TRAINEE Millicent nurse Alicia Sapiatzer recently had the unique opportunity to participate in the ride-along program with the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) in Adelaide.
The program aims to take medical, nursing and allied health students who are interested in regional, rural and remote health to experience a unique style of medical care.
During her nursing degree at the UniSA Mount Gambier campus, Ms Sapiatzer has aspired to experience a range of nursing opportunities, such as the RFDS, after learning the profession can be diverse.
“I grew up thinking that nurses only worked in hospitals and nowhere else,” she said.
“After I had completed one of my first courses in my three-year Global and National Health nursing degree, I was challenged to reconsider what a career as a registered nurse could look like”.
Ms Sapiatzer had to apply and be selected for the program, in addition to completing a weekend orientation and induction.
The trainee nurse travelled from Millicent to Adelaide the night before her ride-along experience as she was required to be on stand-by from 5am to 6pm on the day of the flight.
When she arrived at the base early on Sunday morning, there were already plans for a retrieval.
“When I arrived, the base nurse showed me how cases were prioritised and what other medical teams can get involved such as the SAAS Medstar helicopter.
“I observed a flight nurse complete several assessments on a patient over the phone to determine if he needed to take any further medical professionals with him for the retrieval.”
The opportunity to learn from such experienced medical staff and experience a non-traditional nursing role was informative for Ms Sapiatzer, with one of the retrieval flights taking her back to Millicent.
“Many of the outbound flights out had one flight nurse and a pilot which made me interested in finding out what sort of qualifications were required for such a demanding job.
“The RFDS flight nurses are extremely experienced, have extensive training in emergency care and are both registered nurses and midwives.
“Strangely enough the first flight available for me to participate in was to my hometown of Millicent.
“After a one-hour flight time, we landed and the ambulance service met us at the airport and began the handover procedure ready for the return to Adelaide.
“While on the return flight I got to witness the nurse completing assessments and providing a high level of patient care in a very challenging environment.”
UniSA Mount Gambier regional manager Ian McKay said he was thrilled Ms Sapiatzer had the opportunity to shadow a RFDS flight nurse.
“This program was an excellent opportunity for nursing students and it was terrific a Mount Gambier campus student was among those selected to have the experience,” Mr McKay said.
As she is in her final year of study at UniSA Mount Gambier, Ms Sapiatzer is preparing to become a healthcare professional in the Limestone Coast and experiences like the ride-along have helped inspire her nursing career.
“The knowledge that nursing can be such a diverse career path has encouraged me to aspire to an interesting future in the profession.
“I had the best time and I really commend the RFDS for all they achieve and thank them for making me feel so welcome.”
