#12-Christmas Clinic style

Blog 12- Christmas comes monthly.
For most remote area nurses, the day that the stores arrive from back ordering (medical supplies, pens, toiletries, toilet paper, pharmacy items, cleaning products , the list goes on), This day is a buzz with excitement as  cartons upon cartons are cut open to reveal pressies (supplies).  I grew up in a nursing world where you run out if stuff, phone the stores people and it is either collected by a wardie, or arrives the next day.  Out here, stick replenishment is so far and few between that it is like Christmas when stuff arrives.   I've never been so excited about loo paper! 

Another interesting phenomenon is laundry. When a sheet and pillow look soiled;) we strip the bed and wash the linen our selves. No linen baskets, just a washing machine and dryer in the clinic. In fact there us so many  tasks,  that because I've been working in big hospitals, I've been spoilt.  Rubbish. When a clinical waste bin is full, in good faith we nurses think it gets destroyed / burned. But not here. Council just dump it at the tip along side household waste.  This is a real problem, because with no playground in town, the local kids go to the dump and see what's doing.!!  One of the school teachers asked me if I could come to the school tomorrow and talk about the dangers if this play activity, and so, armed with antiseptic hand wash, 100 toothbrushes and toothpaste, and some free "boats- injection trays ( injection trays were turning up at school along with bluey underpads .... eeeeeeuuuuuww), I'll address assembly with some hand hygiene education and a talk on germs n worms. Then dish out a few freebees.
Public health is a big part of this job.  In my world of emergency nursing, you deal with stuff as it comes along.  The RAN nursing role is primary care.. Prevention of disease. There is a long way to go, but I expect health promotion activities from my students doing the RIPRN course, so this is a case of practicing what I preach.  It's kinda cool. 
There are 90 kids at the school here... Prep to year 7. All kids in high school have to go away to school, or home school. Different strokes for different folks I guess. 
And so ends another day, full if interesting bibs and bobs that I wind bore you with, but send by God no doubt, to teach me something.  Merry Christmas my faithful readers....I'm off to a disco tonight...(I hope her mother's not gonna be there!)!