News

Faces of Joondalup – Dr Megan Graieg

Jun 07, 2024

This week is World Heart Rhythm Week an annual awareness week to raise awareness of arrthymia, whereby the heart beats abnormally, one of several heart conditions treated by our cardiology team.

A member of the team for over a decade, Dr Megan Graieg, started work at Joondalup Health Campus as a final year medical student in 2011, back when the hospital was a lot smaller and before the current Emergency Department, theatres or Intensive Care Unit existed. Megan said she instantly loved the dynamic of the hospital. 

“There was a tight knit community of healthcare professionals who were passionate about looking after their patients and helping to educate the next generation of doctors,” said Megan.

“All of the staff, in many different roles, worked together for the common goal of putting patients first. I felt really supported as a junior and felt that my seniors had a genuine interest in my development as a doctor, so it was a natural decision to continue working at JHC as soon as I graduated,” she said.

Megan continued to work at Joondalup as a Resident Medical Officer while the hospital underwent the first stage of its major expansion and says, despite its size following the redevelopment, JHC retained a lot of the qualities that she had loved when it was a ‘small’ hospital.

“There was still the collegial atmosphere where consultants stopped in the hallway to chat about consults and went out of their way to help each other, medical administration was always friendly and there was still a primary focus on putting the patients’ interests first,” she said.

Having taken maternity leave in 2015, Megan wasn’t sure what work would look like after that but was encouraged back by a part-time position that has allowed her to balance being a hospital doctor and being a mum.

“The cardiology department went out of their way to ensure I was supported to pursue research and educational opportunities over the next few years – I was able to complete a joint vascular-cardiology research project in the Coronary Care Unit, which I then presented at the annual Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) cardiology conference, and I was able to complete a 6 month training course in Echocardiography, run at JHC,” said Megan.

“Due to the support I received, I was able to progress in my career while also having a great work-life balance with three young children,” she said.

Fast forward to 2024, Megan still loves the variety and challenges that Cardiology offers: from the adrenaline pumping resuscitations where she has the privilege to be involved in saving someone’s life, to the quieter moments she spends with her patients educating them about their heart and how their medications work.

“I find every part of my job rewarding. I am also really involved in supporting the junior doctors in our department – I run orientation, help with the weekly cardiology education program and support them as much as possible. 

I have benefitted so much from all of the senior clinicians who have supported me in my journey so far and it is wonderful to be able to pay it forward,” said Megan.

“In 2025, I am looking forward to being involved in the opening of the brand new Coronary Care Unit which will allow us to expand the number of patients we are able to care for at JHC.” 

To learn more about opportunities for junior doctors at JHC visit our website.

More information about arrhythmia is available on the Heart Foundation website.