ACU Bachelor of Nursing students at Tennant Creek Hospital

Bachelor of Nursing student Leona Ellis was one of 10 ACU students who recently travelled to Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory as part of a hands-on Indigenous health care unit. 

The second-year unit aims to develop an understanding of the unique health needs of Australia’s Indigenous population, allowing students to experience a wide range of health activities including drug and alcohol prevention, infectious diseases screening, mental health care, and mother and baby care. 

ACU students were also involved with haemodialysis, trauma, paediatrics, long-term care and acute care at the local hospital. 

Leona said she chose the elective because she would like to become a remote area nurse. 

“I lived and worked in remote regions of Australia for many years and during this time I saw the role that qualified and dedicated health professionals play in the health outcomes of people living in remote area communities,” she said. 

“I knew I would like to contribute to improving the health of Indigenous Australians.” 

“The Tennant Creek elective reaffirmed my passion for remote area Indigenous nursing and I now have an increased focus and resolve.”

Clinical Advisor and Lecturer Flora Corfee coordinated the trip and said it was an excellent experience for the students. 

“The students reported a rich and at times emotionally confronting learning experience,” she said. 

“Besides developing nursing skills such as culturally responsive care, therapeutic communication and remote area nursing care, the students experienced firsthand health inequality, the challenges of meeting care needs in a remote and often mobile population, and the successes and failures of the many government initiatives aimed at reducing Indigenous morbidity and mortality. 

“The students have expressed a sense of profound learning through their trip to Tennant Creek, especially around social justice, the poverty cycle and the unique health needs of Australia’s remote communities.”