Nurse Steven Dyer and his two sons swapped three hours in the car each day for a 500-metre walk to work and school when they moved to Barcaldine

While Queensland health offers significant financial incentives to attract doctors and nurses to the state’s regional areas, it is ultimately the career and lifestyle benefits of such postings that health professionals value most.

Fed up with traffic jams and the fast-paced lifestyle of Brisbane, Clinical Nurse Consultant Steven Dyer and his two young sons were looking for a way out of the daily grind. “I was literally gridlocked in the Brisbane rat race,’ Steven recalls. “I lived fairly close to the hospital where I worked, but what with dropping my kids to school and daycare, and the traffic jams, I was basically sitting in my car for up to 3 hours a day.”

Encouraged by Brisbane colleagues who had worked in Blackall, Steven took on a six-month secondment position at Barcaldine Hospital in Central Queensland. The six months turned into two and a half years after Steven and his young sons, now aged 5 and 10, fell in love with the friendly Barcaldine community.
“It’s the nicest feeling to get up and walk 500 metres to work or to the school,” he says. “I’ve now reclaimed a few hours in my day.”

Steven’s tale is just one of a growing litany of ‘success stories’ of healthcare professionals who have ‘gone bush’ in Queensland. Queensland’s rampant population growth rate, booming regional centres and the appeal of a ‘Tree Change’ are pushing the demand for healthcare professionals in rural and remote areas in the ‘Sunshine State’.
Almost one third of public healthcare department Queensland Health’s 60,000 staff work outside metropolitan areas. Queensland Health has been luring doctors, nurses and allied health staff from Australia’s metropolitan cities, southern states and overseas countries to Queensland’s more far-flung communities.
According to Queensland Health’s Chief Nursing Officer, Pauline Ross, the immediate and future challenge is simply to fi nd enough nurses to work in these locations.

“The shortage of doctors, nurses, allied health staff and other clinicians is a worldwide phenomenon, but in a vast area with rapid regional population growth like Queensland, the need for staff to work in rural and remote areas is great,” she explains.

For nurses who are keen on working in these areas, Queensland Health off ers a Remote Incentives Package worth up to an extra $25,000 per annum, on top of the yearly salary. The package includes an annual cash bonus equivalent to about $18,000 over three years, free or subsidised accommodation worth up to about $16,000 per annum, two weeks extra paid study leave and travel, plus a salary packaging option to lower the amount of tax payable.

Naturally, the appeal isn’t just monetary; the promise of a better lifestyle is often the ultimate decision maker for a rural move. Healthcare professionals like Steven are increasingly becoming fed up with the so-called rat race, are looking for more work-life balance, and are seeking a greater sense of connectivity with a community.
“There’s a sense of connection and safety in smaller communities, which are often more friendly,” Steven says.

Even so, he’s the first to admit that moving from the comforts of urban life was initially confronting. “When we arrived in town, we found that everyone already knew us and most things about us!” he recalls. “It can be a culture shock, especially if you haven’t spent any time outside the city. But we soon got over the initial shock and just began to feel comfortable. Now I love coming to work because the people I work with are so great.”
He believes the opportunities for nurses to grow their skills and get broader experience in rural hospitals is generally greater than in the major hospitals. “You usually work in multi-purpose facilities with a smaller team, so by nature your work is more varied with more autonomy,” he explains.

Steven thinks profiling success stories like his own helps bust the myths of professional and social isolation that have traditionally surrounded working in rural communities. “Nurses and healthcare workers new to the bush often worry about being given tasks that leave them feeling out of their depth, but in reality it isn’t scary because you’ve got a team of professionals supporting you,” he says. “The support is so good I’ve seen nurses from agencies come out for a stint, and then decide to stay on and live here.”
Most rural areas also focus on nurse education and skills; for example, Barcaldine has acquired the services of a Nurse Educator to deliver regular training.
Although Steven occasionally gets homesick for the variety of Brisbane delis and markets, his lifestyle hasn’t suff ered in the least.
“I sometimes miss my gourmet foods, but you don’t really need 22 diff erent types of feta cheese to have a good lifestyle!” he says. “It’s cheaper for us to live here, and I have so much more spare time. My children are loving school, and we live in a safe and friendly community. These are the things that really count.”

