Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH)
Caroline Shelverton - RN Renal Ward
After my husband was posted to Darwin from Brisbane, I took a position as a Registered Nurse at the Royal Darwin Hospital. Since commencing my employment earlier this year, I have found that my clinical skills have advanced significantly, due to the many and varied learning opportunities that have been made available to me.
From my orientation to today I feel that I have been made extremely welcome by all staff in the hospital. I have found my experiences working with Aboriginal people to be both challenging and enjoyable.
The opportunity to advance myself on both a professional and personal level has been an amazing journey. Courses and training are readily available, more so than I have experienced in other States or Territories. I would recommend anyone to come and experience the Top End for a truly diverse and unique cultural experience
Megan Starr - RN ICU
I love living and working as a nurse in Darwin. It’s the people, the lifestyle and the can do attitude that impresses me most. The continual challenge of achieving great outcomes with less makes me very proud to work here. I have been given amazing opportunities in Darwin, that I would have had to wait years to get “down south”.
Vanessa Mitchell - RN 7a Renal
I originally came to Darwin for three months but its now been a year.
My work unit has provided me with a lot of educational support and given me the opportunity to expand my nursing skills. The people I work with are encouraging, friendly and helpful. Many of the people I work with do not come from Darwin. This means there are many other people in a similar situation to myself. I have found it easy to make friends and it’s a great way to see the sights of the NT.
After travelling around the world for many years, being exposed to many different cultures and experiences, I find working with Aboriginal people has increased my knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal culture. I have enjoyed the past year and am looking forward to what my future here may bring. The experiences I have had in Darwin are unique to anywhere else in Australia, or the world!...but the best part about all of this are the markets, weather, sunsets, national parks and the list goes on and on...
Alice Springs Hospital
Natasha Franklin - BN CCRCpN
After completing my undergraduate training in New Zealand, my family and I moved to Alice Springs where I undertook the Postgraduate Nursing program offered to me by the Alice Springs Hospital. Like a lot of overseas travellers we came here for 12 months and four years later I’m still here! During my last rotation of my graduate program I worked in the Intensive Care Unit where I remain today. My career as a Registered Nurse has been an exciting journey and the opportunities that have been available to me have been amazing. Last year I finished my Critical Care Certificate, which I received a Northern Territory Government scholarship for, and this year I travelled to Perth to speak at the 6th Institute of Continuing Education Conference. The ongoing support and opportunities that I have received from Alice Springs Hospital in the last four years has been absolutely wonderful. Alice Springs Hospital offers a unique and exciting career pathway for any Registered Nurse, and the career opportunities are endless!
Anne Griffin - CNM Out Patients Department
Hi, my name is Anne and I moved to Alice Springs over six years ago. My home in the UK was King's Lynn in Norfolk, for 16 years, with the first 18 years of my life growing up in London.
I had been working as a Midwife for ten years, however wanted to return to General Nursing. As a result of excellent communication and help from my recruiter, I was offered a job at the Alice Springs Hospital.
I started on a ... bedded ward which also encompassed Day Surgery. I admit that I was very nervous to begin with, however my colleagues were very supportive and I soon settled in. I applied for Australian Residency in 2001 and became an Australian Citizen in 2004 - a very proud moment for me!
Alice Springs is a wonderful place to live, it hardly ever rains and the constant sunshine and heat are always welcome. Winter, from a UK perspective, is something that happens here for about a month, on a bad Winter's day the temperature is still about 15 degrees celsius . Whatever you're in to, I can assure you that it will be available here. Tennis? no problem, Good Dining? take your pick, want to explore the beautiful red sand? you're definitely in the right place! Whilst you are here don't forget to come to the Annual Arts Festival, Dry River Bed Boat Race ( properly named Henley on Todd, guess why! ), Camel Cup, ever raced on a Camel?! I could go on for hours, and that's not including all the services that you would expect of any town, it's just that we're 500km from the nearest one.
The hospital itself has offered me lots of opportunities. In my first three years here I worked as an E grade, acted as an F grade and as a G grade. I completed a chemotherapy course and administered chemotherapy for over a year. I completed an in-hospital developed endoscopy course and learnt lots from that. I currently work in the Outpatient and Specialist clinic area.
So, here I am six years later. How long did I intend to come for? That's a very good question and not something that I knew the answer to then or even now! All I know is that this is a very different, but highly enjoyable hospital to work in. The mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture and it's effect on Nursing is something to be explored, experienced and encompassed.
So come on, I look forward to meeting you and showing you my Southern Hemisphere adopted home.
Katherine Hospital
Anon.
First impressions count! The hospital is encompassed by lush, well maintained gardens with each of the work units providing open access to the beautiful surroundings. My initial encounter with the staff was open and friendly, a cup of tea on offer from the Nursing Director for both my husband and myself and an exclusive tour for the two of us. The work units maintain that aura of friendliness that you often see in smaller rural hospitals and whether it is related to the isolation from family or that the locals realise it’s importance in helping people to stay, I’m not sure.
Katherine Hospital accepts patients from a huge referral area, so nursing practice encompasses an exciting and often unique array of chronic and acute conditions. Whether it is the location, a small town and/or the younger population, people make the effort to socialise and work towards making it a great place to live and work. So on days off, Katherine has many things on offer and is central to some unique experiences and places including canoeing down Katherine River, camping at Gregory National Park, boat cruise Nitmuluk Gorge, exploring Kakadu and some city life in Darwin…all within a few hours drive. In considering all this, maybe that’s why I’m still here!
Tennant Creek
Greig Johnstone
Hi my name is Greig Johnstone, I come from a small town called Dumfries in the South West of Scotland. I am currently working in a small place
called Tennant Creek in THE Northern Territory. Tennant is a fantastic place to live and to work. All the staff here are friendly and there is
so much to see and to do in your time off!!! Tennant is ideally situated in the Northern Territory. Its location gives you a great insight to
life in the Territory! It gives you the opportunity to sample all that is good in the Territory!!! The weather is fantastic, the scenery is amazing,
Wildlife of all shapes, colours and sizes are everywhere and the people are friendly, relaxed and good fun!!! The hospital here has a big family feel
to it, everybody knows one another due to the size of the site! The hospital here is small, 20 bedded ward, 4 bay ED with 1 resus room and an 8
stationed haemodialysis unit! In the three months that I have been here I have met so many interesting people, locals and tourists alike!!
Since starting work in the Territory I have been trained as a flight nurse. This allows me to take/ pick up patients in the hospital plane from
Alice Springs back to Tennant including the more Rural communities! It’s a fantastic experience and one that you would struggle to get anywhere
else in the world!!
Before coming to the Territory I worked in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney! Although I really enjoyed my time there I am actually
enjoying the experience of living and working in Tennant much more!!! The accommodation provided here in Tennant is of a high standard. For $60 a
week, you get a fully furnished unit and free access to the hospital swimming pool, barbeque area and a floodlit tennis court which is great!!!!!!
Overall, the NT especially Tennant is a fantastic place with great people and it gives you an experience that you would never forget! That why so
many staff keeps coming back!!!
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