Doctors working at Flinders?

[Dr Scotland]

Hello! My wife, daughter and I are flying out August 19th this year. Very excited! I've got a job in the ED at Flinders. Just wondering if there are any other doctors or nurses on here who work in the ED at Flinders or the RAH? Keen to find out what emergency medicine is like there - or medicine altogether. Or your experience as a patient. Cheers, Simon

[Baggienurse]

Hi, I work on AMU which is next to A&E and have been sent there to do reliever shifts on occasion. Sorry cant answer any of your questions ref ED but good luck with your move.

Lisa

[malkitek]

Hi,
I have just got a new job as TIA nurse at the RAH, and have been spending a lot of time in ther ED. All staff have been incredibly lovely, it seems very well organised and well staffed! Hopefully Flinders would be the same!
Good luck
Gill x

[Dr Scotland]

Thanks for the info.
Lisa, how does the AMU work there? Is there a 4-hour target or similar by which time patients have to leave the ED and be picked up by a specialty/go to the AMU?
And to both of you - is it better than working in the NHS???!! I'm on a 12-day stretch just now, covering an 8-ward rehab hospital by myself this weekend, where I only work one weekend a month.....mental....One of the registrars who works here is from Melbourne and she can't believe how poorly staffed we are, both doctors- and nurses-wise.

[Gollywobbler]

Thanks for the info.
Lisa, how does the AMU work there? Is there a 4-hour target or similar by which time patients have to leave the ED and be picked up by a specialty/go to the AMU?
And to both of you - is it better than working in the NHS???!! I'm on a 12-day stretch just now, covering an 8-ward rehab hospital by myself this weekend, where I only work one weekend a month.....mental....One of the registrars who works here is from Melbourne and she can't believe how poorly staffed we are, both doctors- and nurses-wise.

Hi Dr Scotland

I am a lawyer, not a medic of any description. I am also a cynical old bag.

In Australia, they have a most peculiar concept. Apparently, the Australian Idea is that medics should treat a sick person quickly and keep them alive rather than b*ggering around watching clocks and filling out forms instead. They tend to regard it as being quite a Quite Good idea to try to keep the Aged patients alive.

Which is where I, personally, enter the fray. My mother is now 91 and she now lives in Perth, WA. The Medicare doctors and nurses can't do enough for her. The NHS would have killed her off years ago, for sure. They might not actively have hastened her death but the NHS sure wouldn't have done anything to lengthen her life, my old son.

It INFURIATES me that successive British Governments have allowed the NHS to become so crummy. I have high BP - inherited from Mum. I ought to take pills but I don't bother. Why not? I don't bother because I would prefer to die quickly from a heart attack than to b*gger around with the NHS. My GP is an absolute darling - she puts up with me, for one thing!

However, she doesn't argue when I point out that I am actually more likely to drop down dead from an entirely unrelated infection in Southampton General - which is just plain filthy, especially in the patients' loos - than anywhere else.

I have become resigned to the idea that me and Medicine do not mix because I live in the UK. Unlike Call Me Dave, I am not a millionaire because I didn't inherit as much wealth from my Dad as he did from his Dad.

I'm female so occasionally I have a vague wander about, looking for lumps. However, even if I found one I wouldn't do anything about it because I believe that Mind Over Matter has become a lot stronger than the NHS.

It is appalling and I think that you would do much better to go out to Oz than to stay in the UK.

Cheers

Gill

[sarahtwinn82]

Hi,
I'm a nurse at Flinders Private hospital and the good thing about FMC is if a patient has private medical insurance they are quickly assessed and shipped over to us especially chest pain we have a wonderful Chest pain centre, the triage nurse at FMC will just get private patients wheeled through immediatly, your on a monitor , bloods taken, a full experienced cardiac team around you within minutes of walking through the door. FMC ED is having a major overall at the minute so it vaguely resembles a builders yard but as long as you follow the temporary signs don't the right make shift corridor you can guarantee good care.

Well hope that bit of info was of some help and please note I didn't rave on about the bad NHS whilst totally missing the point of your quiery.....lol...I think you know what I mean.

[tinkertailerdog]

They've just spent $175m doing FMC up so it (well, some of it) looks nice and they're spending $2.5b building a new RAH....that's about all i know about them

[Gollywobbler]

Hi,
I'm a nurse at Flinders Private hospital and the good thing about FMC is if a patient has private medical insurance they are quickly assessed and shipped over to us especially chest pain we have a wonderful Chest pain centre, the triage nurse at FMC will just get private patients wheeled through immediatly, your on a monitor , bloods taken, a full experienced cardiac team around you within minutes of walking through the door. FMC ED is having a major overall at the minute so it vaguely resembles a builders yard but as long as you follow the temporary signs don't the right make shift corridor you can guarantee good care.

Well hope that bit of info was of some help and please note I didn't rave on about the bad NHS whilst totally missing the point of your quiery.....lol...I think you know what I mean.

Au contraire, I have NOT ignored the point of the good doctor's query. He is in the UK and he wants to know whether or not he should move out to Oz. How can one discuss that without discussing the NHS?

I must admit that I am not pleased to hear (from you) that SA is so discriminatory about treating private patients better than it treats Medicare patients. Luckily, my own family has not had a similarly unfortunate experience in WA.

Cheers

Gill

[Rachiegarlo]

We have just been involved with Flinders for a week, going in through ED. Yes it is a public ED and it does get busy, but my hubby was seen quickly and treated very well. The doctors and nurses all seemed cheerful and not stressed ( it wasn't busy). During the week that my hubby was incarcerated at Flinders' pleasure he received professional care from both medical and nursing staff. Sure he didn't have a private room and had to share with oldies, sure the decor wasn't snazzy but the care was 100%. I work at the WCH and our doctors and nursing staff in the main are able to do their utmost to care for the patients. There is paperwork, but there is time to have a personal face to the healthcare service.

[Baggienurse]

Thanks for the info.
Lisa, how does the AMU work there? Is there a 4-hour target or similar by which time patients have to leave the ED and be picked up by a specialty/go to the AMU?
And to both of you - is it better than working in the NHS???!! I'm on a 12-day stretch just now, covering an 8-ward rehab hospital by myself this weekend, where I only work one weekend a month.....mental....One of the registrars who works here is from Melbourne and she can't believe how poorly staffed we are, both doctors- and nurses-wise.

Hi yes A&E does have a target i believe its the same 4hrs (sorry dont get involved in all that) but it seems far more organised back at home. most admissions go to the relevant wards or come to AMU for assessment, then they are either long stay, short stay or private patients and moved accordingly. As for your comment on the NHS, no comparison.. My unit (still AMU) in the uk was chaotic, i would have up to 14 very acutely ill patients, i was stressed continually at home at work just had to get out. here i have 4 patients, all staff are qualified even EN's do meds on our wards.. im not saying it isnt busy at times im run off my feet but no where like the uk. Personally i dont think i could work for the NHS again i would just leave nursing if i returned to the UK.

Lisa