As we all know, working in rural and remote health can be incredibly rewarding work. It can also be a uniquely challenging environment. We can be exposed to many things that can lead to increased vulnerability to trauma, such as culture shock, social isolation, weather extremes or traumatic clinical events.
Trauma is a person’s emotional response to a distressing experience. They are usually experiences that pose a significant threat to a person’s physical or psychological wellbeing and are often sudden or unpredictable. Traumatic events are common, with up to 70% of the general population likely to experience a traumatic event in their lifetime.¹
As a rural and remote health worker, it is even more likely you will be exposed to a potentially traumatic event. For example, people living in rural and remote areas are three times more likely to die because of a vehicle-related injury than in the city.²
These traumatic events can be challenging, as the caring connection that we as health workers establish with patients is amplified by possibly having long-standing or close connections with community members, such as friends, family members or colleagues.
That connection is often one of the more rewarding aspects of the job. Still, it is undeniable that you, as a health worker, will be at the front line during traumatic events.
Examples of traumatic events in rural and remote health settings can include assault or violence against us as health workers; assault or violence to others or the clinic, e.g. lockdown; repeated or unexpected exposure to deceased people; workplace trauma such as vehicle incidents involving colleagues or people you are close to; or hearing disclosure (and knowing perpetrators), e.g. child sexual abuse.
Experiencing some level of psychological distress following exposure to traumatic events such as the ones described above can be considered a normal response to abnormal events. However, not everyone exposed to the same event will be emotionally affected in the same way, and not everyone will have long-lasting effects.
Why did we develop these resources?
Our trauma resources were designed in response to a growing recognition of the need to better support remote and rural health workers through these traumatic events.
We regularly receive calls on the Bush Support Line and through our many conversations with remote health workplaces about people’s experiences of trauma, we saw a need to provide a diverse range of opportunities to support workers after a traumatic event.
Sadly, we regularly hear health workers normalising these traumatic experiences as a normal part of living and working in rural or remote environments.
This normalisation invalidates the experience, can be an unhealthy coping strategy and can negatively impact the healing journey.
So we wanted to create resources that enabled workers to improve their understanding of what they were experiencing and recognise strategies to better support themselves, others and their workplaces through such events.
Our trauma resources include an introductory tip sheet to understanding trauma and where to go for support, a more detailed booklet that explores how to support yourself and others following a traumatic event, and the new interactive online course which provides more detail and practical strategies. All resources can be accessed at crana.org.au/wellbeing
What’s involved in the Supporting yourself and others after traumatic events online course?
This interactive online course has been designed by mental health professionals with remote experience, specifically for the rural and remote health workforce. It helps workers to identify trauma and understand the common responses, considering their unique professional context. Furthermore, this course discusses ways to support yourself and others towards healing, how workplaces can support their workers following a traumatic event and when to seek professional support.
The course details a range of practical strategies and real-life scenarios.
For more information about the trauma resources, contact wellbeing@crana.org.au
References
1. Knipscheer et al., (2020). Prevalence of Potentially Traumatic Events, Other Life Events and Subsequent Reactions Indicative of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Netherlands: A General Population Study Based on the Trauma Screening Questionnaire. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(5): 1725.
2. Mason HM, Randall J, Leggat PA, Voaklander D, Franklin RC, (2022). Comparing rural traffic safety in Canada and Australia: a scoping review of the literature. Rural and remote health; 22(4): 1-12.
