Vicki Gordon – Remote Support

- Vicki Gordon

We also have an Online Education program being developed as we speak, to provide ongoing educational tools to support all of our current courses. You will hear more abut this as the content becomes available.

So back to MEC - we kick off with a course in Bruny Island mid February. I’m hoping for good weather but even if its not so good it is nice to see the ocean. Being a resident of rural country Victoria i don’t see it often enough! I’ll post some photos from there after the course.

If anyone has an interesting birth story or a pregnancy complication from their work in remote or rural Australia that highlights the skills we teach in MEC please post it here (no identifying details please) or email me at mec@crana.org.au.

Cheers

Caitlin

Given that some remote areas are about to go into the wet season, I thought a timely place to start would be to have a look at Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). As you are no doubt aware, people who suffer from SAD get depressed repeatedly in winter, or rather when the season changes. It is also known as the ìwinter bluesî. Symptoms can include lethargy and cravings for comfort foods such as chocolate.

What are your experiences of how the weather affects your (and your patientsí) emotional experience?

What are the other environmental factors that impact on your emotions?

What do you do to cope?

What factors let you know that things are improving?

- Annmaree

Adele Leeds the DON at Cunnamulla praised the ENs there as highly skilled and talked about how the nurses all have portfolios. Joined staff at morning tea and met with a paramedic there as well for the first time on the trip and spent time talking with him about the relevance of CRANA to people in his field. He mentioned that ambulance staff tend to be on the outer rather than being included with other health staff generally he felt.

Charmaine at Bollon is in a single nurse post and like a couple of other remote nurses we’ve met on this trip lives on a property some way out of town when not working.

St George Hospital and PHC unit are very well resourced. Again met with several of the staff who were saying the last twelve months the area has had good rain after about five years of drought. Needless to say this will’ve had all sorts of effects on the community.

Goondir Health Service were suffering with having many of their staff away with the flu.

Mungindi were really appreciative of our visit as it was said they don’t get a lot of visits. Border issues certainly come into play again here! One of the RNs Sarah also works at nearly Dirranbandi so was able to tell us a little about the facility there. We passed on CRANA packs for her to share with the staff there and also Goondiwindi where she has worked previously.

At Collarenebri (with it’s fancy pink kettle) sat with member Nicole Lawler firstly, followed by three agency nurses and then the two resident community nurses. With a population of about 550, relatively new Multi Purpose Centre and two doctors as elsewhere people here don’t necessarily see themselves as remote. With us elaborating on CRANA’s definition of geographically remote &/or professionally isolated and what the organisation has to offer, I think people there too may access aspects of CRANA’s programs more in the future.

Lots of native pine trees (presumably Callitris)on the roadside yesterday. Occurred to me also that we have seen very few reptiles in our travels. Birds: saw a group of White-winged Choughs today and still groups of Apostlebirds about too.

More cleared land today and evidence of cotton on the roadsides today.

We’ve now visited with 25 health facilities, done just under 4500kms and it’s only day 11!

Catch ya. Vicki G

Back to when I last wrote on the road to Birdsville a couple of days ago.
Ross met us at the relatively new expansive health centre right next door to the old one which is open for visitors still. I remember a few years ago Kirsten and Jo were the nurses working out of the old building and doing a presentation on their work. Know Ross from Kintore in the late ë90s but hadnít seen him since so good to catch up. Bev arrived that night too as about to take over from him. They do six weeks on and three off. The Diamantina Council owns the health service and North West Queensland Primary Health Care, which is part of the Division of GPs cover the staffing.
Theyíve got the famous Birdsville races coming up soon when the town which usually has a population of about 80 swells to several thousand and going by the tourist stats this year, already itís expected to have an even bigger turnout. Ten extra nurses, two doctors, twenty police and I think 70 extra bar people are part of it all!
Visited the famous pub of course, certainly has character.
Back to Windorah, calling in to see Susan again. She had one of the old local characters with her whoíd lived all his life in the area.
The drive to Quilpie was green as ñ just lovely. Still coming across Emus and now goats.
Weíve crossed a number of the well known kind of legendary rivers on this trip, some more than once. Names like Georgina, Diamantina, Barcoo, Cooper Creek, Bulloo, Paroo and now Warrego. Still a good bit of water about too which is great to see for all sorts of reasons.
At the Quilpie Hopital this morning met the staff at morning tea. Theyíd had a rough day yesterday.

