Outback nursing suitable for inexperienced nurse?

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Hi all,

I've not yet even completed my HSC, but have my heart set on becoming a nurse. Growing up in the Sydney suburbs, I've always had a fascination with the Australian outback and would love it if I could start off my career there after finishing my nursing degree at university. However, I've been told that outback nursing is not suitable for nurses fresh from uni. So, I was looking for some back-up on this statement, and was also wondering what makes rural nursing so different to city nursing (besides the remoteness)?

Thank you!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Howdy.

I tried to get into this. You need at the very least 2 years (preferably 5) post acute experience, and usually have to be a midwife & have done community work as well. You need ED experience too, because you may be the only nurse in a small place, with no hospital/Dr backing you up (the only Dr you may have to ask advice is by radio/phone in another town), and you must be able to deal with anyone and any condition that arises. Agencies won't take you without a lot of experience. Try & get a GNP out back in a smaller town & do post grad dip nursing in outback nursing maybe.

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Specializes in Medical.

Like Carol says, the issue is that remote area nurses are unsupported (in some cases the only healthcare provider of any kind) for hundreds of kilometers. These nurses need to have experience to be able to serve their communties, but also for themselves - I've been nursing for over two decades, all of it in really acute care, and can't imagine managing without the support and backup I'm used to.

Midwifery experience is preferred but not required, some ED and/or ICU experience would be helpful, and having several years (at least a graduate year and a consolidation year) under your belt is essential.

I think it's great that you're interested in working in this underresourced, fascinating area. Several of my friends have worked inshort (3-6 month stints) in WA/NT remove communities, one is at present, and an academic friend is currently doing PhD research in a remote community. They all say it's hard, immensely rewarding, invigorating, and wholly different from anything else they've done. I wish you luck :)

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

i agree with what has been said above.

I did an agency placement in rural NSW for 3 months and it was great but you really are flying solo the whole time. After 4 years of working in acute wards and HDU it was strange to be without the services that I took for granted. A doctor on site 24/7 all the allied health services even security!!

A pt was brought in to ED by the ambulance one day in full on cardiac arrest. I had no doctor in town and the only support I had was the 2 ambos that brought her in and an ED doctor on the phone.

Another day I had a women come in in labour and I was flying solo with no midwfery experience bar my student days and helping my father with lambing

Another day there was 8 kids under the age of 10 presented within 3 hours.

All of this while looking after the nursing home pt that were in the hospital with only an EN and myself to do everything.

It is about experience and knowledge and pushing yourself to the edge of your skills at times but still knowing how to work safely within your scope of practice. This only comes with experience. There was also times when a week or more could go by and nothing would present to emergency, so all you had was your very routine work with little stimulation.

On the security side you are alone in a hospital where there are drugs and wherever you go there are people with drug addictions. So you have to be very aware of your safety in place where there is just you and another nurse. I had to lock the hospital up every evening and set alarms. our security company was over 2 hours away so imagine if something was to happen!!

I am not trying to put you off by any means but highlighting the differences in city and remote nursing. I had a great time where I was but it is really remote and anyone my age had left the area or was married with a few kids so it can be lonely. But in saying that I was well looked after by the rest of the nurses in the hospital who adopted me like a daughter. Best of luck

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Specializes in Emergency Midwifery.

There are some places that offer graduate nursing programs in outback Australia and rotate the grads through a number of larger hospitals at the start of their program and working towards the smaller ones towards the end. You might consider this if you are really interested.

Top End - rings a bell perhaps you could check with them.

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Hey I was interested in doing rural but didnt feel i had enough experience to be working alone....so i went to kalgoorlie for a short term which is in between as they have a hospital and there was always one other nurse on...so thats an option..they take new grads straight from uni

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Hey I was interested in doing rural but didnt feel i had enough experience to be working alone....so i went to kalgoorlie for a short term which is in between as they have a hospital and there was always one other nurse on...so thats an option..they take new grads straight from uni

Tannera who did you contact at Kalgoorlie for this? I wouldn't mind looking into this as I am in Perth at the mo and not liking the work side very much; work is a bit slow at the moment.

You can msg me privately if you want.

Cheers.

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how do i private message you? i cant work this out

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

At top of the screen go into 'my account' them there will be another menu to choose options from. Go into 'private messages' and then onto 'send private messages'. I'll try sending you one.

Then when you long onto allnurses you will see a msg at the top saying how many private messages you have waiting 4 u.

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google kalgoorlie hospital and go on the website and look for the contact details for nursing manager susan hogan and email her directly. She is very helpful. I think they might take mid year intakes. I enjoyed my time out there, def not where I would want to live forever but had fun as the town is made up of a lot of people who are there for a short time which means everyone is friendly. They should pay for flights and if you are serious about going then make sure she arranges acomadation for you preferably a one bedroom place. If you are a new grad you prob cant demand anythng but if i was experienced i would not go unless she assured me a one bedroom place. I went after having 2 years experience in sydney. the learning is very different and the doctors have time to explain things. Most days are slow but you do get very busy when it fulls up!

sorry cant private message for some reason it wont let me...maybe because i dont pay to be a member

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Tannera, for security purposes, AN requires members to have 15 posts before they can send messages via PM. You're almost there!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Tannera, for security purposes, AN requires members to have 15 posts before they can send messages via PM. You're almost there!

Can I ask why you have to have sent 15 posts? What difference does it make if you have sent 1 or 100 posts, as to whether or not you can send a personal message, and what security purposes are involved?

Just confused as I didn't know this either.

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