As the second cohort of medical interns for 2026 stepped into the corridors of the Bundaberg Hospital, it marked another milestone in the growth of a thriving training program for young clinicians.
Fourteen new interns recruited through the Commonwealth Private Hospital Stream (PHS) joined the Bundaberg Hospital in April, building on the 13 Queensland Health interns who commenced earlier in January.
The PHS interns studied at Monash University, most through the Monash University Malaysia program, and completed their clinical placements in Australia.
Principal Medical Education Officer Leanne Tobin said while they don’t have any prior connections to Bundaberg, these interns have expressed interest in working within regional Queensland in the future.
“A key benefit of having these interns in Bundaberg is the opportunity for them to experience regional practice first-hand, learn about the community, and hopefully develop a long-term interest in staying,” she said.
“We will organise their education and training in alignment with the National Training Framework requirements to ensure they are well prepared for General Registration at the end of their intern year.
“They will now rotate through various departments at the Bundaberg Hospital to gain broad clinical experience.
“The PHS interns will additionally undertake two terms in the private hospitals as part of their program.”
Interns Vishantinii Mogana Sundram and Jordan Sem, drew their inspiration to study medicine from encounters they experienced earlier in life.
“I have always had medicine at the back of my mind since I was young,” Vishantinii said.
“After accompanying my mum for a medical consultation, I saw how the doctor treated her and eased her concerns.
“I realised then how much of an impact a doctor could make and knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do - to have that job satisfaction and help patients.”
While in high school Jordan volunteered with St John Ambulance where he practised how to deal with emergency patients.
“This led me to pursuing a career in medicine. I believe you have to give the best care to a patient, and I find helping people is very rewarding,” Jordan said.
Walking into the hospital as interns gave both Vishantinii and Jordan mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement. They realised that stepping from medical student to intern came with a new level of responsibility.
There were some surprises as they adjusted to their new role, from interacting directly with patients to making clinical decisions, but strong guidance and support from senior colleagues and supervisors made the transition far more reassuring.
“My supervisors teach me a lot and encourage me to ask questions and seek support from them,” Jordan said.
“I’m currently working in the paediatric ward and am looking forward to rotations of orthopaedics, general medicine and emergency.
“This will give me more clinical experience and exposure to different types of diagnoses so I can become a more competent doctor in the future.”
For Vishantinii, she appreciates the support of her senior colleagues and other team members while working in obstetrics and gynaecology.
“At first, it didn’t register with me to respond when people called me doctor,” she said.
“The support from my supervisors has been very good. I am getting that balance to try things on my own and at the same time I’m feeling supported.
“I’m excited to see how all the other rotations will go with the shift in focus across different departments here and at private hospitals.”