My Rural Story | Week Seven | Sue Lenthall

‘...You see parts of Australia that you would never see... some of the most beautiful places in the world.’

in the top end to central Australia. Really find out as much as they possibly can. The second one is to be prepared. Probably more if they were going there for a job rather than just a placement, but to be clinically prepared for that advanced role. Maybe get a bit of experience in paeds, in A and E, in a variety of different roles, so that they can actually feel like they know what they’re doing. When you work through that culture shock you get to a place where it’s such a privilege working and learning about another culture. And, as far as preparation, I do think people do need to do some education or even short courses, or a longer course, to be fully prepared for that advanced role in remote health. The third one, which I think is essential for everybody, is to have their own self- care plan. We really encourage people to actually sit down and write it out. What can they do as a stress reliever? Reading, walking, having good contact with their friends and families, internet is really important. Occasionally, that’s not really available in remote, but it’s becoming more available. And write out what they’re going to

The other thing is the cross cultural aspect. You can go through a period of culture shock when you don’t really like that other culture for a period of time, but when you work through that culture shock you get to a place where it’s such a privilege working and learning about another culture. The other main difference about working in remote areas is you see parts of Australia that you would never see. I’ve worked in the outer Islands of the Torres Strait, some of the most beautiful places in the world. The coastal areas and central Australia is amazing, the landscape, the people, everything. And really, you don’t get to go to those places or learn about them unless you’re actuallyworking there, which is rare. What advice would you give to students going on a rural or remote placement? The three things I would tell someone before they go to work in a remote community is one, to do their research. Find out what’s available, what’s not available, where they can get their food. What are the main health problems in that community? It can be very different

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