December 20, 2012
Mentoring important for medical training
One of this year’s John McLeod scholarship winners says mentoring is an important part of developing a Māori medical workforce.
Reuben Kirk from Ngāi Tuhoe has just completed the second year of his study for a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at The University of Auckland after training and working as a physiotherapist for a decade.
The scholarship is given to the top two Māori students in a year both for academic results and for their contributions to iwi and community.
As well as volunteering as a medical officer and team physiotherapist for many age group rugby teams and supporting Māori and Pacific rangatahi during team trips, Mr Kirk has acted as a student mentor.
"Whānau is really important (at medical school) and they are driving that home so the ability for me to be able to give that back, so next year I hope to be one of the tutors for the year two students coming through and keen trying to build that support so we get our Māori doctors coming through," he says.
Mr Kirk says he went into medicine because of the influence of his grandfather, Rotorua GP Keith Park.
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