Outstanding contributions by 17 allied health professionals, nurses, and doctors across the Northern Territory have been recognised at a Flinders University awards ceremony on Friday.

Every year clinical supervisors across the five regions of the NT are celebrated and thanked for generously giving their time and going above and beyond to support, mentor and educate students studying medicine, allied health and nursing at Flinders University in the NT.

Launched in 2018, more than 100 nominations were received this year, representing the depth of experience, passion and commitment to preparing the future allied health, nursing and medical workforce in the Territory.

Flinders supports students studying across the Northern Territory including Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and Darwin regions. The awards ceremony, which connected all these locations via video link, was part of 10 year celebrations for the Flinders University Northern Territory Medical Program.

In 2021 there were more than 600 students across all disciplines of allied health, nursing and medicine who completed their placements in the NT.

Each year nominations are invited from students who have completed placements in the Northern Territory, supervisors and their colleagues/managers, university placement co-ordinators/key contacts and Flinders Rural and Remote Health NT staff.

Five different categories were awarded including the Outstanding Regional Supervisor Award for Central Australia (including Tennant Creek), Katherine Region and Top End (including Darwin and East Arnhem). In addition, there’s the Innovative Supervisor Award, Commitment to Clinical Teaching Award, Territory Ambassador and Champion Collaborator Award (introduced in 2020).

The award winners were:

• Outstanding Regional Supervisor Award Top End: Allied Health, Claire Walker; Nursing/Midwifery, Kerrie Owens; Medicine, Dr Stephen Evans
• Outstanding Regional Supervisor Award Central Australia: Allied Health, Stephanie Van Son; Nursing Midwifery, Sukoluhle Moyo; Medicine, Dr Yael Celermajer
• Outstanding Regional Supervisor Award Katherine: Dr Rose Schuddinh
• Innovative Supervisor Award: Allied Health, George Tetteh (Alice Springs); Nursing/Midwifery, Dennise Vivares (Darwin); Medicine, Dr Lou Sanderson
• Territory Ambassador Award: Allied Health, Bonnie McKenzie (Darwin); Nursing/Midwifery, Jeanine Young (Nhulunbuy); Medicine, Usman Khalid (Darwin)
• Commitment to Clinical Teaching Award: Allied Health, Lisa Bachmeyer (Alice Springs); Nursing/Midwifery; Elizabeth Machu (Tennant Creek); Medicine, Dr Megan Walmsley
• Champion Collaborator Award: Dr Marco Briceno.

Professor Jonathan Craig, Vice-President and Executive Dean of Flinders University’s College of Medicine and Public Health, congratulated the winners and all nominees on their wonderful achievement.

“The Flinders Supervisor Awards give us the chance to recognise and celebrate clinical supervisors and their essential role in shaping the future workforce through outstanding support, mentorship and education of students,” says Professor Craig.

“The learning opportunities available in the Northern Territory are unique and we are grateful for our nurses, allied health professionals and doctors who provide invaluable learning opportunities for students.

“Their contribution to educating the Territory’s future workforce cannot be understated and I thank every one of them for all the work that they do.”

Champion Collaborator Award Winner, Dr Marco Briceno, was recognised for his role in providing strategic advice and operational support to embed the health services commitment to medical education in East Arnhem and beyond.

“The awards were a fantastic opportunity to reflect about the last decade of medical education in the NT and to remind ourselves where we have come from, how we got here and where to from now,” says Dr Briceno.

“It is important to recognise that to have an effective health education program, we rely heavily on our educators, supervisors and mentors.

“Good doctors, allied health workers and nurses have to be carefully selected and nurtured, and this doesn’t happen without the dedication of all the amazing people recognised.”