Lisa Redenbach
Rotary Club of Sale
Rural Nursing Scholarship 2020
Federation University, Gippsland Campus, Vic
Final Rural Placement – Central Gippsland Health, Sale
Post Grad Placement – Bairnsdale Regional Health Service
Why do I wish to do rural and remote training?
Rural nursing to me is having extended knowledge on nursing skills in order to care for members of the community with a range of different conditions. I thoroughly enjoy this challenge and strive to meet the needs of people in rural areas. This may be influenced by the lack of resources compared to metropolitan health services and the distance to these services. The desire I have of being a rural nurse is fuelled from multiple factors including my upbringing, family and passion.
Living in the small community of Tambo Upper, twenty minutes east of Bairnsdale has given me a love for rural life. Growing up on a dairy farm has enabled me to develop responsibilities and skills from a young age and meet other farmers within the surrounding areas. The experience has inspired me to become a rural nurse to provide optimal care for farmers while truly understanding their concerns in addition to being admitted into an unfamiliar environment, including livestock feed and other farming responsibilities.
I was grateful to complete each of my nursing placements in rural hospitals including Bairnsdale Regional Heath Service, Central Gippland Health and Wonthaggi Community Mental Health. Each placement I was able to grow as a nurse and improve on my skills and knowledge required to become a competent and confident nurse. I am extremely excited to commence my graduate year at Bairnsdale in 2020 to give back to one of the hospitals which provided me the learning experiences required to become a Registered Nurse.
My passion for the rural area does not end there. I thoroughly enjoy being an active member of the Buchan Football and Netball club. Participating in a rural netball club has allowed me to meet people in many surrounding areas including Buchan, Omeo, Swifts Creek, Swan Reach, Bruthen and Lindenow South. This rural background experience motivates me to become a rural nurse to learn what services are available in these areas and introduce and encourage members of these communities to utilise them.
I am also aware of the large population of Indigenous Australians living in East Gippsland which also contributes to the reasoning behind wishing to become a rural nurse. I believe it is significantly importance to provide a comfortable safe environment for Aboriginal members to encourage them to access health services.
Final (University) Rural Report
I am currently on my second week of my graduate year at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS), on Tambo Ward (Medical/Surgical). I still feel as though I am adjusting to the fast pace of the ward and trying to become familiar with the multidisciplinary team, location of equipment and the hospital policies and procedures. Due to the fast pace of the ward I believe my time management and organisation skills have already improved in order to managing up to six patients with different health conditions and needs on my own. The staff and graduate coordinator here at BRHS could not be more supportive and are always happy to help when needed.
On my third day on the ward I was involved in a code blue where I soon became a part of the compression team. Due to not being exposed to a code blue as a student nurse, I always dreaded my first encounter and hoped I could effectively participate when I was put in the situation for the first time. In fact I did, I put my basic life support skills into use and remained calm and focused throughout the event. I often sought feedback on the effectiveness of my compressions and was told they were efficient. I have learnt a lot from this experience which will definitely assist in future emergency events.
I have thoroughly enjoyed providing care to patients who live locally and are very appreciative to be able to stay in the area to be treated. This has furthered my passion for rural nursing and I value the services we can provide to such a large area of East Gippsland. This also includes working with the multidisciplinary team and outside services to address all aspects of care needs to promote patient recovery/management.
So far I have completed multiple learning packages at BRHS and am waiting on a practical assessment in order to be able to independently perform intravenous cannulation. I look forward to continuously up skilling and completing more learning packages such as a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC’s) and Ports package that will assist me in the future when caring for patients with these needs. I also really look forward to the rest of the year and to continuously improve my critical thinking and nursing skills to aim towards becoming a more competent and confident registered Nurse. I commence my second rotation in July where I will be heading to Theatre. Theatre is of great interest to me and I hope to further my learning in future years and complete a post graduate in Theatre.
Post Grad Rural Placement Report
I have now completed my graduate year, with my two 6 month rotations being Tambo Ward (Medical/ Surgical) and the Peri-Operative Department. I have thoroughly enjoyed my graduate year at BRHS and appreciate all the support and guidance from mentors, ANUMS, NUMS, fellow colleagues, educators and the graduate coordinator along the way. As mentioned in previous reports I have a passion for theatre and have been able to really further my knowledge in this area within the last 6 months thanks to the very supportive staff, ANUMS and NUM. This has allowed me to scrub/ scout for multiple procedures including, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy, open and laparoscopic hernia repairs, mastectomy, TURP, gynaecology procedures, ect.
Following my graduate year, I was successful in getting a transition year at BRHS where I received 2 rotations in nurse pool and theatre. However, due to my eagerness to stay within the theatre department and them being short staffed I have been fortunate enough to stay within the department for the next 12 months, which I am very excited about! I look forward to setting more learning goals for the year including learning the role of the anaesthetic nurse, scrubbing for a caesarean and being competent enough to start being on call. I am also looking forward to completing a post graduate degree within the Perioperative Department within the near future.
I am extremely grateful to have received the rural nursing scholarship as it has allowed me to get the most out of my graduate year, without the financial stress. Thank you once again to the Australia Rotary Health and the Rotary Club of Sale for your generous support.