Rouseabout is the magazine of the AdelaideUniversity Rural Health Alliance.

Want to get i n touch wi th AURH A?

Ph: (08) 83 03 6280Fax: (08) 83 03 4990

Emai l : aurha@nrhsn.org.auhttp://aurha.nrhsn.org.au

www.facebook.com/aurural heal th

Cover photo by H ayden Stri nger.

CONTENTSA Presi dent' s Postcard 5

Fi rst Year Wel come Di nner 6

Di nner Under the Stars 8

Campfi re 1 0

I ndi genous Festi val s 1 1

Rural Psychol ogy Careers N i ght 1 6

A Day at M annum 1 8

RFDS Fl i ghts 21

Lonel y Student: A Gui de for Students on Pl acement 22

201 3 N extGen Conference 30

201 4 AURH A Commi ttee 31

H el l o! You are currentl y readi ng the 201 3 edi ti on of Rouseabout, the magazi ne thatcel ebrates and chroni cl es everythi ng that i s good and great about rural heal th.

201 3 has been qui te a notabl e year i n Rouseabout' s hi story. Pri or to thi s year,Rouseabout was a shi ny, gl ossy, 48-page hard copy magazi ne that made for excel l ent

bedti me readi ng and l ooked pretty on one' s bookshel f. I t was, however, qui te expensi veto produce, and a deci si on was made accordi ngl y to rel aunch i t i n a compl etel y free

onl i ne format. Cal l i t eRouseabout, i Rouseabout 2.0, or what you wi l l ; hopeful l y i tembodi es enough of the spi ri t of the ori gi nal .

Enj oy responsi bl y.

Robin StringerAURH A publ i cati ons offi cer 201 3 .

PS. A hundred poi nts to anyone who can i denti fy the town featured i n the cover photo!

THE AURHA COMMITTEEIN 2013 WAS...

President - Kathy GrockeVice-President - Brendan StaggSecretary - Cassandra H ai nesTreasurer - Thu N guyen

NRHSN Representative - M arzi eh TahmasebiPsychology Representative - Carl y Sutherl and

Dental and Oral Health Representative - Ol i vi a VonowNursing Representative - N i chol as Petraki sMedicine Representative - M att Watson

Indigenous Festivals Co-ordinator - J ames GranthamRural High School Visits Co-ordinator - Lachl an M acki nnonEvents Girls - M i l l i e Wel l s, I u l i a N i cul escu, J aya Li ndsay, Cl audi a Paul

IT - Al an Xu, N i col a Cl audi usPublications - Robi n Stri nger

A PRESIDENT'SPOSTCARD...

Wi sh you were here!

I ’ve been enj oyi ng a 9 weeks surgi cal pl acement i n sunny Whyal l a.

H ere the l ocal s (and pati ents) are fri endl y, the medi ci ne hands on and di verse, and thestudent l i fe after hours busi er than you’d ever expect. The brand new hospi tal i s shi ny and

j ust 5 mi nutes down the road (and then j ust 5 mi nutes down to the beach and café forl unch) and there are pl enty of l ocal and vi si ti ng surgeons to keep you on your toes. H ope

you get a chance for a breath of country ai r on that pl acement of yours soon too!

I f you haven’t been l ucky enough to head out of the ci ty thi s year, I hope you’ve beenenj oyi ng al l of the exci tement AURH A has put together for you i n the ci ty!

From our wel comi ng country coffee and cake, the i naugural rural careers seri es, annualTri cl ub Campfi re i n the Ri verl and, Rural H i gh School Vi si ts, Vi be 3 on3 I ndi genous festi val to

the RFDS fl i ghts, schol arshi ps, conferences and of course the gourmet Di nner Under theStars, AURH A’s had pl enty to keep you busy through out the year! What more coul d you

want from your free and easy membershi p to your fri endl y l ocal mul ti di sci pl i nary rural heal thcl ub?

I t’s been a bl ast hel pi ng organi ze AURH A thi s year and I coul dn’t have done i t wi thout such afabul ous commi ttee. M aybe you’d be keen to keep the exci tement goi ng and get on board

the AURH A commi ttee i n 201 4?

Whether i t’s for the l i festyl e, the chance to practi ce ski l l s or even j ust for a sea (or tree)change and chal l enge, I hope you al l get to experi ence heal th care out of the ci ty and

consi der everythi ng that’s great about bei ng rural !

Rural l y yours,

Kathy Grocke201 3 AURH A presi dent

A Presi dent' s Postcard 5

Fi rst Year Wel come Di nner 6

Di nner Under the Stars 8

Campfi re 1 0

I ndi genous Festi val s 1 1

Rural Psychol ogy Careers N i ght 1 6

A Day at M annum 1 8

RFDS Fl i ghts 21

Lonel y Student: A Gui de for Students on Pl acement 22

201 3 N extGen Conference 30

201 4 AURH A Commi ttee 31

FIRST YEARWELCOME DINNER

Thi s year, the tradi ti onal

AURH A Wel come Barbecue

fel l vi cti m to some l ogi sti cal

skul l duggery that made the

parkl ands si te unavai l abl e.

Despi te thi s setback, our ever-

dependabl e Events Gi rl s

organi sed somethi ng bi gger

and better - the i naugural Fi rst

Year Wel come Di nner. The

Cathedral H otel hosted

around forty fi rst years ei ther

from rural backgrounds or

i nterested i n rural heal th.

