Zarica Sebastian, Aboriginal Health Worker

For weeks, the application for the job as an Aboriginal Health Worker had sat on Zarica Sebastian’s kitchen table.

“I had skimmed through it a few times and then, on the very last day when applications were due, I thought: ‘Why not?’, Zarica says. “I completed the application and I was the last one to hand it in.”

She’s glad she did – because now, 18 months later, Zarica is just months away from graduating with a Diploma in Healthcare, following a 10 year break from education to raise her three children.  Zarica works for the Derby Aboriginal Health Service, which rotates its Aboriginal Health Workers through its clinic to expose them to patient care as well as health promotion and community engagement work.

“I was employed as a student by Derby Aboriginal Health Services and when I received my Certificate IV last September and passed a written exam, they offered me a permanent position.

“It’s been hard – but it’s been worth it,” she says. “I really enjoy working here in the clinic and with people throughout the community.”

 Zarica says it’s important to have family support when looking to start a career in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. While she was studying to become an Aboriginal health worker, her mum babysat the kids.

Zarica sees first-hand the tragic impact of poor health on the Indigenous population, particularly chronic disease, including kidney and heart disease. Her motivation is a simple one: “To help my people and the community.”

Zarica will become a qualified Aboriginal health worker in November 2011.