Dr Dan Halliday took advantage of Queensland Health's Rural Generalist Pathway initiative to secure benefits for both his career and his lifestyle

Doctors are also being wooed to pursue a rural medical career, thanks to a Queensland Health-funded training initiative called the Rural Generalist Pathway. The initiative gives medical trainees a defi ned pathway into rural practice employing their advanced skill of interest – anaesthetics or obstetrics, for example. The combination of the training pathway and a new remuneration package for medical practitioners makes for one of the premier training programs in Queensland.
Senior Medical Officer Dr Dan Halliday, whose young family moved to the Granite Belt town of Stanthorpe for his posting at Stanthorpe Hospital, is a fan of the Generalist Pathway and of bush practice.
“There are lots of reasons I love working in the rural area,” he says. “From a professional point of view, the teams I’ve worked with have had a collegiate attitude and look after each other to ensure coverage of patients. And from a personal perspective, I think the lifestyle and the environment has benefi ted my family; it’s just not as hectic as metropolitan areas. Going bush has also given us great opportunities to travel and really experience local tourism. It’s hard to believe we have these fantastic worldacclaimed Stanthorpe wineries literally on our doorstep!
“The message is gradually getting out there that fantastic career opportunities and lifestyle benefi ts can be found in regional and rural areas.”
“You can find out more information about regional and rural healthcare careers and lifestyles online at: www.health.qld.gov.au/workforus

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Is now the time to start?

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1300 131 809

Dreaming of long, leisurely days in lovely places when your working life ends is not enough. There are important steps to take to make the most of your super, and one of them is identifying the right kind of fund.

For example, take these three words: ‘compare the pair’. You hear them at the start of many advertisements for industry super funds. The ads tell a straightforward story: if you’re not in an industry super fund, you could be paying sales commissions and higher fees on your super. Bottom line: that could mean you end up with signifi cantly less money in your final retirement payout.

And they’re not just talking about a few dollars here and there. Quite often, the diff erence adds up to many thousands of dollars. But how many of us actually take the time to compare funds? It could be the diff erence between spending long, leisurely days in the sun and simply dreaming.

How we can really tell the difference

According to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the offi cial Government super regulator, on average, industry super funds have outperformed retail funds for the past 10 years.

In fact, APRA recently reported that average annual fees for an investor with a $50,000 account balance over fi ve years from July 2001 to June 2006 is $1,222 for members of retail master trusts – four times higher than the comparable fi gure of $305 for industry super fund members. Retail funds also charge four times the level of exit fees of industry super funds. That can be a lot of money when added up over a number of years and interest on the diff erence is compounded.

Research by superannuation ratings agency SuperRatings shows that, on average, industry super funds have delivered superior investment returns compared to retail super funds over one, three and fi ve years to 31 December 2008 in a balanced option.

Thousands of dollars variance

On average, Industry Super Funds charge less in fees than Retail Master Trusts. SuperRatings has found that the average working Australian could have tens of thousands extra in retirement by switching to an industry super fund.

SuperRatings has also found that over the five-year period up to 30 September 2008, on average, industry super funds delivered $10.80 in earnings for every dollar taken out in fees. By contrast, retail funds, on average, delivered just $4.40.  Over your lifetime, seemingly small differences in fees could add up to thousands of dollars more for your retirement.

Yet, as David Whiteley, Executive Manager of the Industry Super Network points out: “Despite the clearly superior performance of industry super funds, none of the 30 major fi nancial planning businesses has an industry fund on their approved product list. Not one. The people who should be recommending industry funds simply aren’t.”

Never take the costs or results of your super fund for granted

Take a small amount of time and do your own comparison. Switching funds isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s far less painful than fi nding out in 10, 20 or 30 years that your retirement dreams are only ever going to be just that – dreams.

Chelsea Fletcher is a qualified financial planner with Industry Fund Financial Planning, a division of Industry Fund Services Pty Ltd ABN 54 007 016 195 AFSL 232514. For detailed information about industry super funds and to use a free super fund comparator service, visit www.industrysuper.com or call 1300 881 371

CQ Nurse Founder Kim Estell

According to Kim Estell, founder of nationwide nursing agency CQ Nurse, nursing can be a passport to travel, choice and opportunity.

If you want to know about nursing in the bush, talking to someone who grew up travelling around town in an ambulance would seem a good place to start. Enter Kim Estell, founder and Director of one of Australia’s leading nursing agencies, CQ Nurse.

A second generation nurse, Kim spent her childhood in far-fl ung outposts like the Pilbara in Western Australia and Weipa in North Queensland, where she saw fi rst hand what country nursing was really all about.

“My mother was the nurse in a two-nurse post for a number of years,” Kim explains. “So, while most kids got to go to the swimming pool in the family station wagon, I got to go in the ambulance. You inherently understand how these remote and rural communities work after you have lived in a couple of them and you defi nitely understand how disruptive and adrenalin-pumping it can be to work after hours on call”.

With this background, it was something of a natural progression for Kim, after establishing her own nursing career, to branch out into the area of nursing recruitment.

In 2002 she launched CQ Nurse, a specialist agency placing nurses in rural and remote communities throughout Australia. Her childhood experiences coupled with her own nursing background gave her a unique perspective and business edge. This saw CQ Nurse grow exponentially over the next six years into a thriving and cutting-edge enterprise, placing nursing staff in posts throughout the nation in settings as diverse as resort islands, outback indigenous communities and country towns.

