Neisha: My name is Neisha. I am an Anaiwan person from up in Armidale. Recognised here as an Awabakal person as well but that's where my family is predominantly from.
I'm a registered midwife here at The Maitland Hospital. I predominantly work in the Birth Unit, but I also have a rotating position through the Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Service.
Was also fortunate and lucky enough to obtain a cadet position through NSW Health.
Neisha's colleague: She has some IV fluids running.
Neisha: It wasn't my intention to become a midwife. I actually didn't know what I wanted to do when I left school. Kind of fell into the role and lucky I did because I've never left.
How did I feel? Nervous, intimidated and quite vulnerable. It was a full on degree over three years.
It was challenging initially, but I had lots of support from the university. I had lots of support from the hospital itself, but also the Ministry of Health with my cadetship program which was an astronomical asset for me and really pushed me over the line to finish and graduate.
The thing I enjoy most about my job is caring for women in what might seem their most vulnerable time in their life. Watching them become parents and journey through the antenatal period and watch their families grow.
I'm passionate about normal birth and facilitating that for our women but also growing our Aboriginal workforce.
I think it's absolutely vital that we have more Aboriginal staff, health workers, allied health workers here.
We understand that our health disparities are quite different. They're marked in regards to weight and diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So, having someone there that understands those risks and understands how to educate and push them into the right direction of health, whether it's maternal or just general day to day, has been one of the driving roles for our people being on the frontline.
I would hope that I would complete my Masters in the next two years. I want to be in education in the system and really engage our people but also all our junior staff members to close the gap and improve outcomes for not just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but all our women and babies.
I enjoy my job because I love watching families grow and providing that one to one care with our women whether it is to provide a good outcome, or to improve an outcome.
The only way it's going to change is by having those Aboriginal faces on the frontline engaging and caring for our mob.