Dr Vicki Carson

Dr Vicki Carson with her dog, Willow, a 10-year-old Cavoodle.
Photo: Supplied by Dr Vicki Carson

I currently work and reside in Naarm (Melbourne) and work full time across both public and private obstetrics. My O&G career surprised even me – initially as a junior doctor I was convinced I was going to be a physician. A surgical career held no interest for me at that point.

In my internship, I found myself happily but surprisingly pregnant earlier than I had planned. I followed my pregnancy with excitement, and it reminded me of how much I had loved women’s health as an undergraduate. After my son was born, I made the decision to apply for the training program and was lucky enough to be successful, starting my training at the Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH).

Having grown up in rural Victoria I was keen to return and took the opportunity to return to my hometown of Warrnambool for my country rotation (with my then second child who was four-months old) and again as a senior registrar (having my third child there!). I returned as a consultant to Warrnambool, working as a generalist.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity while there to become the Deputy Director of the brand new Deakin clinical school and completed a degree in clinical education — a passion of mine.

I returned to Melbourne where I commenced work in both public and private, starting a group private practice. I continued to challenge myself and completed a DDU, chaired the SMS and became one of the two ITP coordinators at RWH. Gynaecology became less of my practice and early upon my return to Melbourne, I made the decision to stop doing major gynaecological surgery – a difficult decision but the right one.

Gradually, I have reconfigured my career and am now HOU of one of the maternity units at RWH and working in a different group practice, delivering at Head of Unit, Frances Perry House in the same building as my public work. I have had time to reflect over recent years on what I can give back to a specialty that has given me so much joy. I never thought I would take on leadership roles or give up surgery but have slowly realised that my contribution lies in mentoring, clinical governance and practice improvement. I continue private practice selfishly because the connection and relationships with patients truly makes me happy.

I have recently become involved with the College and this is my first council term. I felt compelled to learn more about what the College does and how I could help. So here I am – learning how it all works and hoping to represent my colleagues who, like me, love the job and are equally surprised at where they ended up!

Dr Uchechukwu Ijeneme

Dr Uchechukwu Ijeneme is a Consultant at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia. Photo: Supplied by Dr Uchechukwu Ijeneme

I am one of the Councillors representing Western Australia. My journey in obstetrics and gynaecology started in Nigeria, where I obtained my MBBCh from the University of Calabar.

I worked as a medical officer with the Catholic Mission Hospital before starting residency training in obstetrics and gynaecology in May 2006. In 2008, I moved to the United Kingdom where I did my specialisation and obtained my CCT in 2019. The journey of life brought me to Australia in October 2019. During the process of coming to Australia I had a good experience in my dealing with the College.

I decided to become a Councillor because I believe in collective responsibility. We can only affect changes positively by participating in the process. The College is very dynamic and responsive, these attributes are what drew me to the College after completing my period of oversight as an SIMG. As an SIMG that has had both sides of the world, I felt my contribution will contribute towards the goals of the College.

Member engagement is one of the issues of the College and, it’s not particular to Western Australia. It’s a work in progress and it will never be over, but we can always manage it by being receptive to the needs and goals set out by the College.

Western Australia will also benefit from having a second training centre as it will increase the needed workforce at every level of our specialty for the ever-increasing population of the region. The region is looking forward to the support of the College towards this.

A lot has been achieved by the College through our collective efforts in women’s health, training, global health, and advocacy. We are being challenged in the world right now by natural disasters and man-made disasters, our collective response is needed. We have done it before, and we will continue to do it. Do you know why? It’s because of your support and engagement with the College.