Audiology alum hears the call for rural placement
By Allison Barss
At an early age, Dal alum Melanie Santhikumar (MSc’ 21) made the decision to dedicate her life’s purpose to improving the lives of others. Fast forward to today, and thanks to several opportunities she received during her time at Dal, Santhikumar is now an experienced audiologist based in Grande Prairie, Alta., improving hearing and communication for her patients.
In 2018, after Santhikumar obtained her Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, the Toronto native ventured to Nova Scotia to begin Dal’s three-year Audiology program. It was then that she was offered an opportunity to take a 12-week placement in the rural city of Thompson, Man. It proved to be a tough decision for someone who was used to relying on part-time evening and weekend work to pay bills. And then there were the location challenges.
“Thompson is often rated as the most dangerous city in Canada,” she says. “Rural settings like this tend to be underserved because of the stigma of living there. So, the most vulnerable people, often, do not have the same accessibility to important services.” Her instincts, however, were telling her to go.
Santhikumar was offered a $1,000 bursary from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders to help cover the cost of the placement in Thompson – and advance health equity in remote communities at the same time. It didn’t take long for her reservations to be replaced with enthusiasm and gratitude.
“A thousand dollars feels like a million dollars to someone who is struggling but striving towards a goal,” she says. “For me, it was the difference between staying in-place because I relied on a steady income and transportation, and taking on a new adventure, where I could engross all of my energy toward my practicum placement.”
Little steps to big places
It is thanks to Dalhousie’s donors that the Equity in Health Fund has advanced equity-based initiatives across the Faculty of Health’s broad scope of programs and schools, from scholarships and bursaries for students from underrepresented groups, to practicum placements in remote and underserved areas.
Santhikumar agrees, saying her placement in Thompson was encouraging, granting her life-changing experiences while also giving her the confidence to venture further.
“Despite being there for just 12 weeks, I learned the value of community,” she says. “I got to see how audiology services are administered in rural areas and learned from the many unique cases that rural places can offer.” She adds, “I was also lucky to work alongside an experienced audiologist whose incredible patient-centered care was exemplified every day.”
Without the generosity of Dal’s donors, she says her experiences likely would not have played out on the same trajectory. “It’s those little steps, and those little acts of kindness, that push you to the places that make all the difference,” she says, adding that she intends to pay it forward someday soon.