{"id":2606,"date":"2025-02-28T09:58:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T23:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/?p=2606"},"modified":"2025-02-28T10:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T23:36:24","slug":"from-phd-in-history-to-md-in-medicine-meet-stephanie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/2025\/02\/28\/from-phd-in-history-to-md-in-medicine-meet-stephanie\/","title":{"rendered":"From PhD in history to MD in medicine: Meet Stephanie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stephanie Thomson\u2019s path to medicine was anything but conventional. Before pursuing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/study\/courses\/postgraduate-doctor-medicine\">Doctor of Medicine (MD)<\/a> at Flinders University, she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a PhD in History. Entering a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/study\/courses\/postgraduate-doctor-medicine\">medical degree<\/a> without a formal science or healthcare background was a daunting prospect, but she quickly found her footing in Flinders\u2019 supportive learning environment.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our lecturers insisted that by the end of the first year, everyone would be at about the same level and that we should trust the process\u2014of course, they were right.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The spiral learning model of the Flinders MD curriculum played a key role in easing the transition. Concepts were consistently reinforced and expanded upon, allowing students from all backgrounds to build their knowledge over time. Equally important was the diverse student cohort, which included pharmacists, veterinarians, paramedics, and even a former Apple Lead Genius.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I fully credit my study group with getting me through that difficult first semester. They are a testament to the benefits of a medical program that attracts students from such varied backgrounds.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stephanie\u2019s passion for medicine stems from her love of detective work. As a historian, she enjoyed piecing together stories from the past. Medicine now allows her to do the same for people in the present, with the added opportunity to make a tangible impact on their health.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Medicine is a field in which the learning journey truly never ends. It keeps it endlessly exciting!<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When choosing where to study, Flinders stood out for its welcoming approach to students from diverse academic, geographical, and cultural backgrounds.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Flinders offered a clear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/study\/medicine\/medical-pathways\">pathway into medicine<\/a> for someone like me \u2013 a postgraduate student from a rural background. It made for a wonderfully enriching student cohort.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2608 \" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313-1024x556.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"609\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313-1024x556.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313-768x417.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313-1536x834.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/79\/2025\/02\/stephanie-t-md-1-e1740698993313.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 609px) 100vw, 609px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Her most memorable experience was the 18 months spent on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/flinders-nt\/student-placements\">clinical placement in the Northern Territory<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/flinders-nt\">Studying in Darwin<\/a> and Alice Springs exposed her to a broad range of medical presentations and unique health challenges faced by Indigenous Australians. The hands-on experience was invaluable in developing both clinical skills and cultural understanding.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I was fully embraced as part of the clinical team and learned so much from both patients and clinicians. The experience reinforced the importance of coming to a shared understanding of diagnosis and disease management.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Now at the start of her internship, Stephanie is focusing on the next step in her medical journey, with aspirations to train as a Physician. Reflecting on her studies, she had the following advice for future students&#8230; <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Go for it! You don\u2019t need to be fresh out of high school or a science degree to flourish in the Flinders MD. Find a group of fellow students you can work well with and lean on during stressful times. The support, the experiences, and the people I met along the way have made all the difference.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span class=\"text_color_flinders_midnight_blue\"><span class=\"text_size_large\">Prevent, treat, cure and care at Flinders University. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flinders.edu.au\/study\/medicine\">Explore your study options<\/a> at Bedford Park, Darwin, our rural and remote campuses, and online.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Stephanie Thomson\u2019s path to medicine was anything but conventional. Before pursuing the Doctor of Medicine (MD) at Flinders University, she completed a Bachelor of Arts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5156,"featured_media":2607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4200,3320],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cmph-student","category-medicine"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/mph-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}