Clinical Midwifery Manager Glenda Gleeson, who works in Central Australia, encourages anyone thinking about transitioning to remote health to “step out and give it a go” with the right preparation. Glenda recalls her own fulfilling journey from RN to remote midwifery and shares what it is like to be part of the passionate Maternal and Women’s Health team providing health promotion and care to remote communities across Central Australia. Through Glenda’s stories, you’ll hear memories of travelling across the amazing countryside, gratitude for gaining insight into Aboriginal culture, along with her top tips on how to prepare for going remote.

An “outside the box” approach is needed to fill the gaps in our current healthcare system, says Di Thornton RN and endorsed NP. With almost fifty years of nursing experience up her sleeve, Di shares her passionate views on the value of nurse practitioners and takes us into her world of owning and operating a health clinic in Pinnaroo, in the Murray Mallee region of SA.

Lorraine Woods, Far North Queensland Midwife and recipient of the 2022 Ray Wyeth Early to Remote Practice Award shares her passion for remote health and some advice for entering “a field of lifelong learning”. In this episode, she deep dives into the role of a clinically endorsed midwife; what it’s like in Weipa; the launch of the Weipa Birthing Project; and some tips and encouragement for those considering a remote midwifery career.

Deep within the Cairns Hinterland, Wendy responds to emergencies, manages and prescribes medications for chronic illness, and assists community members to navigate the healthcare system. In this wide-ranging episode, she recalls the days of starched white uniforms and red capes when nurses smoked by the bedside; working with a diverse permanent and itinerant client base; the calming properties of landscapes that are "green everywhere"; and the antics of the world's biggest lace monitor.

Seeking a new challenge and a career change after 20 years of emergency care, Lorraine Harry shares her experience of transitioning to remote health, and why she fell in love with it. In this episode, Lorraine reflects on her career and the past five years as Quality & Safety Officer at Mala’la Aboriginal Health Service, Maningrida in the heart of Arnhem Land. Listen in to hear some of the ways her community are working together to address challenges and improve health outcomes in the region; important skills and attributes of being a Clinical Educator; the best parts of Lorraine’s role; and a heartfelt moment from her first remote health experience, that she says she’ll never forget.

Arrernte woman and RN with 26 years of experience, Kellie Kerin shares her journey to her present role with AMSANT, from her grad year in Geelong Hospital to bush nursing in communities, opal mining towns and outback stations. Also in this episode, Kellie talks reuniting with her heritage, lessons in cooking barramundi, how changes in Government could open new doors, the need for truth-telling and language in education, the value of clinical supervision, and a vision she had as a student — which later came real.

In episode 10 we hear from Tess, last year’s Aurora Award winner, nurse practitioner and chronic disease coordinator in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands – 100,000 square kilometres tucked in the northwest corner of South Australia. Despite being “ready to retire years ago” Tess says remote nursing can be hard to let go of. Listen in to hear stories from Tess’s current role; how social determinants of health are impacting remote communities; and what “putting on her robe” means and how it has helped her professionally and personally.

Fixated from a young age on helping people, in this episode, we meet Theona who kicked off her nursing career in Rockhampton; now a leading Nurse Practitioner at the Cairns Hospital, and a member of Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) Theona is deployed at short notice to provide support to international communities facing humanitarian crises. Theona discusses where her passion for helping came from, what it means to be a Nurse Practitioner, and playing a “small part in the jigsaw” through partnership, capacity building and assistance, in her work at AUSMAT.

A remote area nurse with a love of all things skin, Sheena commenced her journey remote health journey with a rocky start. "I rolled my car avoiding hitting an eagle... [Then] rocked up to the hospital in white brace overalls covered in pindan and straw, and knocked on the door and proudly announced that I was their new nurse!" Inspired by a case of squamous cell carcinoma that fell through the cracks, Sheena completed her Graduate Certificate of Medicine while working full time. She now provides skin checks and has "wrestled people down in trains" to check out questionable spots. She also discusses how she's achieving a high level of male engagement, cultural learnings, and the art of "bodging" in resource-light settings.

Student nurses from Western Australia and members of WAALHIIBE (Western Australian Allied Health Interested in Bush Experience), Kate, Mekayla and Jasmine, discuss their clinical placements and first impressions of remote nursing. Hear from them on working towns with 10 residents, “picking a hospital I’d never heard of before”, approaching remote nursing as a “city kid”, using the hospital landline to contact family, the underappreciated skill of bed making, community integration (e.g., coaching swimming, harvesting), and how placements can “make you feel confident, not scared”.