A nursing student has gained firsthand experience in remote health care in the Pilbara as the first recipient of a $10,000 bursary supported by RFDS WA Partner, Northern Star Resources.
Amy recently completed a two-week placement with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Western Australia (RFDS WA) team in Port Hedland, gaining valuable clinical experience while developing a greater understanding of what it takes to deliver health care across regional and remote Western Australia.
The bursary program was established with Northern Star Resources to help reduce the financial barriers nursing students can face when undertaking regional placements and to support the future workforce of rural clinicians. Travel, accommodation and transport costs can quickly add up, particularly for students travelling from Perth to the Pilbara.
By helping with these costs, the bursary gives nursing students the opportunity to gain practical experience in a unique healthcare environment while building skills and knowledge that can support their future careers.
For Amy, who is studying full-time to become a registered nurse while working as an enrolled nurse at a tertiary hospital in Perth, the support meant she could take up what she described as her "dream placement".
Not only did I get my dream placement; I was also extremely grateful to receive a scholarship to support my nursing placement with the RFDS in Port Hedland.
During her placement, Amy joined RFDS WA crews on aeromedical retrievals across the Pilbara, including Paraburdoo, Newman and Port Hedland. She experienced a diverse range of clinical presentations and saw firsthand the coordination required to safely connect patients in regional and remote communities with the care they need.
For RFDS WA, the bursary is about more than supporting a two-week placement. It's supporting the future of rural healthcare professionals, broadening their clinical experience and showing them where a career in regional and remote Western Australia can take them.
It also demonstrates the important role our partners play when investing in the future of rural healthcare professionals and creating opportunities that may otherwise be financially out of reach for students.
The scholarship has provided me with an opportunity that has significantly contributed to my development as a nursing student and future registered nurse.
RFDS WA is grateful to Northern Star Resources for helping make this opportunity possible, and to our Port Hedland team for sharing their knowledge and expertise throughout Amy's placement. Following the success of the first bursary, Northern Star Resources will support a further 11 recipients, with one student given the opportunity each month.
For Amy, the two weeks provided more than clinical experience. It offered a new perspective on nursing, regional health care and the patient journey, while helping build skills and experience she can carry into her future career as a registered nurse.
