New opportunity for student nurses
Two third-year nursing students recently completed a successful five-week programme on the West Coast, a new opportunity for Southland nurses to experience rural nursing.
A joint initiative between the University of Otago and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, the West Coast Interprofessional Education Programme (IPE), is based in Greymouth and was something the Southland pair jumped at.
Nursing students Shannon Brooking and Caitlin Sullivan were the two given the opportunity to head to the Coast.
SIT Bachelor of Nursing acting programme manager for year 3, Malinda Hill, said this is the first year SIT nursing students have been invited to participate.
“We offered the opportunity to three students and two accepted,” Hill said.
The programme, established in 2021, ran from the end of February to early April.
Sullivan, who had previously lived on the West Coast, said she participated in the programme because of her interest in rural health.
“There are more barriers to healthcare there due to remoteness and other factors,” she said.
“They’re not close to any major hospitals. I wanted to experience first-hand what skills they need for providing healthcare, given the limitations in their remote communities.”
Describing the five-week programme as eye-opening, Sullivan said being so busy meant there was no chance to miss home.
Placed with a Māori health provider, she visited people in some remoteplaces, often with conditions that required significant management.
“It was challenging but rewarding at the same time.”
An unexpected highlight was carrying out well child checks with Tamariki Ora Plunket.
“I was adamant I wasn’t going to be a paediatric nurse, but I loved it,” she said.
Fellow student Brooking called the experience “amazing” and was honoured to be part of it.
She said the most fulfilling aspect of the programme was the emphasis on developing interprofessional working opportunities with health students from other fields.
“The fact that we could work with other health professionals – physios, oral health students, a dietician ... working with them on group projects was beneficial as well.
“I wouldn’t have gained experience with them otherwise. It was very valuable to be able to do that.”
Hill said SIT were committed to continuing their involvement, as long as the programme could be incorporated around the students’ teaching blocks throughout the academic year.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to be exposed to, and understand more about rural health care.”