CRANAcast: Recordings for the Road

When Jamie Ranse headed out to Pukatja as a locum nurse for the first time, he was welcomed by a community who still remembered his parent’s wedding from the 1970s. Jamie’s mum, Anne Ranse, was a remote area nurse in the community. He grew up hearing stories about his parent’s time working remote, and as an adult began to wonder what it might be like to try it out for himself. In this episode, Jam...

Lisa and Ben Fox have become so embedded in the community of Ltyentye Apurte, residents say they’ve gone ahead and reserved a plot for them in the cemetery. The couple work as remote area nurses in this community 85km from Alice Springs, but say it doesn’t feel like work most of the time. They, and their two poodles Margo and Thomas, have built meaningful connections in the town, getting to know w...

Lyn Byers has dedicated 24 years to serving some of Australia’s most isolated desert communities. As a registered nurse practitioner, midwife, and recipient of the 2022 Aurora Award for Remote Health Professional of the Year, Lyn shares why she remains committed to supporting the underserved communities of the APY Lands. Listen in to discover a day in her life at Nganampa Health Council where she...

A career in nursing can offer flexibility and diversity. In this episode, we meet RN Karlene from Western Australia, who currently resides in a “treehouse home” in Zambia, where she uses her nursing skills to train rangers in CPR and assess orphaned elephants. Here, she shares how she juggles her competing passions of conservation and remote nursing; how she maintains her confidence and competence...

It was a phone call Amanda’s dad made to the Geelong Hospital 38 years ago that would kickstart her wide-spanning career in nursing and midwifery – and eventually lead to her current focus: addressing health disparity through education. Amanda Forti, who oversees CRANAplus’ education maternity stream alongside Leonie McLaughlin, shares her career journey to midwifery education; advice for newcomer...

Meet former accountant Leigh Moore, whose long-term interest in nursing and tenacity to make a difference has helped her overcome doubt she faced changing careers later in life. Here, Leigh discusses small acts that can improve the lives of older Australians; two-way community support; and the diverse opportunities in R&R communities for budding RANs.

In our 20th episode of CRANAcast, we hear from enrolled nurse Diana Circona about her journey from metro to regional, rural and now remote health practice. Currently employed as a psychosocial mental health coordinator on the borders of WA, SA and the NT, Diane kindly shares the challenges she’s overcome, and tips and encouragement for ENs interested in expanding their scope of practice in rural a...

After some time spent as a Clinical Nurse Manager in the Gascoyne region of WA, Anita Tamowicz has recently come back to nursing: a career she adores though never pictured herself pursuing. In this episode, Anita shares her unconventional journey into remote health via an Anthropology thesis; why listening to and building rapport with each patient is critical in achieving positive health outcomes;...

Over the last 12 years, Keppel has supported hundreds of remote health professionals gain confidence in their maternity skills as a CRANAplus course facilitator. Keppel is a “country boy at heart” who has basked in the glow of many a Jabiru sunset, and although other commitments have him temporarily side-lined from remote health practice, volunteering as a facilitator has enabled him to stay engag...

Sheryl Alexander RN RM immerses us in her journey from psychiatric nursing in Tasmania to outreach midwifery in the Northern Territory. Throughout her career she’s found herself “falling into fantastic jobs and loving them” and has learned to “provide the service [clients] want, not the service I think they should have.” Here, she talks about midwifery group practice, participating in cultural eve...

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 remo...

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 c...

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...

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 way...

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...

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; ho...

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 helpin...

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 cr...

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 landlin...

Lead Clinical Coordinator at RAHC, Jennine Lavender, has been working rural since the 80s. Initially, she planned on staying in Narrogin for 6 months, but after falling in love with a local farmer, she ended up working in the same hospital for the next 30 years. In 2011, a “midlife crisis” inspired her to take up a job on Christmas Island, kickstarting her journey into truly remote areas. Now for...

A cattle station cook in her youth, Yuwaalaraay woman Dallas McKeown followed in her mother's footsteps to become an EN — a move that would eventually lead to her current position as CRANAplus’ Exec. Director of First Peoples Strategies. In this episode, she discusses how her experiences have provided motivation along the way. Observing acute illness at RDH, she decided to venture into the world o...

In a small east East Pilbara community, eight metres of flood water laps at the clinic driveway. The phone starts ringing. At a nearby goldmine, across the floodwaters, a 50-year-old man is unresponsive. “You have to do what you can with what you’ve got,” RN and Nurse Practitioner Chris’ recalls in this wide-ranging episode, which also features: sending an injured Joey to the vet via school bus, p...

RNs Rachel and Gaby discuss their clinical placements in Groote Eylandt/Gove & Tennant Creek. Rachel "always had this longing" to be a remote nurse and has since moved her family from Newcastle to Katherine; whereas an accidental opportunity led Gaby to witness the need for support where there's "not enough people doing it". The duo illuminate what it's like to fall in love with "patients, sto...

RAN Shelley talks about her six years of remote practice to date, since leaving the urban ICU/emergency rat race. She talks about learning to suture and plaster cast, supporting a man returning from jail to regain his place in community, the value of living with her partner, and becoming a "vault" of local community knowledge. She also touches on seeing people from the clinic outside of work, the...