A Ti Tree nurse nominated for a national award has spoken about her passion for remote nursing and the struggles of staffing shortages. Read why she’s encouraging more nurses to go remote.
Australia’s response to the ongoing nursing staff shortages has been criticised by the international nurses’ union. International Council of Nurses CEO Howard Catton said the ethics of signing up nurses from developing countries has become more problematic since the onset of the Covid pandemic.
Based in Ti Tree, about 200km north of Alice Springs, Ms Clayer has been nominated as a finalist for the 2023 HESTA Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
“I was encouraged to try remote nursing by a colleague when working as a contractor for Department of Defence, I didn’t really know anything about remote nursing and what it entailed,” she said.
She started with a Remote Area Health Corps contract in 2018 before moving into a NT Health position.
“And I have been working remote ever since,” she said.
Recognised for providing “compassionate and culturally safe care for First Nations communities”, Ms Clayer said understanding the barriers associated with accessing health care services was essential to her work.
Ti Tree nurse Caitlin Clayer said dealing with staffing shortages was the hardest part of her job. Pic: Supplied.
“We need to have an appreciation for the unique challenges experienced by our remote communities and how it impacts on their daily life,” she said.
“So much of our job day to day is built on relationships, if you do not have the trust of the community, they will not access services.”
She said the most challenging part of her current work was dealing with staff shortages.
Primary healthcare worker shortages have reached “breaking point” in rural and remote NT in recent months, with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress calling for urgent changes to visa settings to address the issue.
She said many clinics were facing nursing shortages, and she struggled with feeling as though “you aren’t about to do enough purely due to staffing limitations”.
“I think for a lot of remote nurses that plays on their mind,” she said.
Ms Clayer credited the “amazing” community in Ti Tree for providing support during rough times. Pic: Supplied.
“Without full staffing, we can’t provide as good a service as we want to.”
She said the most important factor in combating those feelings was having a supportive team, and credited an excellent relationship with local police and the wider community for helping her through tough times.
“I am very fortunate here to be surrounded by amazing and supportive service providers that are here for the right reasons, and care so much about the community and the services we provide.”
Intensely passionate about her job, Ms Clayer hopes to influence other nurses to go remote.
“I know prior to working as a remote nurse, I knew absolutely nothing about the job, had never seen any information about remote nursing,” she said.
“It is an incredibly rewarding job, you build some amazing relationships working in community, so it would be fantastic if this award promoted interest in jobs in remote area nursing, if nothing else.”
The HESTA Nursing and Midwifery Awards will take place on May 16, 2023 in Sydney, with Ms Clayer among nine finalists nominated for the award.