Chloe Campbell is the first person to admit that - as a country kid growing up on a remote, fifth generation sheep and cattle farm - she never believed she could one day become a Doctor. With her nearest town being Bombala (population 1500 people) in NSW, she shared a primary classroom with just a handful of other students and struggled with dyslexia throughout her schooling. Even during her high school years, which involved a daily 1.5 hour drive by bus, Chloe says she wasn’t ever a ‘naturally brainy’ student. But she always loved science and she always 'wanted to help people'. Today, after first becoming a Registered Nurse, Chloe is currently completing her fifth year of rural medicine and has just finished a one-month placement with the RFDS in Broome, WA. She says that after her extraordinary remote medical experience, she is now inspired to hopefully one day return to the RFDS - as a fully qualified Flying Doc. In the meantime, this remarkable 26-year-old Rural Doctors Network Cadet has founded Boots to Scrubs - a scholarship and mentoring program that hopes to inspire other remote and rural students, just like Chloe, to consider following a pathway into medicine.
As Chloe reveals in episode #129 of the Flying Doctor Podcast, her one-month RFDS placement in Broome saw her flying all over the Kimberley – as well as to Darwin and Perth – where both her RN training and medical student skills were regularly put to good use. The Student placements with the Flying Doctor | Royal Flying Doctor Service also gave her a real insight into the remote medical challenges faced by so many local communities across WA. Since returning from WA, to her current study base near Wagga in NSW, Chloe will shortly head to Broken Hill in the Far West of NSW, to complete another one month placement – and she says she is now firmly committed to a career path in rural and remote medicine. Which is where Boots to Scrubs comes in. By actively supporting and inspiring more individuals from rural backgrounds to pursue medical careers, Chloe and her fellow medical student volunteers are also hoping to help address the pressing need for more rural and remote doctors across the country.
Chloe’s own journey into medicine from nursing began after an Aneathatist she was doing her RN placement with, suggested she had a ‘natural aptitude’ for medicine. It was this ‘tap on the shoulder’ that Chloe now regularly refers to, whenever she talks to other prospective high school or university students, as part of the Boots to Scrubs education campaign. With the simple goal of inspiring and mentoring ‘country girls’ to consider a career in medicine (or nursing) Boots to Scrubs is now run and coordinated by an incredible cohort of volunteer medical students and supported by the Australian Medical Student’s Association. Chloe hopes the range of resources and volunteer 'Doctor Mentors' now backing the program, will help other young rural women to confidently navigate their own University entry requirements – along with the range of degree options now available to rural and remote medical students. Because on the day that Chloe Campbell discovered that SHE has been accepted into a medical degree, she swore to herself that she would always try to help other rural and remote kids to navigate the often-daunting pathways (and runways) into medicine. Through scholarships, mentorship, educational resources, and live events, Chloe and her volunteer cohort are now providing practical tools like school seminars, information nights, UCAT and interview training, to help inspire as many rural women as possible to have the confidence and resources to successfully navigate the journey to medical school. Much like her recent camel wrangling experiences in Broome, Chloe says her advice to any aspiring rural Doctors out there is 'don't be scared, be your own cheerleader and just enjoy the ride!' You can find out more at Boots to Scrubs