DINNER UNDERTHE STARS

Di nner Under the Stars i s arguabl y AURH A' s most eagerl y-anti ci pated event of the year. Thi syear, 1 00 wel l -dressed AURH A members graceful l y descended upon M aggi e Beer' s Farmnear N uri ootpa for a ni ght of excel l ent food, del i ghtful musi c and, bei ng the Barossa, free-

fl owi ng wi ne. Our speci al guests for the eveni ng were Crystal Brook GP Dr H ol l y O' Dea andCl are psychol ogi st Stephani e Schmi dt, who shared thei r experi ences of worki ng i n rural

heal th.

CAMPFIRECampfi re i s a j oi nt effort by the Rural Outl ook for Uni versi ty Students Toward Al l i ed H eal th(ROUSTAH ) from the Uni versi ty of South Austral i a, the Adel ai de Uni versi ty Rural H eal thAl l i ance (AURH A) and the Fl i nders Uni versi ty Rural H eal th Soci ety (FURH S) . These arestudent run Rural H eal th Cl ubs, and each year the cl ubs col l aborate to offer students theopportuni ty to attend Campfi re. Thi s event i s an opportuni ty for 1 00 l i ke-mi nded students i nheal th degrees to meet, soci al i se, and share enthusi asm for regi onal , rural and remote heal thpracti ce.

Each year Campfi re i s hel d i n a di fferent l ocati on. Thi s year Campfi re was set i n Renmark, i nthe pi cturesque Ri verl and. Thi s fun yet i ntensi ve weekend was packed ful l of academi cacti vi ti es i ncl udi ng cl i ni cal ski l l s sessi ons i n denti stry, I ndi genous heal th, paramedi cs and generalpracti ce. The soci al acti vi ti es provi ded students wi th the opportuni ty to experi ence a rusti cni ght on arri val whi l st toasti ng marshmal l ows around the campfi re and a gl amorous ni ght atthe Renmark H otel wi th a formal three-course di nner, and al l owed them to get i n touch wi ththei r i nner chi l d wi th a day of bowl i ng and l aser ski rmi sh.

We hope that by attendi ng Campfi re students wi l l consi der worki ng i n regi onal , rural orremote South Austral i a upon graduati on. Campfi re al so provi des an opportuni ty to supportl ocal busi nesses i n Renmark and for members of the l ocal communi ty to meet students whorepresent the future of Austral i a’s heal thcare.

Marzieh TahmasebiSeni or N RH SN Representati ve 201 3

Adel ai de Uni versi ty Rural H eal th Al l i ance (AURH A)

INDIGENOUSFESTIVALS

Each year AURH A takes an acti ve rol e i n i ndi genous heal th and educati on. As the AURH AI ndi genous affai rs offi cer for 201 3 , I had the pri vi l ege of organi si ng AURH A’s attendance atan i ndi genous festi val . Wi th many of the l ong-ti me fi xtures of the I ndi genous cal endar nol onger i n exi stence, opti ons thi s year were l i mi ted. Ul ti matel y, i t was deci ded that we woul dattend the Vi be 3 on3 festi val i n Port Augusta on the 1 7th of M ay.

The festi val focuses on educati ng I ndi genous students about maki ng heal thy l i fe deci si onsthrough engagi ng them i n acti vi ti es such as basketbal l , rappi ng and freestyl e danci ng. There i sa parti cul ar focus on di et and exerci se as wel l as absti nence to smoki ng and dri nki ng. Vi be3 on3 typi cal l y caters to approxi matel y 3 00 pri mary students from a dozen di fferent school sfrom around the regi on. I n between schedul ed events, students are free to roam through thenumerous pavi l i ons organi sed by vari ous communi ty groups.

Thi s year, AURH A put together a team of student members to represent the organi sati on i nPort Augusta. We recei ved many appl i cati ons to j oi n the si x person del egati on. Eventual l y, i twas determi ned that the team woul d compri se of three medi cal students, a nursi ng studentand a psychi atry student i n addi ti on to mysel f. A representati ve from denti stry was soughtafter, and despi te si gni fi cant i nterest, other commi tments i nevi tabl y precl uded thei rparti ci pati on. Together, we formed a hi ghl y ski l l ed and moti vated uni t.

The loooooong aaand wiiiiiiinding roooad (DUM DUM) thaaaaaat leads to your door...or at least to Port Augusta

The group met several ti mes i n prel i mi nary di scussi ons to determi ne the focus our stal l , fl eshout these i deas and pl an the l ogi sti cs. I t was determi ned that we woul d run a mul ti -faceted,i nteracti ve stal l , drawi ng upon our i ndi vi dual experti se. We hoped that together theseconsti tuent parts of our presentati on woul d ai d to convey our themati c obj ecti ves, namel ygood nutri ti on, the i mportance of physi cal exerci se as wel l as smoki ng and al cohol educati onand preventi on.

We travel l ed down the eveni ng before the event on a l uxuri ous Premi er Statel i ner bus andchecked i nto the hotel l ate that ni ght. Earl y the next morni ng, a qui ck stop at M cDonal dsprovi ded adequate sustenance to begi n what woul d prove to be a ful l , ri ch day. Uponarri vi ng at the l ocati on of the event (The Port Augusta Basketbal l Stadi um) , the group wentabout setti ng up the pavi l i on. Thi s di d not take l ong as we had some assi stance from theevent organi sers.

H avi ng set up our desi gnated stal l , i t became apparent that some of our associ ated groups,i ncl udi ng ROUSTAH were al so attendi ng the event. Unfortunatel y for thei r representati ves,the i nformati on they had recei ved had been l i mi ted and they found themsel ves to be a l i ttl ei l l -prepared. Fortunatel y, for us, they were very fri endl y and asked i f they coul d hel p us out.Therefore, after we annexed thei r pavi l i on, the combi ned group oversaw the producti on oftwo presentati ons.

