Dr Della Yarnold is one of the few Indigenous doctors in Australia. We met with Della at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle to talk about her life as a JMO in NSW.

Did you always want to go into medicine?No, I actually worked in administration, management and law before even commencing medical studies at the University of Newcastle; but once I started I never looked back. One of the things I love most about being a doctor is that it allows me to exercise two of my greatest passions: an intellectual curiosity and a love of working with and helping people. What stage are you at in your training?I hope to pass my RACP Basic Physician written and clinical exams next year. On my rotations I found I am interested in most of the speciality areas. As a result, General Physician is the likely pathway for me, but I am also interested in Nephrology, Respiratory or Neurology. As well as being trained I’m also able to help young indigenous medical students, mentoring them as part of the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme. It’s a scheme that helped me greatly when I was starting out and it’s very satisfying to be able to give something back so early in your career.

Where do you think you’ll work when training finishes? I’d like to end up practicing in the New England area. Not just because I like smaller communities but because Glen Innes is where I’m from and it’s a beautiful part of Australia. I miss it. Aboriginal health is obviously an area of specific need and great challenges. It would be a privilege for me to work with those communities to make a difference.

How do you find living, working in the Hunter region?The training facilities at the John Hunter Hospital are state-of-the-art and the teachers and sense of teamwork amongst everyone from administrative staff to consultants is inspiring. The schedule for any registrar can be pretty full on but both the hospital and the NSW system are extremely supportive in helping JMOs achieve some measure of work/life balance while undertaking training. In my case, a big part of that is being able to be a good mum for my kids.

There are so many things to do in and around Newcastle, from beaches and bush walks to restaurants and wineries; and everything’s so close. I’ve been trying paddle boarding recently, which I’m really bad at, but it amuses the kids no end. We love it here for the lifestyle and I couldn’t wish for a better place to be trained.

Dr Della Yarnold,

Physician Trainee,

Newcastle, NSW

Specialist trainee accredited and hospital non-specialist positions are available right across NSW including psychiatry, nuclear medicine and geriatric care. You’ll enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, career support, excellent remuneration and an exciting, diverse lifestyle.

NSW DOCTORPROFILE