Had a new grad just started who said itís difficult to find a grad placement. There was a nursing student as well. Theyíre light on senior RNs and trying to grow their own. Only one agency nurse at the moment. Had a good yarn with a few of them. As elsewhere relief to get away for training is an ongoing issue.
Thargomindah to Karen a reliever whoíd seen the new CRANA ad on TV as others have. She was telling us that Thargomindah was the third place in the world to get electric light after Paris and London. Apparently one of the fellas involved in developing it in London came there in the 1860s!
Next Bollon, St George and Mungindi on the border.

Literally on the road to Birdsville from Bedourie on Sunday and obviously not driving myself at the mo, Lenny is.
Just had a couple of hours with Jeannie the reliever at Bedourie who has also worked a lot in the NT so connections in common.
Last wrote from Barcy as the locals call Barcaldine. Before leaving there two days ago met with Mark the DON, who also showed us around the extensive facility saying that one of the biggest issues is growing their own nursing staff and they have an ongoing program with local school kids to help try and change this to a degree. Lenny luckily spent time with Andrew the Acting Aboriginal Health Coordinator. The local Indigenous population tends to access the local the Aboriginal Corporation run by the Red Cross he said.
Headed off for what we found to be the delightful Blackall Hospital with itís ground level, curved, verandah-surrounded structure! Frankie the new DON there is a member and like everyone just lovely to meet and spend time with these folk. She said at the moment they were managing staffing levels with only one agency nurse and she attributed a lot of this to the flexibility of the staff. One of the nursing staff we met was up with her husband from Victoria for a while and has done the same in various places in the NT
Thereís looking like big changes in the area with coal and gas reserves having been found.
About 40 kms before Isisford came across a wee bearded-type dog obviously lost. Felt like picking him up and taking him to town but no room and maybe the owners would be back. Didnít take a drink but didnít feel too good looking back in the mirror to see him standing looking bewildered after the car.
Not long after that came across eight Australian Bustards, having also seen a group of four the previous day. Most Iíve ever seen that I can recall ñ just pairs in the past. They have a real arrogant air about them.
Isisford PHC centre again an old building that is apparently being slowly replaced. They still had a big-wheeled canvas ambulance stretcher in their historical area. Alex the Barcaldine-based reliever had just taken over from Phillip the current resident DON that day. Like other single nurse posts very reliant on the OSO for cleaning and ambulance driving during the week.
The Yellowbelly Fishing Comp was about to start for the weekend..
The stop for that night was Jundah another 200kms heading out to the Longreach road. Lots of green, emus again, and kangaroos mainly Euros and Greys as well as sheep and cattle. The jump up and forest at sunset just before our destination was beautiful.
Sue met us outside the extensive garden and PHC complex and then after unpacking we were off to the local pub for tea with her hubby Dennis too. Meeting some of the locals including a lady born in the area and apart from holidays still there at 81. We met an English backpacker working there as we did at Bedourie where there is also a woman from Paris. Apparently advertising is done in the cities to attract these workers.
One of the big changes in the area is the cancelled Russian kangaroo meat exports, as there are a considerable number of shooters in the area. Needless to say this will have a domino affect on the surrounding areas.
Left crossing the Thompson River like many waterways weíve crossed still with water in it and travellers fishing and staying for various lengths of time and several years in a row according to locals.
SoÖ to yesterday we left Sue after a pikelet morning tea and headed to Windorah to Susan a reliever and her three dogs. She has worked remote for years in Queensland including the Torres Strait and Gulf. Learnt about FROGS from her = Flying Remote OBs/Gynes Service!
To today, and itís our slowest one so far with under 200kms to Birdsville staying at the health centre there. Like all roads so far really interesting and changing country - grassland, gibber and wetlands with Darter, a Yellow Spoonbill, Pelicans and such. Which reminds me at the motel last night the Fairy Martins had built amazing nests under the eaves and were flat out this morning circling, ducking and diving.
Long day tomorrow going to Quilpie but thatís ok will get to connect with them the following morning before heading to Thargomindah then Cunnamulla.
You know weíve come across some amazing trees between Boulia and Winton that Iíve heard also grow south east of Alice and also 12km north of Birdsville. Apparently the only known three patches of Acacia peuce, a wattle harking back to the Ice Age. Yet another amazing thing Iíve found out on this adventure. Very slow growing and resistant to fire.
Catch ya

