A Glimpse of Emerald

My latest locum gig saw me jetting off to Emerald, QLD for a week. Somewhere I'd actually never been within Australia! Of all my travels, I just hadn't gotten out there. Whilst it was a very brief encounter, only managing to go for a short stroll through town and being very lucky to enjoy a moment of cooler weather; I found it to be quite a pleasant place. Beautiful, tall, evergreens line the main strip and I was surprised by the greenery so far west!

As a workplace, I honestly couldn't speak highly enough of the team at Emerald Hospital. From reception, to admin and technicians, maternity and ED; the staff are amazingly beautiful people. They are so appreciative to receive the help and having locums fly in to lend a hand. The department ran like a well-oiled machine and the girls always checked with me before agreeing to any fit-ins. Also, I had a designated morning tea break, which was so so nice! And, never once, did they book me patients in that tea break. It just made me want to work harder and do more for them. It was a mutual respect that many radiology departments could learn from. The organisation of my travel, accommodation and on site arrival instructions were impeccable. The communication from management was sensational; checking in on me on my first day to make sure I was ok.

I was the sole Sonographer last week and there is no radiologist on site. So it's probably a gig for the more experienced, confident Sonographer. But I believe there's usually a Sonographer on 3 days per week, so there'd be some back-up/support most of the time. I enjoy the close-knit feel of a small team, and Emerald had that in spades. It was wonderful to feel so welcome and appreciated and it felt like I'd been part of the team forever. So if you're looking for that home away from home, this might be a great stop-over or even more permanent option. The only consideration in my mind would be the high obstetric case load. Primarily, growth scans. Being a regional site, these women are monitored very closely during their third trimester in order to plan out their delivery and possible relocation to Rockhampton or other hospitals to have their baby.

These pregnant women are truely cared for, with an amazing maternity department. I was amazed how relaxed these women were, some having their first baby in a regional town; you could tell they trusted their midwifery team. That to me spoke volumes of the care they receive. I would highly recommend this site for anyone who has a passion for obstetrics, as you'd love working in this team with the offsite support of an extremely experienced Sonologist. The patients in general are just beautiful, down to earth, country people. I had many amazing conversations and met some incredible characters during my short time in Emerald.

Emerald gets a big thumbs up, well done team!

Kelly