Well looked after

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