Do you think you’ve seen it all with your years of experience in nursing or midwifery? Well, you haven’t if you’ve not tried the travel nurse experience.
Travel nursing gets you in touch not only with Australian locales you didn’t even know were on the map, but also with communities and clinical settings that will truly expand your expertise as a nurse.
This month’s spotlight is on RN Kylie, who is a tried-and-true veteran of the industry. Her travel nursing experience has given her the opportunity to see up-close our beautiful country, the different health systems across each state, and even a whale shark or two.
RN Kylie
31 years nursing experience
3min read
1. How long have you been nursing for?
31 years, the last 18 years in emergency. Prior to emergency I had varied roles in general and surgical nursing.
2. How has your time been at the Royal Darwin and the Onslow District Hospital?
They were two completely different facilities – Onslow is extremely remote with an average population of 600 with a large mining fly–in–fly–out population whereas Darwin is a tertiary facility in the Northern Territory where there is a large volume of patients per day with limited bed capacity.
Both facilities were a great learning curve especially indigenous health and what this patient cohort present with and the tropical diseases you see are fascinating.
3. What have you got up to in Western Australia?
We were fortunate enough to swim with the whale sharks. We were also fortunate enough to drive from South Australia and saw tourist highlights such as Busselton, Bunbury, Margaret River, Perth, Rottnest Island, Fremantle and one of the biggest highlights was the horizontal falls in the Kimberley’s and the Bungle Bungle Range.
4. What do you enjoy most about the travel nurse experience?
I enjoy at times the autonomy you have and the need to draw on your experience and clinical knowledge and trouble–shooting when you have limited resources and isolation from the next referral center.
5. You did 4 placements with us last year – what has been the highlight of working with Affinity so far?
I think it all has been a highlight to be honest. I loved the ability to travel when in-between contracts and see our beautiful country. Brittany, my consultant, has been amazing to work with.
6. You have taken some awesome photos – do you have a favourite shot from your travels? What’s the story behind it?
My favourite shot is the whale sharks as we had planned the trip well over 12 months before. The beauty of these creatures and Ningaloo reef is incredible!
Photo credit: Ningaloo Whale Shark Swim, @jazseaimagery
7. What advice would you tell other Nurses who want to do travel nursing?
First piece of advice is every state and territory health systems are completely different. All have their positives and negatives. Don’t try and change anything. Just remember you’re there for a short time to help the team. Just enjoy what each area will teach you.
Health care inequality in rural settings is enormous and something I took a long
time to overcome. Make sure you journal, journal, journal as what you see can’t be underestimated. There will be good days and bad days. Make sure you manage your fatigue and say no to overtime If you feel like you need it.
Looking for a change, a challenge, and a call to see the rest of Australia? Register with Affinity and see where the travel nurse experience can take you.
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