Growing up in a regional community I have seen first-hand the importance and impact that rural hospitals have on communities.   They have demonstrated that there is more to healthcare then just providing medical services; that it provides community support.   The sense of community is an important factor for me as I have grown up assisting the community through many services projects, such as Lions Australia and the Australian Mentoring Experience (EIME).

It was through these programs that I demonstrated my passion for serving others and was inspired to become a health professional.  the community has attracted me into rural nursing as it demonstrated a holistic approach to health and the benefits a community can have on an individual’s health and well being.  As a nurse intending on specialising in Indigenous Care, a holistic approach and sense of community is key for their spiritual connection to improve health outcomes.   Being given this opportunity will allow to be more involved in the Indigenous community and improving the lives of Indigenous People.

In addition, I would like to become a rural nurse as it has shown that rural and region hospitals suffer from reduced resources.   The reduction in resources can be seen as a benefit for a developing nurse as it can provide me with the opportunity to be resourceful and increase my critical thinking skills in unique circumstances.   Further on, rural hospitals with limited space can provide me as a rural nurse the opportunity to analyse, assess and treat varying health conditions.

As a rural nursing student within a Regional University, I have spent many placements over the course of my study within rural and regional hospitals in various departments; some that have made a great impact on me is the renal ward, dialysis and emergency. Each of these departments are unique in there own way and provide challenging circumstances for a developing nurse. These departments also provided me with the opportunity to learn different types of nursing and experience different learning situations. For example, the emergency department provided me with the opportunity to learn about stenosis and aortic dissections; these are two conditions that I did not learn within the classroom and felt terrified on how to help when I came across them. These conditions were a challenging situation for me but the staff I worked alongside were terrific in providing me with the knowledge on the conditions, the examinations that needed to be conducted and the treatment. Dialysis made a great impact in my nursing career as it is an area where as I student my practical skills were limited due to safety but the knowledge that the staff provided was impeccable. Learning about dialysis and chronic kidney disease demonstrated a value to learning and developing as an inspiring Indigenous Care nurse and gave me the opportunity to practice a holistic approach with patients.

It was moments like these in the emergency and dialysis departments that demonstrated that nursing has many layers and that there is more to learn with health as we progress and develop as nurses. It is a career that we can continue to learn and adapt in our changing world. It demonstrated that just because we have graduated, it does not mean we are done learning. I am eager to see what my graduate year has install for me and hopeful that it will give me challenges that I can utilise as a developing nurse.

For the past three months, I have been focused on Primary Health Care as a nurse within a clinic. Throughout my time within the clinic, I have experienced a vast range of health conditions, both through routine and urgent care. Wound care is a core aspect of clinic nursing; these wounds can range from acute to chronic. As wound care is a key aspect of primary health care, I have increased my knowledge of assessing wounds and the best practices for wound management, including the best products for ongoing management.

In addition to learning the types of dressings utilized in wound care, I have become confident in suture removal. I have learned this skill while in the clinic. As a student nurse, I was not taught about suturing and I had limited experience throughout the years due to the types of rotations I had.

During this rotation, I have worked closely with doctors and nurses; both professions have taken the time to educate and support me in new areas, or in areas in which I have limited knowledge.

You can see the support between professions between everyone, particularly for new staff such as myself as they still take the time to teach even in overwhelming situations and an overfilled clinic.

For the next three months, I want to focus on paediatric care, throughout my studies, I have had limited experience with paediatrics as rotations had been in adult wards. With paediatrics treatment and management can differ from adults, especially in how you approach a situation.