The girls did an excellent job with the fruit skewers

Throughout the day, a l arge number of students vi si ted our tabl es wi th some expressi nggreat i nterest i n what we had on di spl ay. There were a number of thi ngs that went wel l .Some of the el ements that were parti cul arl y successful i ncl uded the “frui t skewers” stal l .Wi th thi s acti vi ty, students fi rst washed thei r hands and then made thei r own frui t skewersfrom oranges, bananas, appl es, watermel on, rockmel on and pi neappl e. Another popul arcomponent was the anatomi cal model , affecti onatel y known as Gutsy Gus. Thi s al l owedstudents to di ssect the vi sceral structures wi thi n the torso and was of great i nterest to someof the more mani acal students.

"Right now say the splenic artery gives rise to the short gastric arteries..."

Over the course of the day, a number of other attracti ons hel d the attenti on of the studentsto a l esser extent i ncl udi ng col ourful artwork, pamphl ets and free gi ve-aways.

The kids loved to draw healthy food items

After a very busy and stressful morni ng sessi on, a bri ef l unch break was provi ded. There weresome excel l ent free BBQ servi ces avai l abl e to those parti ci pati ng i n the event. Despi te thi s,some members of our conti ngent sei zed the opportuni ty to make thei r way to a l ocal del i orshop for a bi t of nutri ti on, rest and rel axati on. A post-prandi al return to the festi val heral dedthe end of the stal l s and the cl ean-up operati on began. After thi s was compl eted, we al l borewi tness to some of the very i mpressi ve freestyl e danci ng competi ti ons that domi nated theafternoon sessi on.

H owever, despi te the enthral l i ng entertai nment on offer, i t was ti me for us to l eave PortAugusta vi a the bus stati on. The tri p back to Adel ai de proved to be one of sati sfacti on onthe back of a j ob wel l done. I t al so provi ded an opportuni ty for the group to refl ect on theevents of the day and contempl ate a future return to the festi val . We each arri ved back i nAdel ai de exhausted and ready for bed that ni ght.

Despi te the event runni ng rel ati vel y smoothl y throughout the day, there were a fewchal l enges that proved di ffi cul t to overcome. The bi ggest chal l enge that was confrontedi nvol ved ti me constri cti ons. Due to the i nteracti ve sessi ons taki ng part onl y between otherschedul ed commi tments, each group onl y had a very short peri od of ti me to vi si t al l of thestal l s. Thi s meant that organi sati ons had to compete for the i nterest of students, maki ng theconveyance of i mportant messages qui te di ffi cul t. Obtai ni ng i mportant l ogi sti cal detai l s wasal so di ffi cul t wi th a l ack of i nformati on posted on the offi ci al websi te. H owever, perhaps thegreatest chal l enge was to organi se taki ng fi ve peopl e to Port Augusta wi th transport, foodand accommodati on i n a short peri od. Confi rmati on of AURH A’s attendance at the eventoccurred onl y about three weeks before i t was hel d. Thi s made thi ngs more chal l engi ng butthi s burden was eased wi th the assi stance of my fel l ow team members.

The AURHA stall

N otwi thstandi ng these detracti ons, the day was, overal l , excepti onal l y wel l -orchestrated bythe vi be 3 on3 organi sers. I t was an amazi ng experi ence to parti ci pate i n the event and real l yexci ti ng to i nteract wi th pri mary school chi l dren i nterested i n maki ng heal thy l i fe choi ces. Iwas al so encouraged by the number of students expressi ng an i nterest i n the fi el d of heal thservi ces. As a medi cal student ori gi nal l y from Port Augusta I understand the parti cul archal l enges faci ng rural students when attempti ng to gai n access to uni versi ty. Attendi ng thi sevent al so provi ded a val uabl e educati onal experi ence for each member of the team. Wel earnt about the envi ronmental chal l enges faci ng rural and I ndi genous chi l dren and moreabout the i ni ti ati ves desi gned to overcome these obstacl es. Upon di scussi ng the day wi thother members of the team, they each rel ayed the posi ti ve experi ences that they hadcol l ected over the course of the event and many were hopi ng to return i n 201 4.

I n speaki ng to members of AURH A i nterested i n rural and I ndi genous heal th, I woul dencourage them to appl y to attend an I ndi genous festi val on behal f of AURH A next year.Thi s year, AURH A provi ded each person i n the team recei ved accommodati on, travel and agenerous cost of l i vi ng al l owance. Thi s meant that the expense of attendi ng such an eventwas not an i ssue. The Uni versi ty i s al so very accommodati ng when i t comes to provi di ngstudents wi th short-term l eave for such endeavours. M any of those who have attended suchevents i n the past hol d i t i n hi gh regard and express the i nval uabl e nature of the experi ence.I t certai nl y has the capaci ty to change the way that you percei ve I ndi genous heal th i ssues.

James GranthamI ndi genous Festi val s Co-ordi nator

RURALPSYCHOLOGYCAREERS NIGHT

AURH A' s i naugural Rural Psychol ogy Careers N i ght, hel d on Thursday September 1 2th 201 3at the Uni versi ty of Adel ai de, ai med to promote rural career opportuni ti es, schol arshi ps andpl acements for psychol ogy students at the Uni versi ty of Adel ai de, Fl i nders Uni versi ty and theUni versi ty of South Austral i a. Four psychol ogi sts and two psychol ogy students spoke on theeveni ng, whi ch was wel l attended by al most 5 0 undergraduate and postgraduate psychol ogystudents (wi th some students studyi ng by di stance travel l i ng from as far as the Eyre Peni nsul ato attend) .

