Earlier this year, I embarked on my final ten week placement. I’m in my fourth year of a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (OT), majoring in Indigenous Health, studying at Southern Cross University. My placement was based at Mount Isa Base Hospital, and I was placed with a fellow Southern Cross OT student.
From day one, I knew the experience was going to be unforgettable, but I wasn’t aware of the huge positive impact it would have on my personal and professional growth, and my outlook to working in rural and remote areas.
In Mount Isa, the support for students is well set up through the JCU Murtupuni Centre. We were provided with a private room in shared accommodation, sharing with other students doing placements in many medical fields, from nursing to physiotherapy, medicine and speech pathology.
The clinical side of placement was an amazing learning opportunity, with the ability to work across different areas of OT in the hospital. This included such activities as concussion assessments in the acute ward, neurological screenings with patients with suspected strokes and stroke rehabilitation, shower and toilet assessments on the medical and surgical ward, working collaboratively with allied health professionals, working alongside families and communities to safely discharge patients home with assistive equipment, palliative care management and being a part of MDT meetings and complex discharge discussions, to name a few.
I was able to develop my clinical skills, as well as my interpersonal and communication skills. Having a strong theoretical base of culturally safe practice is something I value very highly, and I was able to collaborate with First Nations patients, families and communities to ensure culturally safe and competent healthcare services were delivered.
My time in Mount Isa has shaped me and my future practice as an OT, to come at situations with the ability to understand diverse perspectives and to be critically reflective of my practice and areas I can improve on.
This learning will be something I carry with me throughout my whole career and has made me even more excited to become a health professional and work in rural and remote areas of Australia throughout my career.
Apart from the amazing clinical experience, living in the outback was nothing short of amazing, with weekend adventures and friends that I’ll have forever. We regularly went away camping (thanks to JCU’s free camping gear) and explored places such as Adele’s Grove (Waanyi Country), where we met and befriended the locals who helped us cross some tricky water crossings to get into the park, kindly gave us local tips and knowledge about areas to explore and had some yarns with.
Weekend races were a regular occurrence, with events such as the Gregory Annual Canoe Race. When we stayed in Mount Isa for the weekend, I joined the local trail running club, which provided me with a better understanding of the local community spirit and landscape. Meeting other like-minded young health professionals out and about made the weekends ever so social. Oh, and how can I forget, joining the local line dancing club (Mount Isa Line Dancers) each Wednesday, for some boot-scootin’ fun! I’ve taken it back to the Gold Coast with me and have taught a few friends some moves I picked up.
I’m a big advocate for experiencing rural and remote health care whilst studying. It has helped me grow immensely and is an experience I hold dearly, and can look back on fondly throughout my career. So, if anyone is unsure or undecided about whether they should give it a go, my advice would be – go for it. You’ll meet so many amazing people along the way, be exposed to clinical experiences you just wouldn’t see in urban areas, which challenge you to problem solve and get creative with the resources you have, and make lifelong friends.
