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Faces of AMA: Dr Jacquie Johnston
Aim high, follow your dreams
This is the advice given by GP registrar and Geelong Football Club team doctor, Dr Jacquie Johnston, who reflects on her own pathway through medicine, and on the choices we make. Sam Lawry reports.
“I have always had a strong interest in sport, and through this developed an interest in sports medicine. I decided that if I wanted to pursue this as a career, I would want to do it as a doctor rather than as a physiotherapist. There was never any pressure from my family to study medicine. I followed my own latent interest.” This interest then blossomed into a passion for orthopaedic surgery.
Sport has been a constant throughout Dr Johnston’s life and medical career. She has represented Victoria in rugby union at university – being awarded a University Half-Blue – played cricket and football, and has also umpired Australian Rules football since her teens. The latter has taken her across Victoria, during country rotations, and has provided a sporting outlet that could accommodate the often challenging rosters that are part of surgical training.\
While keen to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery, the birth of her daughter, Joanna, led to a re-evaluation of her priorities. “I had fallen into a bit of a rut with regards to my career development, and while I could have continued to follow a surgical training pathway, I found that my priorities had changed. I did not have the same passion and commitment that I once did. The hardest thing with changing the situation was my fear of the unknown.”
Fortunately Southern Health gave her the opportunity to work as a HMO in some non-surgical specialties, enabling her to then undertake GP training.
She subsequently moved to Point Lonsdale as a GP registrar. She was also approached to work as a doctor with the Geelong Falcons, an elite level Under-18s football team. After a season with the Falcons, the Geelong Football Club invited Dr Johnston to work with them. “Working for an AFL team was a dream when I was a teenager, once I realised that my football skills would not allow me to play for one. Working with Geelong over a season that ultimately delivered an AFL premiership was an amazing experience. The euphoria of the night of the Grand Final is something that I will never forget.”
“The people of the Geelong region possess a strong sense of connection with their football club, and there is a large number of people who give much time and effort to assist and support the team as a result. Home games still have a sense of intimacy and a family friendly environment that is just great to be part of.”
Far from the packed stadium of a Geelong home game, Dr Johnston can still be found umpiring local football, ranging from young teenagers playing for participation’s sake through to senior men. This involvement has its own rewards.
“For a young person, their game is the most important one of the weekend. If I can make it safe and enjoyable, then I have done my job.”
Much in the same way, life as a regional GP has its rewards. “I enjoy the continuity of care that we can offer, as well as being able to care for families. If I can make a difference, however small, to a patient, then it is worth it.”
Whilst working and living in a small town has its challenges – which Dr Johnston appreciates from her own upbringing – she and her family are enjoying being part of a close-knit community.
Changing expectations and a generational shift mean that few family doctors are now available at all hours.
Flexible work hours are no longer seen as an option just for women raising children – it is a much broader expectation. “Some GPs continue to work incredibly long hours, but in areas where there are more doctors available, there is more of an emphasis on a work/life balance.”
Life is still incredibly busy, managing work, family, postgraduate studies in sports medicine and football commitments, but Dr Johnston feels she is thriving and enjoying the “seachange” that she has undertaken.
And what advice would she give her own daughter in the future, were she to consider following her mother and her grandfather’s footsteps into medicine?
“Aim high, follow your dreams. It is much easier to be content with where you finish up if you know that you have done your best to get where you want to be. Accept that you aren’t locked in, that you have the freedom to be able to change. There is always scope to do something else. Medicine can provide so many opportunities; you just have to use your imagination.” She laughs, “But it is good to have an understanding of what you are in for. If I ever complained about my working hours my parents replied: ‘Well, you knew what you were getting yourself into.’”
As to the future, after several years of uncertainty and upheaval Dr Johnston is keen to enjoy watching her daughter grow, to restore her personal fitness to that closer to her university days, and see where her job may take her.
This is the advice given by GP registrar and Geelong Football Club team doctor, Dr Jacquie Johnston, who reflects on her own pathway through medicine, and on the choices we make. Sam Lawry reports.