Cl i ni cal psychol ogi st Chri s Wi gg spoke about the opportuni ti es and chal l enges i nvol ved i nrural psychol ogy practi ce, drawi ng on hi s own experi ence practi si ng i n Vi ctor H arbor for overten years. Chri s spoke about the i mportance of bei ng i nvol ved wi th professi onal organi sati onsi ncl udi ng the APS and SARRAH and the support they can provi de for rural practi ti oners.

Cl i ni cal psychol ogi st Brooke Packham spoke about her background growi ng up i nmetropol i tan areas, movi ng to l i ve and practi ce i n Kei th, South Austral i a, when she met andmarri ed a l ucerne farmer. Brooke spoke about the mi sconcepti on that worki ng rural l y l i mi tspsychol ogi sts’ career prospects, drawi ng on her own experi ence of bei ng made cl i ni cal seni orpsychol ogi st onl y a few years after graduati ng. Brooke al so di scussed the opportuni ti es ofworki ng wi th a compl ex and i ntensi ve casel oad i n the country, i ncl udi ng the exampl e ofsetti ng up an i ntensi ve DBT (Di al ecti cal Behavi our Therapy) program for cl i ents wi thBorderl i ne Personal i ty Di sorder i n the rural setti ng, whi ch has recentl y been nomi nated for aSA H eal th Award. Brooke al so spoke about the pl acement opportuni ty she offers forpsychol ogy students based i n M t. Gambi er and coveri ng the South East regi on.

Cl i ni cal psychol ogi st Andrew Li vi ngstone spoke about hi s work and pl acement opportuni ti esfor students at the Country H eal th SA Rural and Remote I npati ent Ward, based at Gl ensi deH ospi tal . Andrew al so spoke about opportuni ti es students coul d become i nvol ved i ni ncl udi ng attendance at the regul ar Rural Psychol ogy Forums hel d by Country H eal th SA,open to al l i nterested psychol ogi sts and students, and an upcomi ng tel epsychol ogyconference to be hel d i n Adel ai de i n February 201 4.

M aster of Psychol ogy(Cl i ni cal ) /PhD candi date N yl anda M a spoke about her recent pl acementi n M annum, South Austral i a, supported by the Adel ai de to Outback GP trai ni ng program andas the fi rst reci pi ent of AURH A’s Rural Psychol ogy Pl acement Schol arshi p. N yl anda sharedher top 5 reasons for undertaki ng a rural pl acement, wi th a parti cul ar focus on those whomay not have a rural background or who may not have previ ousl y consi dered rural work.

M aster of Psychol ogy(Cl i ni cal ) student Frances N ettl e spoke about her recent pl acement i nM t. Gambi er wi th Brooke Packham. Frances shared her survi val ti ps for rural pl acements andher experi ence wi th appl yi ng for and recei vi ng a SARRAH schol arshi p to undertake herpl acement.

Psychol ogi st Kate Gunn, recentl y graduated from the M .Psych(Cl i ni cal ) /PhD degree at theUni versi ty of Adel ai de, spoke about her experi ences wi th rural research, i ncl udi ng thewebsi te she devel oped for rural cancer pati ents as part of her PhD(www.countrycancersupport.org) . Kate spoke about the many opportuni ti es that have comefrom her rural research, i ncl udi ng speaki ng at i nternati onal conferences and wi nni ng thepresti gi ous Channel 9 Premi er’s Young Achi ever Award and Rural H eal th Award. Kate hasrecentl y been made a Vi si ti ng Research Fel l ow i n the School of Psychol ogy and encouragedstudents consi deri ng undertaki ng honours, masters or PhD research to contact her aboutrural research opportuni ti es.

Opportuni ti es for students wi th AURH A and the N RH SN were al so hi ghl i ghted at the event,i ncl udi ng rural hi gh school vi si ts, I ndi genous festi val s, soci al events, and conferences i ncl udi ngN URH C and the CoN S program. Students were encouraged to si gn up to AURH A (or thei rrural heal th cl ub, for students attendi ng from other uni versi ti es) and provi ded wi th l i nks.I nformati on was al so provi ded about rural psychol ogy schol arshi ps, i ncl udi ng AURH A’s$1 000 rural psychol ogy pl acement schol arshi p, i nsti gated l ast year, and nati onal SARRAHcl i ni cal psychol ogy and al l i ed heal th pl acement schol arshi ps.

Feedback from students i ndi cated that many were now consi deri ng a rural pl acement andappl yi ng for rural schol arshi ps where they hadn’t previ ousl y, and that the event was aval uabl e opportuni ty to network wi th rural psychol ogi sts.

Carly SutherlandPsychol ogy representati ve

If you are a psychology student interested in a ruralplacement, or would like more information about

rural opportunities, please contact AURHApsychology representative Carly Sutherland:

carly.sutherland@adelaide.edu.au

A DAYAT MANNUM

AURHA's first Rural Psychology Scholarship recipient, PhD candidateNylanda Ma, spent a very enjoyable clinical placement at Mannum.

Thi s year, I had the great pl easure of doi ng a rural pl acement at the M annum M edi cal Centreworki ng wi th cl i ni cal psychol ogi st, Robi n Tottman. A typi cal day woul d start wi th me l eavi ngthe house at 6:3 0am, fol l owed by an hour-l ong car dri ve wi th my supervi sor, Robi n, to arri veat M annum M edi cal Centre at 8:00am. We woul d dri ve past beauti ful country towns,pi cturesque scenery, and past paddocks fi l l ed wi th horses, cows, and sheep. N ow, some ofyou readi ng thi s may cri nge at the thought of havi ng to ri de i n a car wi th your supervi sor fora 2 hour return tri p. H owever, I l earnt some of the most i mportant thi ngs I wi l l take i nto myfuture practi ce on these tri ps. Thi s structure al l owed me to l earn far more than supervi si onconducted i n other pl acements that typi cal l y onl y l asts one hour and onl y covers what youspeci fi cal l y need hel p wi th. I got to l earn about how psychol ogy works i n the ‘real worl d’ andI got to real l y pi ck hi s brai n and gai n al l the benefi ts of hi s many years of experi ence (i n l essti me!) . I l earnt about how to manage the ethi cal i ssues that frequentl y ari se i n rural practi ceand how to best work wi th cl i ents that may present wi th a l arge number of stressors andcompl ex i ssues, as i s so often seen i n rural areas.