“The problem for the rural and remote health facilities is that they do not have the advantage of calling in casuals if somebody is sick or needs leave,” Kim says. “Their isolation creates a vulnerability that most other services cannot even imagine.”

In just six years, CQ Nurse has grown from a one-woman post to a national company supporting an office staff of 20 with a database encompassing hundreds of nurses. It continues to grow, placing nurses around Australia from Tassie to the Top End and from the West Coast to the Whitsundays. And, in an industry fi rst for Queensland, it was recently awarded a Quality Endorsement from the peak industry body, Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA).

“I think in part our success comes from the value we place on our staff ,” Kim says. “We like to send the nurses out very well informed about where they are going. For example, it might be that the only internet access available is at the local library or there may be no banks in the town. And then, clinically, they may be the only medical facility for miles, which will require a greater level of nursing experience than a less isolated post.

“We also have dedicated office staff who provide ongoing support for nurses on placements and we are one of the few nursing agencies in Australia to employ a full-time Education Coordinator to assist with our nurses’ professional development. These are both very important aspects of living and working in environments that can be both socially and professionally isolating.

Kim suggests that people planning to make a move to the country or a remote area need to do some research about the community and what it off ers. “And know your own limitations – what sort of setting you would feel comfortable in both socially and from a professional viewpoint,” she adds. “Little things can make a diff erence too. For example, groceries may be very expensive, or if you’re travelling with children with special needs, appropriate services may be harder to find.”

Some nurses see an agency like CQ Nurse as an opportunity for travel and adventure, and Kim says they are happy to suggest places off ering a good opportunity to see the country. But on the other hand, there are nurses who will decide to work in rural and remote areas for the very real and rewarding professional development opportunities this presents. The truth is that both are very valid and rewarding courses to take. A lot of it just comes down to being real about your own expectations.

“Aside from the travel aspects, rural and remote nursing aff ords practitioners a far greater degree of autonomy than exists in larger cities,” she suggests. “This is both challenging and rewarding and does require broad-based nursing skills.

“In some of the areas our nurses go, they are the only medical help available for miles. This means their assessment skills are honed and they really need to work in with the community to provide holistic care. It’s not just about the patient, but the nurse also needs the ability to communicate and network with families, community members, the patient’s broader social network and other health professionals who may be thousands of kilometres away.

“This can be quite an isolating and challenging experience, and yet the paradox is that this very isolation and the stretching of one’s skills is what makes rural and remote nursing so professionally rewarding – the sense of knowing you have really made a diff erence and done something signifi cant with your skills and life.”

And from the community’s perspective, the benefi ts of a long term, stable health professional are endless. Research has repeatedly shown this stability enhances health outcomes, especially in children. This is partly because the practitioner has the opportunity to really attune themselves to the dynamics of the community and the individuals it encompasses, but also because trust is built and anxiety reduced from the community’s perspective. The nurse becomes an integral part of the community in a very meaningful way.

“In addition, with the benefi t of time, nurses can look at community education,” Kim says. “Even something as simple as a program teaching people to wash their hands before meals can lead to a huge reduction in diarrhoea and vomiting cases. And the consistency of follow-up and regular health checks is invaluable to the long-term health outcomes of a community.”

While the caring face of nursing hasn’t really changed over the years, the technology certainly has. And with the rise of Nurse Practitioners (highly qualifi ed nurses who have a greater degree of autonomy in practice, including authorisation to administer some levels of prescription drugs), the future of bush nursing is bright.

“Nurses in remote and rural locations now have access to teleconferencing and videoconferencing which links practitioners and families to specialists in capital cities,” Kim says. “This means patients can receive a comprehensive service without the inconvenience and disruption of excessive travel. For example, in some rural areas an adult with brittle diabetes could begin treatment in his home town under the supervision of the local nurse, overseen by a specialist based in a capital city.”

As populations in the bush decline, opportunities for Nurse Practitioners will increase, due to the shrinking health services off ered. “With the support of the technology available, I believe this will take nursing to a whole new level and is a very rewarding way forward for well-skilled nursing staff ,” Kim adds. “It also paints a positive picture for rural and remote communities who will benefi t with quality health services on their doorstep. Let’s face it, you can’t expect someone to drive four hours after a car accident to have an x-ray examined or for treatment of a convulsing child.

“Overall bush nursing is certainly not without its diffi culties but there are great personal and professional rewards for those willing to accept the challenges and make a diff erence.”

For more about CQ Nurse, visit: www.cqnurse.com.au

A move to Narromine added up nicely for maths teacher Dean Leite

Rural schools can place teachers on the fast-track to professional development opportunities.

