Julie Westaway

Nurse Julie Westaway, based in Toowoomba, QLD, recently completed a four-week placement in the Northern Territory for the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC). RAHC is part of the federal government’s Expanded Health Service Delivery Initiative (EHSDI), which is addressing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Placements range from three weeks up to three months and are based on the specific requests of the NT Department of Health and Families (NT DHF) and the Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS). Here, Julie describes the experience of her assignment on the program in the Galiwin’ku community on ElchoIsland.

  “I grew up in North Queensland, around a lot of Indigenous people, and I’ve always been quite fascinated by their culture,” Julie Westaway says of her initial interest in undertaking a placement as a nurse in the Indigenous community of Elcho Island, NT. But the role ended up providing far more than just an interesting experience.

“This was not just a caretaker role – it was more than that. This was about coming in and trying to improve the quality of people’s lives.” Julie says the position gave her perspective on her permanent job when she went back to it, as well as having a marked effect on her skills in coping during stressful situations. “In the city you have a back-up call, which you don’t have in the bush. You can’t reach out for a piece of equipment – you have to improvise and make sure you can relax with the responsibility.”

However, Julie says the training provided by RAHC helped immensely. “RAHC’s cultural training was very useful. It’s important to understand the cultural significance and differences so you’re not stepping on toes in the bush – especially when it comes to the relationships between brothers and uncles, and mothers and children. You need to be aware that when a baby comes in it may not be accompanied by the birth mother, but the woman may still call herself the mother.”

Julie says the hardest – and most rewarding – part about the position was dealing with the quantity and degree of health problems. “You do see more [health problems] in remote rural environments than you would in the city. When you do patient assessments you’re looking at a totally different set of complaints and conditions. Common problems are rheumatic heart conditions, septic arthritis and septic ears.

Julie feels the program benefited her hugely and allowed her to use, and expand upon, her existing skills. “The placement was an excellent opportunity for me to get back into a role similar to one I held previously, as a maternal nurse and a midwife. I drew on a much wider skill-set than I would normally use.”

Julie plans to return to Elcho Island twice a year, and encourages health managers to release their health workers for short periods too. “They’ll find that their employees’ knowledge and ability to cope in stressful situations will increase.

Julie urges fellow health professionals to get involved, saying, “It’s about stepping out of your usual role and challenging yourself. This is a wonderful experience, professionally and personally, and allows for growth in both areas. It’s a two-way street. Respect the knowledge and understanding the Indigenous health workers have here, bring your own experience along, and it could be a beautiful mix.

“I’d definitely recommend it to colleagues. I’m coming back in August.”