Back to the day ahead, we woul d arri ve at M annum and woul d head towards the back of theM annum H ospi tal where al l i ed heal th servi ces worked. As I woul d wander through thehospi tal , i t di dn’t feel l i ke the typi cal hospi tal , steri l e and formal , i t was warm and wel comi ng!There were couches i n the hal l s not hardback pl asti c chai rs. Everyone smi l ed at you genui nel yand sai d hel l o, rather than passi ng you by wi thout l ooki ng or doi ng a pol i te headnod or hal f-smi l e. And everyone was al ways happy to j ust have a chat! Robi n and I woul d then preparefor our days worth of cl i ents. Bei ng the onl y psychol ogi st i n the area (and al so bei ng a verygood psychol ogi st!) , he al ways had back-to-back cl i ents from 8:00am to 6:00pm. I woul d seearound 3 -4 per day and si t i n wi th several of hi s cl i ents to do co-therapy, so I al so had qui te abusy day. Thi s, however, meant I got a l ot of face-to-face cl i ent hours (for those of you i nM aster of Psychol ogy, you’l l know how i mportant thi s i s!) and a l ot of experi ence. Practi si ng i na rural area meant that Robi n had to be abl e to work wi th al most any cl i ent who wal ked i n,from chi l d to adul t, from depressi on to anger to post-traumati c stress. I had the opportuni tythen to see a wi der range of cl i ents and i ssues than i n a typi cal pl acement and was abl e todevel op my ski l l s i n worki ng wi th these cl i ents. Bei ng i n a hospi tal , I al so devel oped ski l l s i ncol l aborati vel y worki ng wi th other heal th professi onal s, i ncl udi ng GPs, nurses, and other al l i edheal th.

What I was i mpacted most by i n thi s pl acement however, was the characteri sti cs of thecl i ents. Each of the cl i ents I had the pl easure of worki ng wi th was i ncredi bl y resi l i ent. Theyhad al l faced many adversi ti es i n thei r l i fe yet had managed to cope i ncredi bl y wel l . M ost hadexi sti ng copi ng ski l l s that j ust needed to be expanded on, added to, or put i nto use agai n. I naddi ti on to resi l i ency and exi sti ng copi ng ski l l s, most of the cl i ents I encountered were verymoti vated and dri ven. They took the perspecti ve of, “Ok, I have thi s i ssue, what do I do to fi xi t?” Rather than hopel essness or bei ng consumed by psychol ogi cal di ffi cul ti es, they took avery probl em-focused or probl em-sol vi ng approach. Thi s was qui te di fferent to myexperi ences wi th cl i ents i n metropol i tan areas and i t i s these strengths i n rural cl i ents thathave moti vated me to conti nue worki ng i n rural psychol ogy!

So, after a day of worki ng wi th cl i ents, Robi n and I woul d head home and I ’d get home at7:3 0pm. And despi te worki ng for around 1 3 hours, I was happy to come back and do i t agai nthe next day! I hope that thi s l i mi ted summary wi l l enti ce other students to do a ruralpl acement. I t was an i ncredi bl y rewardi ng experi ence and has had a great i mpact both on mydevel opment as a psychol ogi st and al so i n terms of my future career pl ans!

Nylanda also shares her top five reasons for working in a rural area...

5 . Ani mal s: For an ani mal l over l i ke me, worki ng i n a rural area was i deal . On your way towork, you dri ve past wi l dl i fe, horses, and farm ani mal s! Every now and then, a cl i ent woul dbri ng i n thei r new pet too! Getti ng to combi ne work wi th ani mal s i s a bi t of a dream cometrue, but that mi ght j ust be me!

4. The dri ve: I f you commute to your workpl ace, you get to dri ve to the country. Forsomeone who l oves dri vi ng, i t provi des the perfect means of taki ng care of yoursel f andseparati ng home from work. Al so, i t’s al ways fun to dri ve at hi gh speeds whi l e passi ngbeauti ful Austral i an scenery!

3 . The communi ty: I know i t mi ght sound a bi t cl i ché but worki ng i n a rural area, you getmore of a sense of communi ty than i n the ‘ci ty’ . I guess, cl i chés are cl i chés because they’retrue! Despi te worki ng i n a hospi tal , i t wasn’t steri l e and formal l i ke your typi cal hospi tal . I t waswarm and wel comi ng. There were couches i n the hal l s not hardback pl asti c chai rs. Everyonesmi l ed at you genui nel y and sai d hel l o, rather than passi ng you by wi thout l ooki ng or doi ng apol i te headnod or hal f-smi l e. And everyone was al ways happy to j ust have a chat, despi tebei ng i ncredi bl y busy, and you never got the sense that i t was a bad ti me or you werei nconveni enci ng them. M y enti re ti me at M annum, I fel t wel comed and supported!

