Advertisement
Published: November 12th 2007
Edit Blog Post
the back garden in Perth
a nice sunny day in Perth Ok, so we settle down i Perth i order to stock up on some badly needed funds. Our first 2 weeks are spent in Fremantle, continuing our camping experience, and trying to sort out our registration and accomodation. Its has been an experience in itself to note that registration in WA has taken us the best part of a year to achieve. We started of prior to our departure in October of last year, sending all the relevant papers and such. Prior to my leaving i telephoned the board to ask if everything was in order,as if it wasn't i would need to send things prior to my departure, (i did not want to carry valuable papers around with me, which i thought was quite reasonable!!). After a request to send an email to them, i then went through the process or receiving no answer from them despite several emails and telephone calls. When i arrived in Australia, i phoned them, and to my astonishment was told that they had sent me a letter, informing me that the papers were not in order and that they needed further info. i was understandably annoyed, and then proceeded to try and sort out
the mess from this side of the world. i must at this point, thank my Sister Ali, without whom i would have been up the proverbial creek!!!
So by the time we arrived in Perth, it has been 8 months and still not sorted!! It finally took place during the 2nd week of our stay in Freo, and we were then in business. i registered myself with the Western Australia Nursing Agency, and was given work within 3 days!! It all came a little sooner than expected and i wasn't quite ready for what unfolded thereafter!!
My first shift was at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. This is probably the busiest hospital in Perth, and when I entered the department, i was astonished at what i saw. I guess i had a preconceived notion that Australia's health care system was up there with the best in the world, and this was goverened somewhat by the australian posse with whom i had worked with i London. Infact i can now safely say that the system is worse here than it is in London, with people waiting hours on end, sometimes days for trolleys and wards, waiting in corridors, 2 patients
to 1 cubicle, referred patients waiting days to be seen by specialities....it was like a time warp!!!
Added to this was the sudden realisation that, as an agency nurse, you had to prove that you were not crap, as is the commonly held view in all hospitals all over the world!! Infact i never really understood that until now, and it really got to me a bit at first. Doctors and Nurses are seperate entities, with no real conversation between each other. if you want to know whats happening with your patient, you have to read the notes. Something else i never got used to!!
During my time here i have worked in all the Perth public hospitals, Including Royal Perth, Fremantle, sir Charles, and some Private hospitals St John of God and the Mount.
I have to say that i hate private hospitals. It is quite an Americanism that most people in Australia have private insurance, although those who don't are still treated under the public system. Private hospitals however, are glamorised hotels, and as a nurse you have a pager, so that the patients can summon you when needed. Coupled with this is the fact
London Court
a small bit of home in Perth. that the nurses run the wards, and if you need a doctor, you have to ring them up at home, disturbing their private cocktail party, only to be told that they'll be reviewed in the morning!! Also, in order to do an ECG on a patient, you need to call an emergency medical team out!!!! GET THAT!!!
I have however, enjoyed my time working in the hospitals, and have noted a few things that do improve things for the teams.
Notably there are more nurses on the floor, and more senior ones at that. there are even about 20 consultants to each emergency department, and thats no exaggeration!! The level of basic nursing care is higher, as the education system is better, so nurses understand what is happening to their patients, but there is no extended nursing skills to distract them from this. There is always a staff development nurse on shift, and there is always education going on. the staff development package is fantastic here, and i will be bringing this back with me!!! There are some other things, but that is for me to bring back and implement. I look forward to implementing things from my
the central axis
These two buildings were our central axis for everything. No matter where we were in Perth, if we could see these two buildings, we knew where we were. time here.
We found a house after placing an adver on the gumtree (internet site). We were luck, because up until then all the places were unfurnished and crapy looking. We met Mel, and she was lovely. We decided almost straight away and moved in within a week of seeing the place. We've had a great time there, and even had the luxury of having the place to ourselves for a few months, as Mel went off to Melbourne for a while. I think we have made a friend for life here.
Perth city is strangely boring. Infact it has a reputation for such belief. The city centre never really changes, and although we have found little gems within the city, it has all been work and no realy play. We have worked 5 days a week, and earnt some pretty good money in doing so. We always had a plan, and we have stuck to it pretty well, but ther4e comes a time when you have to look at other things, and we have neglected this to some degree. We've been here during the winter, and although the whether has still been pretty great, we have had
the bell tower
overlooking the swan river, the bell tower is an attraction of perth's city centre. bouts of homesickness. For me, this has been pretty unusual, and something i have never really had to deal with until now.
We've been to see our first AFL game........what a load of @#**@!! We went to see Fremantle Vs Geelong at the Subiaco oval. The stadium was full of nut crazed, pie eating, beer drinking yobs. GREAT!! I feel like i belong!! My Flatmate Mel supports Geelong (a Melbourne based team), and so i was forced to support Freo, just to make a game of it!! Well the game was over in the first quarter!! AFL is a mixture of football, rugby, basketball, and handball!! Infact its a very stop start game, divided into 4 quarters, each lasting 30 minutes long. I'm not sure if i really pay it much justice, as i have seen better games on the Tv. So my first live experience of the AFL was not the experience i was looking for. the pie was nice thou!!!
Furthermore, the AFL is ful lof players with drug problems. The most famous of which is a guy called Ben Cousins, a West Coast Eagle player, drafted in at the age of 17, and a damn good
A day out at the races
The Red Bull Air Race- Perth winger, even by my Pommie standards. Hooked on ICE (metamphetamine base), he has now been sacked after a hollywood style story of leaving for rehab, coming back in style by winning games for the Eagles, and then being caught in possession in the off season, by undercover police, when he was supposed to be in the USA for further Rehab!!! WHAT A TWAT!!!!
We attended the Red Bull Air race, which had its final challange in Perth. Some of you may have seen it on TV, i'm not sure if you got it there, but we've been watching it intermittently on tv. Its quite a fantastic race, with pilots from all over the world, with acrobatic backgrounds, and formet fighter pilots, flying tiny aircraft through a race course designed with inflatable spinikers (the sails from yachts). They have to we've in and out of these things at up to 400kph, then do half cuban eights, which is when they have to do an inverted roll. The weather was fantastic at 30C, and there were about 150,000 people lined all around the swan river to witness and fantastic spectacle. The American won over the British, which caused me to shout
The Plane
These small one seater planes had top speed of 400 KPH, an 8L Engine, and were as nimble as a fly (pardon the pun!). some expletives, but a great day out anyway.
So we head on to South East asia, for our next leg of our trip. We will be coming back to Australia to finish off, but for now we say good bye to Australia, as we head to Beijing in China.
There are more pictures, but i cannot access them at present. I will put them on as soon as i can.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.128s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0862s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
anonymous
non-member comment
wow you have a very negative view on life