“My goal is to share the knowledge and skills I have obtained over the years,” says Emma, “and hopefully be a role model for other young nurses to realise that this lifestyle will forever change the way you nurse and care for others, in the best way possible!”
Emma has worked in several rural and remote regions including Far North and central Queensland, and the Barkly Region in the Northern Territory (NT). She has also spent many a long day flying in to some of the most remote communities of the NT as a Flight Nurse, where there is often just a dirt strip and a few houses nearby.
“Working in these areas has really opened my eyes to the health disparities that we are still trying to manage and reduce and the real resilience and strength of the people who live and work in these isolated communities,” says Emma.
Employed at CRANAplus since February this year, Emma’s role is specifically to coordinate the REC/AREC+ALS/TEC courses. Since she began with CRANAplus, she has also worked on content modification for the PEC+PALS course.
“I have always had a strong passion for education and have been continuously committed to delivering formal and informal education in my roles as an RN/CN so I am thrilled to be working with a company like CRANAplus that has such a strong vision and passion for providing education and upskilling the rural and remote workforce.
“I think when you commit to a nursing role, you commit to lifelong learning and study – every day is an opportunity to learn something new, to see something you haven’t seen before.”
Emma’s passion for education began early in her career when she realised “the true privilege of being provided with quality ongoing education is not a given”.
Working in rural and remote environments can make accessing educational services difficult as there is often limited time or ability to take days off to travel elsewhere to complete courses.
“That’s what has drawn me to CRANAplus,” she says. “We take our courses to the most remote corners of the country so healthcare workers don’t miss out on these valuable opportunities.”
Emma herself first completed a CRANAplus course in 2018 – the REC and MEC due to her real desire to jump into rural and remote nursing.
“I stayed on in a regional ED and consolidated my skills until 2020 when I did my first contract,” she recalls.
“It was a surreal change from working in a busy, well-staffed department to working with only one other nurse and an on-call doctor, but I loved the rapid improvement in my clinical decision-making and scope of practice.
“I would recommend to anyone considering making the leap to R&R to embrace the uniqueness of the role, and embrace the challenges with an open heart and mind!”