2. Fast l earni ng curve: Worki ng i n rural areas, as a psychol ogi st, you need to be abl e to workwi th a l arge range of di fferent psychol ogi cal i ssues as you may be the onl y psychol ogi st thecl i ent can access. For a student, thi s meant that I had experi ence wi th a range of i ssues fromdepressi on to anger to post-traumati c stress and so on. Al so, gi ven the l i mi ted access topsychol ogi cal servi ces, typi cal l y the day i s booked ful l wi th cl i ents and I had a l ot of face-to-face cl i ent contact hours (for those of you i n M aster of Psychol ogy, you’l l know howi mportant thi s i s!) . Al l of thi s meant that I had the opportuni ty to l earn a l ot and i n a veryshort amount of ti me whi ch i s i nval uabl e as a student and for anyone begi nni ng i n thei rcareer.

aaand...

1 . The cl i ents: Pri or to begi nni ng my pl acement, I had a keen i nterest i n rural psychol ogydespi te havi ng no connecti ons or pri or l i nks to rural areas. I had read a l ot of research wi thrural psychol ogi sts and rural cl i entel e and had a basi c understandi ng of the chal l engesassoci ated wi th worki ng i n thi s area. What I wasn’t aware of was the benefi ts of worki ng i nrural areas and wi th rural cl i ents. Each of the cl i ents I had the pl easure of worki ng wi th wasi ncredi bl y resi l i ent. They had al l faced many adversi ti es i n thei r l i fe yet had managed to copei ncredi bl y wel l . M ost had exi sti ng copi ng ski l l s that si mpl y needed to be expanded, added to,or put back i nto use. I n addi ti on to resi l i ency and exi sti ng copi ng ski l l s, most of the cl i ents Iencountered were very moti vated and dri ven. They took the perspecti ve of, “Ok, I have thi si ssue, what do I do to fi x i t?” Rather than hopel essness or bei ng consumed by psychol ogi caldi ffi cul ti es, they took a very probl em-focused or probl em-sol vi ng approach. Thi s was qui tedi fferent to my experi ences wi th cl i ents i n metropol i tan areas and i t made worki ng wi ththem much more effecti ve. I t i s these strengths i n rural cl i ents that make me want toconti nue worki ng wi th them i n the future!

I t’s i ncredi bl y di ffi cul t to descri be everythi ng I l earnt from thi s pl acement i n a short space andI i nvi te anyone who woul d l i ke to know more to contact me. I ’m somewhat l ess wordy i nperson! But I woul d l i ke to l eave whoever may read thi s wi th one note: rel ati onshi ps. I f youwork i n rural or remote areas or woul d l i ke to, from what I observed and l earnt, rel ati onshi pswi th cl i ents are key. Someti mes I feel thi s i s pai d l i p servi ce i n psychol ogy and I assume i nother al l i ed heal th professi ons. Perhaps worki ng i n the ‘ci ty’ , at ti mes, thi s i s ok. Cl i ents i nmetropol i tan areas may wel l be used to superfi ci al rel ati onshi ps wi th treati ng professi onal s.Wi th rural cl i ents however, a trusti ng, nonj udgemental rel ati onshi p wi th your heal thprofessi onal i s essenti al . I know thi s from heari ng many cl i ents descri be previ ous treatmentexperi ences that had not been successful and the reason i s al ways because of a l ack of agood rel ati onshi p or al l i ance wi th the ‘professi onal ’ . I f you can be genui ne, open, and beyoursel f, one human bei ng tal ki ng to another, rather than bei ng the ‘expert’ or ‘professi onal ’ ,your work wi th cl i ents wi l l benefi t greatl y and they are more l i kel y to benefi t from your work!I ’m sure that everythi ng I experi enced wi l l not appl y si mi l arl y to other rural areas as they areal l so uni que and i ndi vi dual , but I bel i eve the i mportance of rel ati onshi ps wi th cl i ents i suni versal and transcends i ndi vi dual di fferences!

Thank you to everyone who made thi s pl acement such a great experi ence for me, i ncl udi ngal l the peopl e at M annum M edi cal Centre, Robi n, AOGP, Uni versi ty of Adel ai de, andAUH RA. I hope that thi s l i mi ted summary wi l l enti ce other students to do a rural pl acementso they can see for themsel ves!

Nylanda MaM aster of Psychol ogy (Cl i ni cal ) / PhD candi date

201 3 Rural Psychol ogy Pl acement Schol arshi p reci pi ent

RFDS FLIGHTSEvery year, the AURH A and the Royal Fl yi ng Doctor Servi ce offer a l i mi ted number ofstudents the chance to undertake a one-day weekend attachment at the RFDS' s Adel ai debase. These attachments are al ways tremendousl y popul ar and feedback i s uni versal l yposi ti ve. The attachment i s purel y an observer rol e, but the RFDS' s operati ons are di versesuch that there i s al ways pl enty to observe.

I undertook my attachment on a Sunday i n J une, spendi ng the best part of the day i n the ai r.Our fi rst stop was Port Li ncol n to drop off a mother and her chi l d who had j ust fi ni shed al engthy hospi tal stay, before maki ng the short hop to Cl eve to pi ck up a pati ent who wasbei ng transferred to Adel ai de from the Cl eve hospi tal . After l unch, we transferred anotherpati ent back to M ount Gambi er before fl yi ng back to Adel ai de to concl ude qui te a l ong day.Thi s was apparentl y a fai rl y typi cal day for the RFDS, al bei t wi thout any drama (whi ch wasprobabl y j ust as wel l ) .

The RFDS staff are al l extremel y fri endl y and both the pi l ots and nurses are very i nteresti ngto tal k to; the onl y spare seat for me on the Port Li ncol n fl i ght was on the fl i ght deck, and Ithi nk the pi l ot qui te enj oyed havi ng somebody wi th a soci al l y-unacceptabl e enthusi asm foravi ati on to di scuss navi gati onal systems and gas turbi ne engi nes wi th. The observer' s seat i nthe ai rcraft cabi n i s al so far more comfortabl e and the l egroom far greater than wi th anycommerci al ai rl i ne, and wi th better cateri ng as wel l i f you bri ng a packed l unch. There arevery few other opportuni ti es to get a free aeri al tour of South Austral i a combi ned wi th al esson i n how to read ECGs!