Be it a friendly smile from a stranger or socialising at the local club, rural towns are pushing open their doors to off er a warm welcome to newcomers from the city.
Teachers in public education, in particular, are fi nding the move an easy decision to make, especially if they’re considering relocation to areas of high staffi ng need, such as non-coastal rural regions.
Growing up in the leafy Sydney suburb of Peakhurst, teaching beginner Dean Leite never imagined his career would take him over 400 kilometres away from his hometown to the fl at plains of western NSW. A teaching scholarship recipient, Dean took up a secondary mathematics position in 2006 at Narromine High School and discovered the great rewards a rural lifestyle has to offer.
Dean quickly learned how seamlessly both school and community coexist in a small town. “It’s so easy to make friends with people and you really get to know the parents of your students very quickly,” he says. “It’s an extremely friendly atmosphere.”
In particular, Dean has discovered it’s the small things in rural communities that make being a teacher enjoyable. “I love almost every aspect of teaching rurally, but it’s the little things like students asking you to watch them play sport on the weekend that really mean something,” he explains. “Having the students want you there to watch, and then seeing them really excited when you show up, makes you realise the difference you make.”
Dean believes his students benefi t from the social activities that both the teachers and students attend within the local community. This social interaction not only supports his role in the community as a teacher but also allows him to build a stronger rapport with his students. “Taking that extra effort to watch them play a sport, or just talk to them in the street, really makes them feel important,” he says.
With such strong aspirations to perfect his craft, Dean is benefi ting from a variety of professional development opportunities available in his school. In addition to teaching secondary mathematics, Dean currently supports his school as a year adviser and has spent three terms relieving as Head Teacher Administration. Competition for these opportunities, he believes, is much tougher in larger city schools.
Dean’s rural move has also facilitated his fi nancial goal of buying a house, a dream still out of reach for many of his city peers. “As a 25-year-old, it would be impossible to even consider buying a house in Sydney, yet last year I was able to buy a brand new duplex here in Narromine,” he says. “The cheaper cost of either buying a house or rural rent is a major fi nancial incentive.”
Living so close to work, Dean also benefi ts from lower fuel costs and receives a variety of rural teaching incentives from the NSW Department of Education and Training.
If you’re a city teacher keen to try a country lifestyle; or a beginning teacher looking to expand your professional development and career advancement opportunities; or a graduate teacher exploring your career options, teaching in non-coastal rural areas in particular can off er benefi ts, incentives and rewards not available in coastal locations. Check out the rural teaching possibilities open to you at:

www.teach.nsw.edu.au/ruralteaching.

Kylie Johnston

Third-year teacher Kylie Johnston moved from the east coast to central Australia, more than 1000km from the sea, and found a land of opportunity.

The 25-year-old hasn’t looked back since she made the shift to Yuendumu, where she teaches students in Years 7 to 9.

“I feel like I’m making more of a difference—and I make $5000 more a year here,” she says.

“I have much more say in how I deliver the curriculum and more responsibility. You can reach the senior teacher wage in five years and there are more opportunities for advancement in the NT if you do a good job.”

As a remote teacher, Kylie also has access to additional benefits such as an isolation allowance, special study and business leave, free housing, up to three airfares a year, and reimbursement of freight costs.

Kylie said she’s enjoying being part of the community and developing strong relationships with her students and their families.

“It does take a lot of hard work to break the ice with the kids and the assistant teacher, but you keep trying—and now my kids hug me! They’re really responsive. … and they work hard for you. And education is important and valued by the rest of the community.”

Another benefit for Kylie has been the resourcing and support available to her.

“The resources at the school are absolutely fantastic,” she says. “I’ve walked into a classroom that has an interactive whiteboard and as soon I set foot in the Territory I got a laptop.

There’s a lot of resources available—basically as long as you can justify it.

“Once or twice a term I go to Alice Springs. I’ve found the conditions are very flexible. Also, other staff are very supportive. For example, the department has things in place where you can ring the psychologist, you can ring to get help with programming. You ring the department and they’ll email you and mentor you.”

For more information, go to www.teaching.nt.gov.au

Ruth Wilson

Ruth Wilson has lived and worked in Canada, USA, Japan, New Zealand and more recently in Canberra for the past six years with quantum-atom optics physicists at the Australian National University. After a short visit to Nelson Bay early 2008, she made a decision to undertake a lifestyle change and has settled on the water at Salamander Bay.

“The natural beauty of Port Stephens offers secluded bays for safe swimming and boating, pristine beaches, outdoor water activities such as fishing, skiing, diving, dolphin and whale watching.

In her role as Nelson Bay Town Coordinator, Ruth has discovered a strong sense of community in Port Stephens that presents a very pleasant environment for living and working in the area.

“Our research shows that visitor numbers to Port Stephens continue to increase and with that growth, business and the local economy can only become more vital”.

Port Stephens, a unique destination for working and playing.