Had the Corellas waking us at Boulia (is it really only yesterday morning!?) as at Alpurrurulum sunset and sunrise. Today though at Winton it was Galahs.

Had a lovely chat with Katrina and her partner Chris at Boulia. Unfortunately the Aboriginal Healthworker Lawrence was away. It seems that the Boulia Shire Council is really pro-active with the local Inidigenous population as far as employment goes and other aspects of peoples’ lives.

It also seems there’s a move of folk back to Boulia from Mt Isa because of the expenses, gambling and alcohol but this is creating housing issue at Boulia.

As we were leaving Boulia spotted quite a bit of water in the river to the east ( sorry don’t have the map in front of me to tell you it’s name) with Pelicans and lots of Black Cormorants.

Driving to Winton there is an extensive range of mesa or table-top shaped hills that are quite beautiful and originate from the ancient expansive sea that used to exist over much of the land. There is also a species of tree which like the mesas that it was said the only other place in the world that these occur is in South America!?

We didn’t get to meet with Jenny the Director of Nursing at Winton till this morning as she was tied up but met several other staff yesterday afternoon including Elsa who said one of the issues for health staff at Winton was a beach - quotable quote I reckon! As in other visits said I didn’t have a magic wand in my back pocket to oblige.

Learnt of another term alongside cultural awareness, sensitivity, safety, security, comfort, competence there’s responsiveness.

Last night Lenny and I yarned with Sue Witten a CRANA member and two agency nurses from New Zealand near Wellington and the West Coast of the South Island.

There is fantastic accommodation for staff at Winton which we have photos of and will post on the blog when we get to it. The gardener is also doing a fantastic job there too and at Muttaburra. Speaking of which I haven’t been to since 1988 with my ex and parents and at that stage there was a degree of angst I remember about the Kiwis and there use of wide-toothed combs for shearing. The sheep in the area have decreased somewhat since that time, being replaced by cattle. However as we walked into the pub for lunch with Karen the relieving nurse between Muttaburra and Boulia, there was a Kiwi joke shouted across from one side of the bar to the other. Then at Aramac not long after this, one of the residents of the lovely nearly 100 year old elevated hospital asked if we were there to work.

Can understand the question in view of the reliance on agency nursing staff. In my response he obviously picked up that I was a Kiwi and said in his German accent about the sign at a NZ airport asking fo the last peron leaving to turn off the lights! Agency staff is not the main issue confronting Aramac though, the main threat is the possible/probable closure of their hospital with the decision due in September. It like Hughenden and threats to Julia Creek and Charters Towers also aparrently they would be downgraded to single nurse post, primary health care facilities. Leaving there felt pretty down actually.

Did see quite a few Emus between Muttaburra, Aramac and Barcaldine as Karen at Muttaburra told us, and a mob of cattle with two women drovers including a young German. They were going from Tambo to Lake Nash! Didn’t get to ask the reason.

Don’t want to compromise people’s postions with regard to issues shared but will list these soon when I get a break in the traffic so to speak. Having very long days but just great to meet and yarn with folk.

Catch ya. Vicki

To see photo’s of Vicki & Lenny’s Trip : http://albums.crana.org.au/crana/vicki-lennys-trip-photos/