I have recently completed one of my nursing placements in Carnarvon, which is a town almost 1000km away from Perth, taking 10 hours drive to get to.
I was assigned a four-week placement in the general ward at Carnarvon Hospital, and I was lucky enough to have a friend complete their placement at the same time as me.
We were lucky to share accommodation with some of the nurses and an OT student – which was great because it meant it was a really social household; we always were having fun.
The general ward and maternity ward are interchangeable, although they are not currently birthing in Carnarvon there still are maternity patients of course. After I complete my Bachelor of Nursing, I plan on pursuing further education to become a registered midwife and so Carnarvon was a great experience for me!
The midwives mainly worked in the outpatient clinic doing community midwifery, but I had the privilege of working and learning from them when the occasional maternity patient was admitted to the ward.
As the hospital is a small rural site, the general ward also cared for paediatric, palliative, day surgery, geriatric, respite, maternity, and mental health – basically all patients. So, I was able to care for a wide range of patients and learn so many different things!
Once a month in Carnarvon, they have day surgery days where the general ward turns into day surgery which was amazing, so I was able to assist with pre-and post-operative care too!
Completing this placement at a remote hospital provided me with education regarding the independence of scope and advocacy for patients who may not always have access to a doctor. It also opened my learning opportunities and really enriched my education as I was able to have a really diverse range of patients.
I would encourage all students to pursue at least one rural or remote placement in their degree as they are completely different to metropolitan placements.
