THE Valley Private Hospital, Cranbourne, is open 24-seven and the days are never predictable, according to Nurse Unit Manager Kristy Austin.
“As we are open 24/7, our day is never typical,” she explained.
“We have to be ready to handle anything from a broken bone to a heart attack.
“We never quite know what is coming through our doors at any given time.”
Ms Austin said she loved her career despite the demanding aspect of the work.
“I knew from the age of 10 I wanted to do this work,” she said.
“I joined St John Ambulance at 11 years old as a cadet to learn about first aid, that’s where my passion for emergency medicine started.
“One of the challenges is dealing with the unexpected, which also makes the job so interesting.
“We have to deal with so many variables, not just in patient profiles or personalities, but their often complex medical needs.
“By far the most rewarding part of this role is when we save a life.
“For example, last week a male patient aged 82 was transferred from a nursing home after a fall. It should have been a simple, straightforward case.
“However, he suffered a cardiac arrest (his heart stopped) and if not for our experience and ability to act quickly this man would not be with his family today.”
Ms Austin said the private ED had one big advantage over the public system.
“Our biggest advantage over the public system (and we acknowledge they do a fantastic job) is the lack of waiting periods,” she said.
“We also have rapid access to most specialties and we can admit directly into our wards, which makes patient care of the highest standard.”
And does she have advice for anyone who has to visit an emergency department?
“You or your family should know what medications you are taking, the details of the GP you see and, of course, your medical history,” Ms Austin said.
“The more details we have around your presentation the better for us.
“Often a lack of information around how and why a patient comes to the ED can slow down our processes and delay treatment.
“We are here 24/7 to support our community and although we hope you never need to use our service, we have 30 years’ experience in emergency medicine.”
The Valley Private Hospital is at 197 High Street, Cranbourne.
Phone 5991 1222.
