From farm life to neurosurgery and education
Instilled with the strong work ethic of a farming family, a girl who loved maths and science dreamt of a career as a medical practitioner.
Wendy Findlay grew up on a sugarcane farm on the outskirts of Gin Gin, west of Bundaberg. Today, Associate Professor Findlay is a neurosurgeon and heads the Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit.
Wendy looks back on her rural childhood with fond memories, and credits her upbringing and the influence of her hardworking parents.
“Dad is a cattle and sugarcane farmer and Mum is in customer service,” Wendy explains.
"They showed us what working hard meant and I really enjoyed the community spirit that came with living in a small town."
"My primary school only had around 14 students. We had lots of cousins who lived in the area and there were always lots of jobs to do on the farm. We were never short of things to do.”
Wendy remembers the move to Brisbane being a shock to the system as a 17-year-old. But it was an experience during the fifth year of her MBBS program that really opened her eyes.
The young medical student completed her international elective in Kenya – a country at the time struggling under the burden of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Wendy travelled to Kenya during her fifth year of the MBBS program.
Wendy recalls the challenge that awaited her and her classmates when they arrived.
“There were multiple patients to a bed or mattress on the floor."
"Most of my time was spent in a private hospital, which was very different to the public hospital, but still lacked equipment such as paediatric ventilators. It was certainly confronting.”
That early experience in Kenya inspired Wendy to want to join Médecins Sans Frontières, but those plans were put on ice when the young doctor found herself on a training program and steep trajectory towards neurosurgery.
"This then led to a rotation in paediatric neurosurgery as an unaccredited registrar and from there I became a trainee and eventually neurosurgery specialist.”
Now married to an orthopaedic surgeon, and with three children, aged between five and eight, Wendy has also become a master of time management.
Delilah (5) and Clara (8) take some time out on the farm.
This has certainly come in handy in her newest role as the Head of the Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit.
Wendy says she wants to help students achieve their goals and see what change in the educational experience she can drive for them.
“In a medical environment, you hear a lot of rumours about the knowledge and capability of students, interns and the medical program."
"A lot of it is driven by general feelings and assumptions. The only way of finding out what is real and implementing change is by taking on a role like this.”