The World's Most Solid Plan B
One of Ochre Recruitment's loyalty program highlights is the Golden Gratitude Award, where each quarter, our consultants nominate one outstanding Ochre GP. Not only do we celebrate and reward their remarkable achievements, but we also donate $1,000 to a deserving individual or charity of their choice.
This quarter we are delighted to celebrate Dr Jade Goodge, one of our dedicated GPs who is a FIFO doctor, providing much-needed healthcare to rural communities all around Australia. Jade is also an accomplished singer, songwriter, and performer.
Jade is donating her $1,000 to Orlando Guaene a school teacher in Mozambique. Orlando’s mission is to protect children and their communities from disease and Covid 19 in rural Mozambique. Just recently she delivered masks, soap and buckets with taps for clean water to an entire school in Tsenane. Here is our recent conversation with Jade.
Orlando and his young students
Tell us a bit about being a FIFO doctor in Western NSW
It’s great. It suits me. I like being useful, and being able to contribute to communities, but also not being locked in for a long time, so I can continue with all of my creative stuff.
Tell us a bit about your pathway to Medicine
I grew up off the grid in East Gippsland and went to school in a very small town. I always wanted to be a musician and would spend hours a day practicing instruments and writing music. My parents told me that I had to get a ‘real job’ before it was smart to chase my music dreams so, ever-pragmatic, I started what would become a 13-year journey to the world’s most solid B-plan of becoming a fellowed GP.
I initially started out doing physiotherapy and an ergonomic engineering degree but decided that medicine had a wider scope, so started my MBBS as soon as I finished my B. Physio.
I flirted briefly with the idea of a surgical career but very quickly decided on General Practice. Being a rural GP/VMO was always appealing to me, as I like the wide variety of presentations and challenges, and the buzz I get from being a true generalist and being able to step up and adapt my practice as circumstances require. But the main attraction GP held for me, over any other specialty, was the ultimate flexibility. Through my junior years, I held on to that goal of owning my own life as a doctor at the end, with the options of FIFO work, flexible contracts, and private practice or public emergency department work.
What advice do you give to Medical students considering the generalist pathway?
It can be a lot of work, and there’s always more to learn, but it’s really rewarding.
You’ve chosen to donate your $1000 to Orlando Gauene. Can you tell me a little more about his work as a teacher in Mozambique and his mission to get clean running water and soap for hand-washing into his schools in his region?
Orlando is a friend of one of my good friends, Luanne. She met him in Mozambique a few years ago and was helping organise a Go Fund Me campaign for him and his school kids in 2020. I donated to it, and have kept up with all of his work since then.
He really is the most amazing, selfless person. I can’t imagine what it would have been like working his job in Mozambique during a pandemic. He uses a lot of his own salary to support his pupils, and he doesn’t feel comfortable asking for donations or support. I tried to encourage him to use at least some of the donation for something personal, but he immediately itemised all of it into stuff for the school/kids. He’s now expanded from just helping his own students, to assisting other rural schools in Mozambique.
We encourage everyone to learn more about Orlando's work and to make a donation so he can continue improving the lives of students.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Jade. You do an amazing job for the communities you work in – and outstanding feedback about you comes to us wherever you go.
