Dr Angella Campbell
MD ’21
By David Sly
Perseverance has paid off for Dr Angella Campbell. After decades spent working as a nurse in hospital emergency wards and as a combat medic for the Australian Defence Force, the 46-year-old mother of three graduated from Flinders University as a Doctor of Medicine in 2021 – overcoming crippling self-doubt as an Indigenous woman seeking elite qualifications.
“I always had the desire to become a doctor – and twice during my previous roles I’ve been prompted by medical colleagues to commence a doctor’s degree – but I lacked the confidence and self-belief to take that decisive step,” says Dr Campbell. “I thought I was too old. I thought that I couldn’t do it as a mother.”
It has been a long journey to finally obtain her degree and now work for SA Health at Noarlunga Hospital in the Emergency Department. Dr Campbell admits she had to work hard through many personal difficulties to complete her medical degree, but her achievement has made her an inspirational role model for other women and Indigenous students.
“I always wanted to be involved in medicine. My mother worked as a registered nurse, and as a single mother who managed everything, she inspired me so much – but I’ve always doubted myself,” says Dr Campbell. “Right back when I first considered medicine, I hesitated and instead went and studied music in 1999.”
On the Move
Living in Melbourne, she also joined the Army Reserve in 2003, moving into the role of a combat medic. “I found something that I loved, and I did it with all my passion,” she says, explaining that her work with Army Reserve continues. Her skills and commitment have been duly noted, earning Dr Campbell the Soldiers Medallion for exemplary service in 2010 and an Outstanding Soldier of the Year award in 2013.
Inspired by her army medical experience, she enrolled in nursing at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne and started working with people with disabilities until she had her first child. She moved to Adelaide, had a second child and then studied to become a registered nurse. After graduating in 2011 and having a third child, she worked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in the emergency section, where she loved being “busy and constantly on the move”.
She moved to Flinders Medical Centre on a permanent parttime basis, again focused on emergency department nursing, and took on roles of greater responsibility, working closer with doctors and growing in confidence in such a high-pressure role. “I started initiating a lot more work in the emergency rooms, so that by the time the doctor saw a patient, a lot of the preliminary work was done – and that got me thinking that I may as well take the next step to do all of the doctor’s job.”
She says the crucial aspect that finally made her commence studying medicine was having necessary access and support at Flinders University. “At the end of 2015, a friend told me about the postgraduate Indigenous pathway in medicine at Flinders, and I saw that as a way of getting the support I needed,” she says. “I applied for the FUIES program (Flinders University Indigenous Entry Stream process) and was accepted. I met two other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues through this, and we’ve helped each other to become doctors. They assured me that I wouldn’t be alone, that there were other people with similar backgrounds and learning styles that I could connect with – and so I felt safe through my studies.”
The study process still provided a giant challenge. “There was a lot on my plate, and I really struggled. I was working part-time and trying to raise three children, along with trying to address a lot of difficult independent learning. I was in classes with a lot of younger students, and they were the shining stars of the course – which did nothing to help my shaky confidence. I also found it difficult to remove my nursing approach, because studying to be a doctor is entirely different, with its depth of anatomy and physiology knowledge. I had to unlearn quite a lot of my instinctive nursing aspects to become a doctor.”
During her third year of study, she hit a wall and needed to take a break. “Ultimately, I persevered because of the amazing support I received through Yungkurrinthi Student Engagement, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student support network at Flinders. The staff were phenomenal. I always had someone to talk with and debrief, to work through my problems. I also received financial support through a Flinders scholarship, which was crucial for our family. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without that scholarship.”
To get back on track and complete her degree, Dr Campbell gives great credit to her husband Steven, who remained at home to raise the family, and the good behaviour of their three children – Caleb, 18, Ethan, 16 and Vivienne, 12.
Serving Remote Communities
Now, her ambition continues. Dr Campbell has long-term plans to become a general practitioner and serve remote communities, and she also plays an important mentoring role for other Indigenous students.
“I recognise the need to give back to other students, so I’m tutoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students currently going through the Flinders medical program. I understand their needs and the eight different styles of learning in our culture, so I can explain things in a way that is perhaps different to how some of the other teachers operate.
“We always worry how Aboriginal health is delivered in medicine – and because I come from an Aboriginal background, I initially got a lot of my test questions wrong. The way we are taught growing up is much more suited to intimate, small group learning. So, I’m a narrative learner, and problem-based learning is really good for that. I did this with patients as a nurse, going through their story together to learn about them, but teaching medicine is very different, so it initially made me feel very insecure.
“Having come through the process, my confidence and knowledge has kept growing from doing practical work. Every day in the hospital, I’m thrilled that the knowledge I’ve gained is helping patients.”