Vision coupled with hard work and dedication does pay off, and Anastasia Vlachadis-Castles is a prime example of that.
The young doctor from Mill Park has been named Victoria’s Junior Doctor of the Year, a prestigious award from the Medical Board of Victoria which was officiated in a ceremony in Darwin earlier this week.
“I did not expect it; I was in America when they called me and told me that was I receiving an award for Victoria’s best doctor,” said Dr Vlachadis-Castles, having been nominated without her knowledge by supervisor Dr Bill Van-Gaal.
The doctor proved to be a perfect candidate for the award, which recognises the outstanding contributions of young medical professionals in the field of medicine and research Down Under.
Armed with the dream to be a doctor from the tender age of four, Anastasia set out studying radiology at Monash University, continuing on to Deakin to pursue medicine, all the while making time to study a diploma in Greek Studies and teach Greek at the Victorian School of Languages.
Since then, she has continued on the path to fulfilling her dream, working at both The Northern and Austin Hospitals.
“My goal as a doctor is to help people, and it’s great to be recognised for doing something I love,” she said.
“It’s a lot of hard work (she works night shift, seven days a week), but it’s definitely worth it – I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
But what’s really made the young doctor stand out is the extra work she has contributed to the field, with the implementation of the Medical Student Mentoring Program, providing counselling and educational support for her junior doctors entering the workforce for the first time.
“Particularly for young doctors, starting their practical training at the hospital is very difficult. It is our first contact with patients whose lives we are now responsible for. That alone makes us more anxious than you can imagine,” Dr Vlachadis-Castles explains.
Northern Health CEO Siva Sivarajah, who has seen Dr Vlachadis-Castles in action, has only praise for the young doctor’s achievements.
“Dr Vlachadis-Castles is a prime example of the passionate and dedicated staff we have here at Northern Health. [She] has positively impacted the care of some of our most complex patients, particularly as a part of our cardiology and research teams,” Mr Sivarajah said.
“She has also made significant contributions to the education of new medical students by implementing the Medical Student Mentoring Program in 2014, and she continues to help to supervise and teach medical students throughout their placements.”
But Dr Vlachadis-Castles won’t be stopping there. In addition to her current work commitments, she is working towards increasing her formal involvement in medical education, currently undertaking a Masters of Health Professional Education.