These attachments are hi ghl y sought-after for a reason, and are one of the most i nteresti ngand exci ti ng benefi ts of AURH A membershi p. A l i mi ted number of pl aces are offered everyyear; assumi ng that the program conti nues i n 201 4, si gn-up detai l s and other i nformati onshoul d be avai l abl e on the AURH A Facebook page or through other channel s earl y i nsemester 1 .

I probably should've taken more

selfies, or photos in general for

that matter. Anyway, here are my

feet.

Robin Stringer

Health programs at the University of Adelaide offer various opportunities forrural placements. Each commonwealth-supported medical student must spendat least 4 weeks of their degree in a rural or remote location. Opportunitiesinclude a 9-week rural surgical placement in fourth year, a 36-week integratedprogram in fifth year, and various rural MSAs and SCAPs throughout clinicalyears. Dentistry, nursing and psychology students don't miss out on the fun

either!

Often referred to as the Crossroads of Austral i a due to i ts posi ti on at the confl uence of east-west and north-south rai l way l i nes and hi ghways, Port Augusta i s an i mportant and hi stori cregi onal centre. I t' s qui te a good opti on for anyone i nterested i n I ndi genous heal th!

Main attractionsSouth Austral i a' s l argest power stati onWadl ata Outback M useumAri d Lands Botani c GardenThe waterfront area/beach i s qui te ni ce

NightlifeH otel Fl i nders (pl ays host to the l ocal DJ ci rcui t)Western H otel

Travel from AdelaideTwo return fl i ghts dai l yStatel i ner bus3 20km (3 .5 hours) dri ve

PORT AUGUSTA

Whyal l a was once South Austral i a' s second l argest ci ty before l osi ng that ti tl e to M ountGambi er, al though i t has enj oyed somethi ng of a renai ssance i n the past few years wi th ahousi ng boom and a new and i mproved beach bei ng a parti cul ar hi ghl i ght. The hospi tal hasj ust been expanded as wel l , wi th a shi ny new cancer centre.

Main attractionsAustral i a' s l argest l andl ocked shi pCuttl efi sh di ve toursTours of the l andmark steel worksWestl ands Shoppi ng Centre

NightlifeThe Eyre (Thursday/Saturday) and the Spencer (Fri day)Several other pubs

Travel from AdelaideSeveral fl i ghts a dayStatel i ner bus3 85 km (4-4.5 hours) dri ve

WHYALLA

Port Li ncol n and the surroundi ng area i s one of South Austral i a' s premi er touri st desti nati ons- and, i f you go there, i t' s easy to see why. The weather i s usual l y ni cer than Adel ai de i nsummer, though i t can get pretty col d i n wi nter. I t was the l eadi ng contender for the si te forSouth Austral i a' s state capi tal before Governor H i ndmarsh changed hi s mi nd - what mi ghthave been?

Main attractionsShark cave di vi ng and other aquati c acti vi ti es (fi shi ng, scuba di vi ng, yachti ng. . .)Coffi n Bay i s qui te ni ce and not too far awayVery ni ce beach/ci ty centre area

NightlifeSharky' s at the Port Li ncol n H otel

Travel from AdelaideA wi de choi ce of dai l y fl i ghts (Regi onal Express and Qantasl i nk)Statel i ner bus to Adel ai de (vi a Whyal l a, Pt Augusta and Pt Pi ri e. . . a 1 0 hour tri p)65 0km (~ 8 hours) dri ve

PORT LINCOLN

PORT PIRIE

The l ocal counci l cal l s i t the Ci ty of Opportuni ty, whi ch can onl y be an auspi ci ous si gn foryour pl acement - and the opportuni ti es are endl ess. Port Pi ri e benefi ts from bei ng a fri endl ysmal l ci ty wi th everythi ng you need, but not too far from Adel ai de or from other regi onalcentres l i ke the Cl are Val l ey. Crows l egend M ark Bi ckl ey grew up there i f any fans woul d l i keto make a hol y pi l gri mage.

Main attractionsThe worl d' s l argest l ead smel terAn excel l ent art gal l ery

NightlifeThe Fami l y H otel (they have foam parti es!)

Travel from AdelaideStatel i ner bus220km (2 hours) dri ve

A smal l but i mportant west coast town thanks to i ts port and i ts posi ti on as the l ast maj orstop before the N ul l arbor Pl ai n. I t gets a bi t hot i n summer but wi nter i s a l i ttl e bi t warmerthan Adel ai de. I t' s al so qui te a good pl ace for I ndi genous heal th experi ences!

Main attractionsFi shi ngBeachesThe N ul l arbor Pl ai n i sn' t too far awayThe Oysterfest i n October!

NightlifeTypi cal country pubs

Travel from Adelaide800km (i e. al l day) dri veStatel i ner bus to Adel ai de (thri ce weekl y and takes nearl y 1 2 hours)Two dai l y return fl i ghts (not cheap)

CEDUNA

MOUNT GAMBIERG-Town i s SA' s second-l argest ci ty and has most of the trappi ngs of l arger ci ti es: mul ti pl esupermarkets and department stores, a rel ati vel y bi g art gal l ery, and everythi ng el se you coul dpossi bl y wi sh for. I t doesn' t get ri di cul ousl y hot i n summer but wi nter i s often wet and a fewdegrees cool er than Adel ai de. I t' s approxi matel y equi di stant from Adel ai de and M el bourne,so you have mul ti pl e choi ces i f you fancy a weekend away and are mi ssi ng the ci ty too much!

