In the April school holidays, I was lucky enough to be able to take part in the GirlBoss Edge Healthcare workshop for a second time. Towards the end of the workshop, we were given the task of completing a healthcare challenge based on our choice of four different topics each related to a healthcare issue in New Zealand.

The topic I chose was about how we can create diversity within the healthcare workforce. I created a website called HealthYOU which featured the stories of many diverse healthcare professionals from around New Zealand like, Dr Hinemoa Elder, Dr Justin Ki-hyun-Sung, Dr Sophie Papali'i and more.

Luckily, my submission was selected from around 150 others to be a winner along with my friend Easterlin Fa'amausili and another young woman, from Kapiti College.

One of my prizes for winning this challenge was an industry experience. With the help of Haley McManus of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and Leonie Henderson of SDHB, I was able to connect with two amazing Paediatricians, Dr Gloria Dainty and Dr Liza Edmonds.

At the start of these holidays, I visited the hospital and talked with these incredible women.

Dr Gloria Dainty is a clinical, general and community paediatrician. Gloria was so passionate about her roles within this sector especially her role of working within the community and helping children get a better start. Gloria’s experiences that she shared with me were extremely insightful and I could feel the passion and love that she had for her job and the children that she works with.

Dr Liza Edmonds is a neonatal paediatrician. With Dr Liza, I was lucky enough to get a guided tour of the NICU and children's ward in the hospital. I was able to see nurses and doctors working with these babies and parents and was inspired by the commitment and love demonstrated by the staff. When talking with Dr Liza, she really emphasized the importance of having more Māori and Pacific influence within the healthcare workforce, especially in the paediatric sector.

I’d like to thank Alexia at GirlBoss, Leonie, Haley and of course Dr Edmonds and Dr Dainty for making this experience possible.