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6 DECEMBER 2024 ausdoc . com . au
Why is this GP also a barber ?
Carmel Sparke WHEN blokes visit Dr Edier Loaiza Maya for an appointment , they leave looking a lot sharper than when they arrived .
With clippers in hand , the GP has been offering procedures other doctors do not : mullets , short back and sides , and fades .
Dr Maya grew up in his single mother ’ s hair salon in Colombia , working from a young age selling meatballs on the streets to earn money .
At one point , he even dropped out of school early to help the family , including three other siblings , make an income .
After his tough childhood , Dr Maya completed his schooling at night to make a new life for himself .
He says opening a barber shop in Launceston , Tasmania , in June this year was a way of going back to his roots , a way to continue the connection between his two lives .
“ There are two reasons . My mum taught me barbering , so I feel connected to my mother through that ,” Dr Maya says .
“ And the second thing is that I really enjoy making people look good and also talking to them .
“ It is about communication , it is about connection , it is about trust — and in that sense , barbering is similar to general practice .
“ You need to have a decent amount of trust to put your head in someone ’ s hands to have your hair cut .”
Dr Maya says he works as a barber on Saturdays and as a GP the rest of the week at Newstead
Dr Edier Loaiza Maya .
Medical in Launceston , working under the fellowship program for IMGs run by the RACGP .
He arrived in Australia with his wife in 2014 . He had qualified as a general medical doctor in Colombia but needed to begin the process of applying to practise here .
As a way of earning money while he sorted his credentials , Dr Maya began working for his mother — who had also moved to Australia — in her barber shop in Brisbane . It was there he
‘ Barbering is similar to general practice .’ learnt the art of hairdressing , facial grooming and talking to customers .
It helped him to improve his English , he says . By 2022 , he got his name on the medical register , moving to Tasmania to work as an RMO at Launceston General Hospital .
Then two years later , he began a new life as a GP , doing after-hours work in the barber shop he opened with his business partner , urologist Dr Philip Tan .
“ I encourage my hairdressing staff to just find out about who is in the chair ,” Dr Maya said .
“ You know , we are cutting hair . But for men , who tend to neglect their mental health , it is good to talk — not just about sad things but good things too .
“ Some people have told me that hairdressers are like lower-paid psychologists .”
He says an anecdote about his upbringing probably helped him win a place on the specialist training program .
During one of the interviews , he was asked by the panel to tell a story that illustrated something that was important to him .
“ I told them about a time when I was aged 14 and the family had moved to a new town .
“ Mum had spent our last $ 10 on making meatballs for me to sell on the streets , but I went out and tripped , sending the meatballs over the road .
“ I picked up what I could and headed back home , expecting the worst .
“ But my mother was not mad ; she was not upset . She just made a new sauce , washed the meatballs off and sent me back out again ,” he recalled .
“ I told the interview panel I had learnt two things from that episode .
“ One was to be resilient and never give up — no matter what . The second ? Never eat food from street stalls .”
The panel laughed , he got onto the training program and his life as a GP began .
Joining Cornerstone Health has exceeded my expectations . I have been able to grow my practice and boost my income by more than 30 %, whilst financially supporting both my children to complete their medical education .
DR JELICA ANTIC-PAVLOVIC Clinical Lead General Practitioner , Our Medical North Lakes
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