Marilia Couto
International student Marilia chose to study the Master of Health Leadership to transition from clinical medicine into management.
“It is a dream to be living in Auckland. I am constantly amazed at how peaceful life is here. People value work-life balance, the city is safe and the weather is just lovely.
“I lived in New Zealand when I was fifteen years old during an exchange programme and fell in love with it. Back in Brazil, I completed my medical degree and specialisation. I have been working in the clinical branch of medicine for some years and decided it was time to try something new and enter the management field.
I started looking for a programme that was right for me and I found this masters degree, which seemed perfect. I am completing the Quality and Clinical Safety sub-specialisation which focuses on improving both the experience and the safety of patients in different health care settings.
“In these classes, we insert our previous knowledge in the discussions and assignments. It is a course focusing on teaching people how to think with their own heads, based on their own experiences.
“At the University of Auckland there is a good range of support for international students and when I had a sensitive family situation during 2019, I used the counselling services and it was extremely helpful.”