Jasmyn Williams

Thanks so much again to all those that helped enable me to have the opportunity to attend the 2025 WA AMSA Rural Health Summit! Attending the WA 2025 AMSA Rural Health Summit was an incredibly enriching and inspiring experience. Over the course of the event, I had the opportunity to engage with many other medical students from across Australia, as well as many dedicated rural health professionals and other advocates.

The summit deepened my appreciation for the unique challenges faced by rural health practitioners, such as limited resources, professional isolation, and the complex interplay of social determinants of health. Equally, it highlighted the immense rewards: strong community relationships, and broad clinical exposure. I have always had a strong passion for psychiatry but have also been curious into the roles of a rural generalist. This conference assisted me into gaining a deeper understanding of these specific roles with rural healthcare systems. 

Workshops and activities on emergency rural medicine, cultural safety, and other rural-based medical skills and knowledge were particularly impactful, offering practical skills and insight into how adaptable and innovative rural practice needs to be. I really enjoyed the hands-on sessions, but I particularly enjoyed all the doctor-led discussion panels, where medical students were able to ask questions regarding experiences these doctors have faced thus far in their own medical careers.