Newly graduated doctor returns to hometown Whanganui to serve her community

Rylee Dudley recently graduated from the University of Otago and is returning to her hometown to work as a doctor at Whanganui Hospital. Photo / Pio Manoa

A newly graduated doctor is returning to work in her hometown of Whanganui to give back to her community.

Rylee Dudley (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi), aged 25, said she had wanted to be a doctor for as long as she could remember.

But returning to work in her hometown was a decision she had not taken lightly.

“I think it’s so important that we have doctors come to smaller places like Whanganui, and I think a lot of people rush into bigger centres without realising how awesome these smaller centres are and how much of a need there is for doctors.

“I always intended to come back to Whanganui for my family and to give back to the community here.”

After missing out on her first attempt to get into first-year health science, Dudley studied a separate Hauora Māori degree before returning to medicine.

She now saw this as a stronger pathway to have taken because it allowed her to become more in touch with her cultural identity.

It had influenced her to approach all patients, whether Māori or non-Māori, with a more holistic outlook and had helped her to see each person as having “a whole life outside of the hospital”.

“It taught me a lot about myself, really. I grew up in Whanganui and whakapapa here but I didn’t really grow up immersed in te ao Māori.

“Being in that space gave me the confidence in who I am and secured my cultural identity.”

A Kia Ora Hauora Māori conference she attended in Wellington early on in her degree made her further aware of issues around equity in healthcare, and how health outcomes often negatively affected Māori and Pasifika patients.

“Before that, I think I was pretty naive to all the issues that were out there.”

In 2024, she completed her final year of medicine through a placement at Whanganui Hospital.

“I’ve had some really beautiful interactions with patients at the hospital because I’ve been able to tell them that I grew up here.

“Patients are in a vulnerable position and they want someone who is going to be able to connect with them and see them as a person first.”

She was grateful to her family and partner who had supported her throughout her study when she was far away from home.

Later in her career, she would like to enter into the preventive space of healthcare by working as a GP.

She said the current pressure on the health system meant a lot of patients were not getting underlying issues looked at when seeking medical attention. As a result, patients were often repeatedly getting ill due to a cycle of not having their deeper needs addressed.

“Probably what motivates me to go into general practice the most is that when patients come into the hospital, only the main issue bringing them in there is addressed, but they might have five other issues or things going on in the background.

“I find that really hard.”

In January, she will begin as a junior doctor at Whanganui Hospital.

Dudley said she was “really excited” although a little apprehensive knowing she would have to adjust to the long hours and shift work.

“I definitely think I’ll be in Whanganui for the long run,” she said.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.