So I have just moved to Broken Hill as a new graduate nurse. Broken Hill is a 12hr drive east of Newcastle, 6 hours from Adelaide and an almost 2 hour, $500 return flight from Sydney. Broken Hill has a thriving art community, with numerous art galleries at our disposal. Only metres from the outskirts of town you’re in the middle of the Australian outback - red soil, shrubs, kangaroos, emus and goats in great abundance.
The weird thing is I’m sitting here at the beginning of March in jeans and a jumper, and have been wearing similarly warm clothing on and off for the last three weeks. Broken Hill is supposed to have hot dry temperatures of up to 45 degrees at this time of year. Not only that it’s also been humid. Locals are sweltering. Roads are also closed around the region from rain damage and some of the surrounding landscape is so unbelievably, and beautifully green!!
I am living at the Nursing Quarters which is about 100m uphill from the hospital, and is a little like living at college. I like the fact that there are people around most of the time to do stuff with, that you can go out in a big group, that it’s close to the hospital and the rest of town. I dislike the fridge/ kitchen/ bathroom sharing aspect, but really such a small gripe considering the cost.
My first rotation of my new grad year is on the medical ward. Which to be honest, a lot of the time feels like a glorified nursing home as elderly patients await placement at the only nursing home in town (which is full, so spaces only free up when the inevitable life process takes its toll on current residents). Many of the patients have dementia onboard along with a host of other conditions, and so, in addition to normal nursing duties, we find ourselves answering continuously repetitive questions, redirecting, preventing rubbish bins becoming toilets and searching hospital grounds as they go walkabout. Amazing how fast a little old lady can move when she sees an open door. One particular lady, who is a gorgeously confused, we have coaxed back from the outside courtyard twice, had the porter bring her back from the hospital foyer once, pulled her out from behind the nurses station where she answered the phone twice, pulled her out of other patients bedrooms numerous times, had relatives of other patients let us know where she was countless times and removed obs machines, other peoples walkers/ dentures/ etc from where she decided to store them in bathrooms a few times as well. I won’t bother moving onto our next active runaway.
I have been to the pro hart gallery which was interesting, explored the town of Menindee and the old Kinchega Woolshed – which is four times the size of ours. It is nice to see it closer to working order as it gives me a better idea of how ours would have operated with adjoining yards etc. Incidentally you can actually stay in the ‘shearers quarters’ for $20 a night, though it’s bit more of a backpackers in the outback. This weekend is St Pat’s Day races, which unfortunately I miss both the races and recovery day at Silverton because I’m working. A few of us are going to see the St Pat’s Fashion Parade tomorrow night to make up for not going to the races – that and the fact that a couple of the physios from the staff quarters are making an appearance in the wedding section (hehe).
That’s about it from me. Will try and put up pics of Menindee and a river raft race that took place the first weekend we were here in Wilcannia.
[ Last edited 26/05/2010 02:15pm ]
