ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

It was a combination of studying Australian Indigenous health at university and her time working in rural and remote parts of Africa that inspired Caity to apply for a job in the Northern Territory. That, and she’s a sucker for the hot weather!

“Coming from Ambulance Victoria, it was a massive adjustment living and working in Alice Springs. One of the best things about working there, and in the Territory in general, is that most of the clinicians have all moved for similar reasons. They were all so supportive and lovely and understood how confronting the move had been for them, too. The Alice Springs team became my family.

“Whilst I had a permanent position in Alice, we were so lucky to have the opportunities to have a go at various tenures across the Territory.

"I did relief work in Tennant Creek, which is about 500km from Alice and has a much smaller hospital. This was a real professional challenge, often responding to some really sick people in very remote areas with just your partner.

“I also did a stint in Nhulunbuy which I really enjoyed, it amazed me just how different it was to Central Australia and how the communities of people in Nhulunbuy couldn’t understand my Central lingo!

“I saw a lot of trauma calls while working in the NT, definitely more car accidents than in other places I have worked. There’s also a very high rate of kidney disease and subsequent renal dialysis with the largest renal dialysis unit in the southern hemisphere. I attended many time-critical emergencies related to kidney disease.

“When I tell my Ambulance Tasmania colleagues about the renal cases I experienced, I often feel like my stories sound exaggerated or made up because they sound so unbelievable…even to me now!

“I learned so much during my time in the Territory and it shaped the clinician I am today. It taught me how to step out of my comfort zone, try things that look daunting and step up to a challenge and work hard.

“It’s not always easy being away from your family and support network, but when you work in the Territory the people you work with become your family.  I’ve made some lifelong friends from my time in the NT.

“Now, I’m working in my dream job with Ambulance Tasmania working in Critical Care and Retrieval on the helicopters and honestly I wouldn’t have achieved this without my time in the Territory.

“I moved to the NT with nothing to lose and everything to gain. There is no other place like it in Australia that will give you as many opportunities at the NT does. Be bold and be brave and make the move! You won’t regret it.”