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Sorry it’s been awhile since my last update! And now there is so much to tell! Easter weekend we got 5 days off so my friend Sara and I took a bus down five hours south to Margaret River. We spent the first night camping right on these rocks by this gorgeous beach, it was so awesome. While we were sitting watching the sunset this pod of dolphins just swam by and were jumping in the air playing it was so beautiful and unbelievable! Definitely one of the most awesome things I have ever witnessed! It was like they were putting a show on for us! We spent the weekend visiting the wineries and some amazing crystal caves they have down south. It was wonderful. One night we also ended up moving to a camp ground and camped right next to this older Australian couple. When we woke up in the morning the man walked down to the beach, caught some fish, and cooked them up for us for breakfast! They were both so nice!
After that it was back to Perth where I got to experience the Australian health care system first hand. I ended up with a kidney infection
Our Own Tropical Paradise!
My two friends and I in Ningaloo, WA and after 3 doctors appointments and an appointment with a radiologist I have still not spent a dime except for 17 dollars for a two week prescription of antibiotics. I was a bit confused because people do have private health insurance but I wasn’t sure why since the health care is free. Tam explained to me you don’t need private health insurance and if you don’t have it all your medical expenses (except some meds) are covered. I didn’t understand why anyone would want to pay for private insurance but she explained to me that say you need to have a hip replacement for instance with private insurance you get right in, public health care you might need to wait a few weeks. Private insurance you also have the option of a private hospital room if one is available and you get to choose your doctor. Tam spent 5 weeks in the hospital last year with a spinal fluid leak. She had to see many specialists, have CAT Scans, MRIs, X-Rays, and many other assessments and interventions and she has never paid 1 cent for any of it. Pretty damn amazing! Very different from the states!
Then we got a
Dolphins in Monkey Mia
they swam right up to you! week off for autumn break. They had no idea what “Fall” is and I had never put together that since the leaves don’t fall off the trees here it really wouldn’t make sense! 2 friends and I rented a camper van and traveled north up the coast. It was really cool because we got to see so much Australian Outback! And it was definitely like the movies where you drive for hours with absolutely nothing except outback. Every 300 kilometers or so there would be a tiny roadside gas station charging close to 2 dollars a liter for petrol (almost 4 liters to a gallon so we were paying 7-8 dollars a gallon! Not too much cheaper in Perth!) The couple my friend Sara lives with gave us a canister for gas which we were glad about because at times it was almost too far between gas stations we thought we would run out of gas!
The weather up north was very hot and the beaches even more blue and beautiful than in Perth. One night we camped at this beach down a 30 km dirt road. We got to the end and there is a homestead where this older
couple has raised a sheep farm for 30 years. They leave once every two months to drive 3 hours to the closest actual town to get supplies, and during cyclone season they need to be prepared to stay for 5 months! I asked him if they get lonely out there but they said they like being out there away from the hustle and usually a couple times a week people will drive out to camp. He charged us 5 dollars to camp on his land and we had this entire secluded beach all to ourselves. Our own private tropical paradise!
We camped a few nights in a place called coral bay because it was right off the coral reef, where we snorkeled and saw some amazing fish straight out of Finding Nemo and got some great seashells. We also spent 2 nights in a town called Monkey Mia (Mia is the aboriginal word for “a place to rest”). This was definitely awesome because dolphins just swim right up to you and all around you! It was a wicked trip and was hard to head back to Perth and school at the end of the week.
However when I got back
Leeuwin Nationaliste Park
The rocks we camped on in Margaret River it was time to start my first clinical rotation. I was placed in an aged care facility called Shawford’s Lodge. I had never done any aged care work and my last clinical at home was maternity/labor + delivery so it was definitely crazy to see the exact opposite end of the life cycle. The facility had two sections, general aged care and a dementia unit. Many people were in there with dementia, Parkinson’s, blindness, and other disease processes that made it impossible to live on their own anymore. Part of me loved this rotation. I got to practice lots of general nursing things like showers, feedings, and just generally being with and chatting with patients. There was only 1 RN on shift for almost 70 residents and the rest were nursing assistants. It was hard for me to see because in the low care end where patients didn’t need as much care the ratio was one staff member to 9 clients. Way too many and I feel like even though they had their medical needs met they weren’t getting enough social stimulation. Most of the old ladies loved me because I was able to spend a lot of time talking
with me and they would all call me love and give me kisses on the cheek. It was a wonderful feeling because I knew I was making their day by doing something as simple as giving them a shower and sitting to chat for 15 minutes. However I don’t think I could work everyday in aged care. It was really sad to see the patients whose families never came to see them, and the ones who were just wasting away. Even the patients with Parkinson’s who at the moment are able to live independently One of my patients was fully aware of what was going on but could no longer move or talk. Another of my patients was sitting talking with her son “Dave” and when I came into the room she started introducing me to her friend “Tom”. It was so sad to see sadness come over her sons face. I deeply respected all the carer’s I worked with who treated every patient with dignity and respect and got to know all the patients and their families. But I nevvverrr want to get old!!
Had my first project due this week. I did it on nursing interventions for pre-op
Perth, West Australia
The most isolated city in the world anxiety. I think the Aussies were a bit surprised when I used guided imagery, slow stroke back massage, and education as my main interventions- pretty funny!! They don’t learn as much about complimentary therapies here as we do at UVM!
Okay that’s all for now! Much much love to everyone! I hear it’s finally spring in Vermont!
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Paula LaRose
non-member comment
Sounds like an amazing time. Your info on health care was really interesting, as I worked in a nursing home for many years. Never thought I would like it, but grew to love it. Glad to hear you are getting to see some of the country in between classes and clinicals. Love the pictures, Have fun and stay safe Paula