Professional staff the backbone of Medical School

The Otago Medical School celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Andrea Jones from the Communications team caught up with some of the School’s long-serving kaimahi to talk about their experiences in one of the most well-known parts of the University.

They’re knowledgeable, experienced and unflappable.

And what they don’t know about the Otago Medical School (OMS) probably isn’t worth knowing.

Jacqui Bradshaw, Anne-Marie Patterson, Philip Tilson and Jillian Tourelle have about 75 years’ experience between them working in a range of administrative and support roles at the OMS.

These seasoned professionals have seen plenty of changes in their time, from the days of floppy disks and people smoking in their offices, to online teaching and the rise of artificial intelligence. The number of tauira under their care has also grown dramatically – the cohort entering the medical school has more than doubled in the past 25 years, from 165 to 352.

Jillian, Manager Student Affairs, says the best part of working at the OMS is seeing the students they’ve supported graduate as doctors, especially those who have faced challenges.

Philip, OMS Operations Lead, describes the environment as dynamic and says, “Working with staff who are excited about teaching and research, that makes you join in their excitement.”

All agree the inclusive culture of the medical school is a key part of its success.

Jacqui, Administrator, OMS Dean Support, says all staff are treated as an important part of the team, regardless of whether they are professional or academic staff.

“It’s acknowledged that professional staff contribute a lot towards the programme.”

“Our professional staff are the backbone of the Otago Medical School. Their expertise, dedication, and leadership ensure the smooth running of our programmes, the success of our students, and the advancement of medical education and research."
– School Dean Professor Suzanne Pitama

Anne-Marie, an Administrator for the Early Learning in Medicine programme, says in her experience that’s not the case in all universities, but at Otago, academic and professional staff and students all work together to create a good culture.

School Dean Professor Suzanne Pitama says, “Our professional staff are the backbone of the Otago Medical School. Their expertise, dedication, and leadership ensure the smooth running of our programmes, the success of our students, and the advancement of medical education and research.

“They are integral to our mission, working alongside academic colleagues to support excellence in teaching, learning, and healthcare delivery. We are incredibly proud of their contributions and the vital role they play in shaping the future of medicine.”

The staff say one of the School’s strengths is its connections throughout the country. As well as the three medical campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington, it has teaching tentacles in regional hospitals and rural areas across Aotearoa New Zealand. This means the School incorporates a range of perspectives and provides a huge variety of experiences for its medical tauira.

Jillian says the MB ChB programme is the only course at the University that has its own student affairs office, reflecting the difficulty and demands of the medical programme. There has been an increasing need for the office over recent years, due to pressures caused by things like Covid-19, which have affected student resilience.

Anne-Marie says there are more tutorials and labs now than in the past and “it’s like a full-time job as the students are busy from 8:30am to 6pm”.

They say technology has been one of the big changes, with resources on systems like Blackboard and Moodle, rather than screeds of photocopied course material.

In Dunedin, one of the biggest challenges is having staff and resources spread over about half a dozen buildings, rather than having one “home”. Jacqui says it would be great at some point in the future to have everyone located together in one building, with room for a student hub too.

Philip points out the challenge around the future medical workforce and the School’s efforts to respond to that, not just in terms of the willingness to take more students, but in working to expand community and rural-based training opportunities, and promoting primary care.

The foursome are proud to be part of the School as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year and are looking forward to catching up with former colleagues who are attending the King’s Birthday weekend celebrations.

It’s a great time to reflect on all the School has achieved and continues to achieve.

“To go forward, you need to know what’s gone before,” Jacqui says.