down in a way that made it achievable.

What stuck with me most was the career insights day. Hearing about specialisations like neurology and rural GP work helped me find what actually interested me beyond the ‘being a doctor’ dream. I left that program with a full plan—and a new mindset.

Fast forward a few years, I’m now a first-year med student at UQ and still use the note templates and study tips I picked up during the program. I honestly don’t think I’d be here without FDA.

As a young Aboriginal student, I didn’t think I could be a doctor because I did not think I would even get close to the required ATAR. Also, where I come from, there are not tutors to help with UCAT or anything. But so many details were clarified to me about applying as a First Nations applicant that I can really see it as a solid possibility now. This program made me proud and helped me believe I can help my community one day through medicine.

At first I was nervous to go. But everyone was so nice and I made heaps of friends. I’m way more confident now, not just in wanting to do medicine, but in talking to people too.

The Q&A was also a highlight experience personally. The main highlight of the Q&A was the psychiatrist. This allowed me to further enhance my understanding of mental disorders. It also allowed me to get my questions answered without false information or judgment.

Aside from the professional speakers, I liked how this experience wasn’t heavily academic based. It allowed students like myself, who don't have a medical background, to not feel so isolated from people in comparison who have a medical family background.

Although I have zero complaints about this experience, personally, I wished that the communication workshop  wasn’t a whole day but spread across the days. This is due to the fact that we aren't practicing building confidence due to it all being compacted into a single day rather than over the time period of the course.

In summary, I really appreciate being given the opportunity to participate in this experience and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to pursue a career in medicine.

To Professor  T. Hugh,
I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the amazing learning experience during the future doctors program. I’d like to thank you for sharing your experience of getting into medicine, which has given me the encouragement to not give up during the process. Your reasoning on why to not be obsessed with doing a specific field has also made me open my eyes and to not infatuate over a specific area of medicine. Once again, I thank you for your time and appreciate having the opportunity to listen to your advice.

To Dr. S. Bhattacharyya,

I would like to take this time to thank you for the experience of talking with you. I appreciate the response from my questions and helping me further understand the role of a psychiatrist and the different sections of how an illness or disorder is classed . You have given me the motivation to pursue psychiatry and helped me realize how interested I am in the field of psychiatry and studying the severity of mental illnesses and disorders. I thank you for your time and patience.

The mentors weren’t just informative—they were relatable. Seeing students who were just a few years ahead of us, already in med school, made it all feel possible. I now believe I can do it too.

This week helped me sort out all my thoughts. I used to feel confused about what to do after high school. I was simply going along and trying to do well in my studies. For a while, I found that it has been getting harder to stay focused without a clear target.  I sort of liked the idea of medicine, but coming from a business and law family I honestly did not know very much about it. Now I have a clearer plan.

Before, I didn’t really know what you had to do to become a doctor. Now I understand UCAT, interviews, and all the steps. I feel ready.

My son was unsure if medicine was right for him. Now, he’s motivated, focused and talks about his future like never before. I truly believe this program changed his path.

I didn’t even know what paediatrics was before this. But after hearing a Dr. Bhurawala peak about his work with children and young people, I realised I love the idea of helping kids. It’s what I want to do now.

I am writing to you today to send a warm thank you to the organisers of Future Doctors Australia, I recently attended the Brisbane workshop and it was invaluable with experiences and preparing me for my medical journey ahead. I wanted to give a special thanks to Zobair, Ellen, Antoinette and Rebekah, who made this workshop run smoothly and thoroughly enjoyable. Without all of their help it wouldn't have been as valuable as it was, I will carry this experience for life and hope to one day give back to the organisation. I am sure many others there shared a similar sentiment as me as not only did I walk out with the experience of the workshop but also with new friendships that will hopefully stick with me for life.