Why are you a member of AMA?The daughter of a country GP, Dr Johnston swore that she’d never be a doctor, work as a GP or work in the country, yet now finds herself a GP registrar in Point Lonsdale.
“The AMA has been very supportive, providing back-up when I have had disagreements with employers in the past. It has also provided me with the opportunity to attend several courses, such as in public speaking, as well as social settings, such as the Women in Medicine sessions. It’s about expanding your horizons, providing that support and that social aspect.”
“I have always had a strong interest in sport, and through this developed an interest in sports medicine. I decided that if I wanted to pursue this as a career, I would want to do it as a doctor rather than as a physiotherapist. There was never any pressure from my family to study medicine. I followed my own latent interest.” This interest then blossomed into a passion for orthopaedic surgery.
Sport has been a constant throughout Dr Johnston’s life and medical career. She has represented Victoria in rugby union at university – being awarded a University Half-Blue – played cricket and football, and has also umpired Australian Rules football since her teens. The latter has taken her across Victoria, during country rotations, and has provided a sporting outlet that could accommodate the often challenging rosters that are part of surgical training.\
While keen to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery, the birth of her daughter, Joanna, led to a re-evaluation of her priorities. “I had fallen into a bit of a rut with regards to my career development, and while I could have continued to follow a surgical training pathway, I found that my priorities had changed. I did not have the same passion and commitment that I once did. The hardest thing with changing the situation was my fear of the unknown.”
Fortunately Southern Health gave her the opportunity to work as a HMO in some non-surgical specialties, enabling her to then undertake GP training.
She subsequently moved to Point Lonsdale as a GP registrar. She was also approached to work as a doctor with the Geelong Falcons, an elite level Under-18s football team. After a season with the Falcons, the Geelong Football Club invited Dr Johnston to work with them. “Working for an AFL team was a dream when I was a teenager, once I realised that my football skills would not allow me to play for one. Working with Geelong over a season that ultimately delivered an AFL premiership was an amazing experience. The euphoria of the night of the Grand Final is something that I will never forget.”
“The people of the Geelong region possess a strong sense of connection with their football club, and there is a large number of people who give much time and effort to assist and support the team as a result. Home games still have a sense of intimacy and a family friendly environment that is just great to be part of.”
Far from the packed stadium of a Geelong home game, Dr Johnston can still be found umpiring local football, ranging from young teenagers playing for participation’s sake through to senior men. This involvement has its own rewards.
“For a young person, their game is the most important one of the weekend. If I can make it safe and enjoyable, then I have done my job.”
Much in the same way, life as a regional GP has its rewards. “I enjoy the continuity of care that we can offer, as well as being able to care for families. If I can make a difference, however small, to a patient, then it is worth it.”
Whilst working and living in a small town has its challenges – which Dr Johnston appreciates from her own upbringing – she and her family are enjoying being part of a close-knit community.
Changing expectations and a generational shift mean that few family doctors are now available at all hours.
Flexible work hours are no longer seen as an option just for women raising children – it is a much broader expectation. “Some GPs continue to work incredibly long hours, but in areas where there are more doctors available, there is more of an emphasis on a work/life balance.”
Life is still incredibly busy, managing work, family, postgraduate studies in sports medicine and football commitments, but Dr Johnston feels she is thriving and enjoying the “seachange” that she has undertaken.
And what advice would she give her own daughter in the future, were she to consider following her mother and her grandfather’s footsteps into medicine?
“Aim high, follow your dreams. It is much easier to be content with where you finish up if you know that you have done your best to get where you want to be. Accept that you aren’t locked in, that you have the freedom to be able to change. There is always scope to do something else. Medicine can provide so many opportunities; you just have to use your imagination.” She laughs, “But it is good to have an understanding of what you are in for. If I ever complained about my working hours my parents replied: ‘Well, you knew what you were getting yourself into.’”
As to the future, after several years of uncertainty and upheaval Dr Johnston is keen to enjoy watching her daughter grow, to restore her personal fitness to that closer to her university days, and see where her job may take her.
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