Main attractionsThe Bl ue LakeVari ous nearby caves, si nkhol es, etcSouth-eastern wi neri esAl l the fun and games on the Li mestone Coast

NightlifeM ount Gambi er H otelShadows nightclub

Travel from Adelaide45 0km (~ 5 .5 hours) dri veStatel i ner bus. . . wi th a choi ce of two di fferent routes for added exci tementSeveral dai l y fl i ghts

Fl i ghts and buses to M el bourne as wel l !

BAROSSA VALLEY AND CLARE VALLEYSouth Austral i a i s famous for food and wi ne, and the Barossa and Cl are Val l eys are theepi curean epi centre of SA. They are far enough from Adel ai de to be qui et and peaceful , yetcl ose enough to onl y be a short and easy dri ve away. What the townshi ps l ack i n ragi ngni ghtl i fe they wel l and trul y make up for i n wi neri es and gourmet bakeri es. They are popul archoi ces for pl acements!

Main attractionsWi neFoodPretty towns and l andscapes

NightlifePubs, restaurants. . . Adel ai de' s not far away though i f you need your H Q fi x

Travel from AdelaideBarossa: 60-80km (usual l y l ess than an hour) dri veCl are: 1 3 0km (~ 1 .5 hours) dri veBuses connect Angaston, Tanunda and N uri ootpa wi th Gawl er several ti mes a day. There i sone return bus dai l y (except M ondays as of J ul y 201 3 ) from Adel ai de to Cl are.

KADINA AND MAITLANDThe regi onal centres - Whyal l a, Port Li ncol n, Port Augusta, M ount Gambi er, Broken H i l l -mi ght be i n the country, but they' re probabl y a bi t too urbani sed to be consi dered TheCountry. Bei ng smal l (Kadi na has 4000 peopl e; M ai tl and 1 000) and surrounded by farml and,Kadi na and M ai tl and are sui tabl e for those who want a more authenti c taste of The Countrycompl ete wi th farms, agri cul tural shows, and getti ng to know your pati ents on a morepersonal l evel .

Main attractionsKadi na has qui te a strong Corni sh cul ture and hosts the Kernewek Lowender festi val ofCorni sh cul ture every other M ay (not i n 201 4)M oonta i s near Kadi na, and has an excel l ent sweet shop and some di sused copper mi nes thatare qui te i nteresti ngBoth towns aren' t far from the Yorke Peni nsul a' s excel l ent beaches, several wi th good surfbreaksThe sereni ty

NightlifeEr.. .

Travel from AdelaideKadi na: 1 5 0km dri veM ai tl and: 1 75 km dri veKadi na has a dai l y return bus from Adel ai de.M ai tl and has one return bus from Adel ai de on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays (as of J ul y201 3 )

KIRA GOES TOTHE NRHSNNEXT GEN

CONFERENCEI n August 201 3 I was pri vi l eged enough to attend the N H RSN N ext Gen Conference hel d i nCanberra. The theme of the conference was l eadershi p i n rural and remote heal th.

Students from a wi de range of heal th di sci pl i nes i ncl udi ng medi ci ne, nursi ng, psychol ogy anddenti stry attended the conference. The weekend featured a phenomenal program wi th eachspeaker bei ng hi ghl y entertai ni ng and i nspi rati onal . Each speaker spoke from experi ence andhad a memorabl e i mpact on al l who were present. A j am-packed schedul e, i ncl udi ng somefantasti c ski l l workshops, meant there was never a dul l moment.

The soci al program was a conference hi ghl i ght wi th a networki ng di nner on openi ng ni ghtfol l owed by a Saturday ni ght formal di nner at the Canberra Press Cl ub whi ch featured anenl i ghteni ng tal k from Gerry Consi di ne (fol l ow hi m on Twi tter at @rural fl yi ngdoc !) .

Throughout the weekend, speakers who had pushed boundari es i n the area of remote,I ndi genous and rural heal th chal l enged our vi ews. We were i nspi red by those who hadwi tnessed the need for change and had taken the acti ons needed to make i t happen. At theend of the conference I was l eft moti vated and i nspi red about trul y maki ng a di fference i n thearea of rural , remote and i ndi genous heal th.

I f you have the opportuni ty to attend any conference thi s year, whether i t i s i n regard to ruralheal th or any aspect you are i nterested, get amongst i t! Conferences are a great way to meetnew peopl e, get i nformed and get i nspi red.

Kira StapletonN extGen conference attendee 201 3

AURH A Presi dent-el ect 201 4

THE 2014 AURHACOMMITTEE IS...

President: Ki ra Stapl eton

Vice-President: Cassi e H ai nes

Secretary: Carol Ri tchi e

Treasurer: Lachl an M acki nnon

NRHSN Senior Rep: Kathy Grocke

NRHSN Junior Rep: Cl audi a Paul

Events : Ol i vi a Di cki nson and Rebekah Cl ark

Indigenous Representative: Amy H oi l e

Indigenous Festivals Co-ordinator: Laura Sharl ey

Publications : Robi n Stri nger

IT: M i l l i e Wel l s and Al bert Wu

Rural High School Visits Co-ordinator: Becky Di ckenson

Medicine Representatives : Emma Kel l y and Dhi ren Deepak

Dentistry Representatives : Cai t Duncan and Kenneth Koh

Nursing Representative: Loui se M cCabe

Psychology Representative: Carl y Sutherl and

Oral Health Representative: Saranya Tal l uri

Whyalla - Kathy Grocke