I chose the Department of Health Graduate Program as I wanted a job where I felt good about the work I was doing and where I could continue to develop professionally. Also, Canberra was pretty appealing!
I had three rotations during the program with my first being in the Dementia Policy and Supports Section where I helped support the Minister by preparing briefs and correspondence, as well as working on policies and programs in the dementia space.
My second rotation was in the Performance Reporting Section. I was given the opportunity to work on writing the Department’s Annual Report. This was a giant task and involved editing and reviewing text for the document. I was also able to pursue a personal goal of improving the department’s performance evidence.
My final rotation was in the Analytics Projects and Futures Section. During the rotation, I developed my coding skills while writing a text-mining program for analysing pharmaceutical documents.
You’re coming in as a graduate, but once you’re settled into a rotation, don’t hesitate in establishing yourself as a full and contributing member of the team. Have opinions and participate in conversations with your section, your fresh point of view is an asset not to be wasted!