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Registered Nurse Isaac Verschoor @isaac_vee shares his journey from Adelaide to Cairns that he took in his little red Subaru Brumby @littleredute . 
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From contract to contract – spectacular perks of remote nursing
Isaac made the 3000+ km drive to undertake a contract in Cairns and travelled through three states and some spectacular parts of rural NSW and QLD. The final leg of his trip took him to the Bruce Hwy and onto the Great Green Way of Tropical North Queensland. There is a real sense of excitement in knowing that you can pack up your life and travel across the country to a new job, new experience and completely different landscape.
And also knowing you can do it all again six weeks later.
What inspired you to go remote and what do you wish you knew beforehand?
It’s a big country out there with a lot of places to see Going R&R has made accessing new places so easy
and leads to lots of exciting experiences you might not have anticipated!
I has hesitant to make the switch to R&R as I was worried about lack of support. In reality the
placements I’ve done I’ve been well supported by local staff and the agency I’ve worked for. I wish I
knew this before as I would’ve made the switch sooner!
What shocked you the most and what are some memorable moments?
I never thought I’d have the privilege of being able to drive across the country and back and be paid to
do it! I’ve made some lifelong friends through agency work who I still see often. Along with great memories
ranging from wholesome outdoor overnight hikes in the bush, to big, messy nights out in small towns
around placement!
What are some things you’ve learnt/lessons you’ll take away from your R&R experience?
I’ve become a more knowledgeable and resourceful clinician due to my R&R experiences so far. I’ve
been inspired to work in primary health in remote clinics and have started to transition into this area.
What are some pieces of advice you would give a nurse going remote for the first time?
- I’d advise joining up to some of the remote nursing groups on Facebook (like this one), they provide a great forum to
see what places there are and peoples’ experiences. Through this I’ve been able to make more informed
and confident choices on picking placements – as there are some places you want to avoid. - Make sure you bring a good kitchen knife and frypan with you if you can, the ones in the provided accommodation are always terrible!
- Camera equipment – make sure you’ve got a good phone camera or bring a nice one with you to
document all your adventures. - Bring some materials to keep yourself entertained; a good book and a laptop is a necessity for me. It
can be lonely on placement sometimes so bring stuff to keep you busy during downtime. - Do some reading online and find some modules to upskill yourself before you head off! RAHC (Remote
Area Health Corps) for example, have free to access eLearning modules that are relevant to R&R, it’ll
make you feel more confident doing some learning before heading off.
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