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A passion for health inspires medical student to capture stories of the bush during Outreach Student Placement Program
07th May 2026
By Ashlyn Brown
En route to Bourke. Photo credit: John Qi
Before taking up studies of medicine, John Qi imagined a future behind the camera in film. When presented with the opportunity to participate in the Outreach Student Placement Program (OSPP) and shadow an Outreach provider at Bourke, John decided to seize the opportunity to combine both passions and produce a Social Justice Project documentary.
“Having grown up in a population dense, urban city of China, I never anticipated how much a rural community experience in Australia would shape my views on healthcare,” John said. “While in high school, I stayed with a homestay family in a rural area of Queensland. One evening, their youngest child [experienced a medical emergency]. It took 30 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and although the local hospital was caring, it lacked resources,” John explained.
“The child transferred to Brisbane Children’s Hospital the following day. That sleepless night, I felt powerless as a family member, witnessing the stress, fear, and helplessness of the situation. However, I also observed the remarkable resilience and compassion of rural healthcare workers who offered comfort and guidance at the family’s darkest time. This bittersweet experience ignited a lasting concern inside me for rural healthcare ever since.
“As a second-year medical student at Notre Dame, I wish to utilise my previous professional background in filmmaking to address this issue through visual storytelling.”
OSPP and the New South Wales outback town of Bourke provided the perfect setting to fulfill this ambition. Administered by Rural Doctors Network with funding from the Australian Government, the Program provides selected medical, nursing and allied health students in NSW/ACT with the opportunity to shadow an Outreach provider in a rural or remote community.
During his placement, John shadowed husband-and-wife optometry duo Kyriacoz (Kyri) and Katarina Mavroleftos, while documenting the stories, landscapes and experiences that shape healthcare in the Australian outback.
John’s interest in rural medicine began during that homestay in rural Queensland. Witnessing the realities of accessing healthcare outside metropolitan areas left a lasting impression and caused John to reflect upon how under-resourcing can impact the lives of rural people in an emergency. “That really inspired me to dive in further about rural health… how that's been done differently and the resources allocated to it, and some of the stories behind it.”
After hearing about Rural Doctors Network student programs through the University of Notre Dame Blue Mountains Clinical School, John reached out to explore an OSPP placement, eager to deepen his understanding of rural healthcare by combining his university Social Justice Project with an OSPP placement.
With experience filming weddings and personal stories, John says he has long been drawn to documentary-style storytelling that captures authentic experiences.
“Touching, intimate… stories that haven’t been previously shared that are a bit more sensitive. I give people a brighter side after hearing the story,” John said of the stories he likes to capture.
For John, the placement was also an opportunity to strengthen one of the most important skills in both filmmaking and medicine: communication. “As previous GPs told me, if your communication works with the patient, 90% of your job is done.”
Before his placement in April, John was uncertain where the story telling journey would lead. “That's the art of documentary, right? You only know when you actually get the footage.”
Shadowing an experienced optometrist like Kyri brought John in contact with a health professional whose passion for rural healthcare has spanned many years.
After completing his OSPP placement, John returned with a renewed appreciation for rural Australia and the dedicated professionals who support its communities.
"I’ve met many passionate rural health professionals who inspired my future career direction," John said of the placement that "greatly exceeded" his expectations.
"My two-day immersion trip showed me a completely different side of Australia, not only its landscapes, but also its culture, demographics, community spirit, resource allocation, and health risk factors.
"It allowed me to deeply appreciate the long-standing commitment many health practitioners have made over decades, and the meaningful differences they are already creating in these communities. It was heartwarming to hear many positive reviews from the local community."
The OSPP is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and is administered by Rural Doctors Network in NSW.
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