EMERGENCY Physiotherapist practitioner (EPP) at the new Ripley Satellite Hospital, Daniel Mullins has a bone fact you might find ‘humerus’.
When asked about the difference between a fracture and a break, he said “absolutely nothing.”
“The word ‘break’ and ‘fracture’ mean the same thing, but confusion around the words is common,” Daniel said.
As an EPP, Daniel looks after simple musculoskeletal injuries, which refer to injuries on any part of the body from the neck down, including damage to bones, muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments.
“I’m able to take patients and treat them independently,” he said.
“So, if a patient comes in with a broken wrist, I can assess them, send them off for imaging, interpret the imaging and work out the best course of treatment for that patient.”
The Ripley Satellite Hospital opened its doors last month as part of the Queensland Government’s plan to deliver seven new facilities in Southeast Queensland to enhance public healthcare delivery in rapidly growing areas.
Each hospital has a Minor Injury and Illness Clinic that delivers walk-in urgent care to support emergency departments (EDs), giving people more options to access healthcare for minor injuries and illnesses closer to home.
Daniel said he’s hopeful that the new service will get people in and out faster than if they were to visit an ED.
“The thing with ED is that you get a lot of other higher acuity patients. So, if you come in with a sprain or other minor injury, it’s easy for you to get bumped down the list as far as priorities go,” he said.
“Sometimes you might be the only person in the waiting room, but you might get a whole bunch of people come in with more life-threatening injuries or illnesses and then you wait for two, three, four hours.
“The advantage here is that we can get people in and out pretty quickly and reduce some of the pressures on the ED.”
Working in lock up
Working behind bars is not a regular fly-in fly-out job for Clinical Nurse Consultant Tracy.
The Wolston Correctional Centre nurse juggles her life working behind bars with being a reservist in the Royal Australian Air Force.
As a reservist, Tracy can be called up to serve during times of conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian and peacekeeping missions to support Air Force Capability.
“At the peak of COVID I was deployed on operation to assist with reopening the Burnie Hospital Emergency Department, which had closed due to the entire staff having to isolate. This was an extremely rewarding experience, where we were able to reopen the emergency department for the people of Burnie.”
Tracy said the skills she had gained working for Queensland Health helped during her deployment.
“Working within PHS provides staff multiple opportunities to upskill, offering courses such as suturing and X-ray operation, while providing a service to a vulnerable population,” she said.
“Prison nursing offers job satisfaction and opportunities unlike any other. My experience has been both challenging and rewarding.”
PHS aims to fill about 60 nursing positions at Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre before the facility opens in 2024.
Join the WMH Board
West Moreton Health is a growing health service that delivers care to people in the Somerset, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Ipswich communities. Applications close on October 11.
