Member Spotlight: Caitlin Syme

Kia ora, I’m Caitlin, a Trainee Intern based in Ōtautahi. Growing up, I’ve lived in both big cities and small rural towns in Aotearoa, Australia, and Canada. I recently completed a Hauora Taiwhenua Rural School Visit around the Whāngarei region, which then prompted me to join the Network. The programme was definitely one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had so far in medical school, and becoming a member felt like the best way to stay involved, contribute to rural health equity, and connect with others who also care about supporting our rural whānau. I’ve included a picture of all seven of us from the trip, when we visited Tāne Mahuta, the largest living kauri tree, which was an unreal experience. I’m the one right in the middle!

One of the biggest challenges that I’m sure we’re all aware of is the huge gap in exposure. Many rural rangatahi aren’t aware of the full range of health careers available to them, or don’t see health careers as accessible or achievable. Touring rural schools allowed me to help bridge that gap by sharing real experiences, encouraging curiosity, and showing students that a future in health is achievable no matter their background. Furthermore, promoting healthcare careers in rural areas is essential for reducing health inequities and ensuring sustainable and accessible healthcare services. People in these communities often face greater barriers to care and poorer health outcomes, which are worsened by ongoing workforce shortages. Encouraging local rangatahi into these careers strengthens our workforce as they are more likely to return to these communities, while also improving cultural safety, trust, and engagement with health services. Going forward, I hope to continue advocating for early outreach, as well as supporting initiatives that can help strengthen our rural health workforce.

I found the recent Rural School Visit extremely rewarding, and seeing the response from the students was uplifting and inspiring. So many of the rangatahi were surprised to learn how wide the health workforce is, from pharmacy to physiotherapy, from medicine to midwifery, etc. Several students told us afterwards that they were now seriously considering tertiary study, and some careers advisors told us they had students asking to change which NCEA subjects they were taking so they could build a path towards a health career. Seeing their confidence grow in real time was a great reminder of how powerful early engagement is!

For any health students reading this, my advice would be to go on a Rural School Visit! It’s an extremely rewarding experience, and a huge opportunity for personal growth. I learned so much about the rural communities and how diverse their needs are. I also got to meet such an amazing group of students in other fields of health. Any students out there on the fence about it – just do it! Also, for anyone visiting Northland – make sure to visit the Waipoua Forest and meet Tāne Mahuta!