Christmas was approaching and all Tessa Noll from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District had on her mind was work. She loves her job, and it shows as she speaks with a broad smile across her happy face. Then an email came through, seeking interest from staff wanting to take part in the NSW Health Deployment Program. That call-out was a light bulb moment for Tessa.
“I saw the e-mail and it offered placements in Western New South Wales. So I went on deployment for one month at the start of December to Condobolin Health Service and I got to spend Christmas with my family because that is where my hometown is located,” recalls Tessa.
During her deployment, Tessa worked with the care assessment team and provided general hospital administration duties as well as records management.
While being close by to her family for the festive season was a huge plus for her, one of Tessa’s favourite experiences was being able to work in a different environment and encountering new challenges.
“I learned that you need to be able to communicate well and in many different roles. The critical care team was literally just the paramedics, it is very different from the Illawarra. You do get desensitized living in the city, so it was good to be able to engage with different people,” said Tessa.
It is that level of engagement and community interaction that really stood out for Tessa.
“It is crazy how nice everyone is to you out in the regional towns, and how much they do for you. Everyone plays a part in being kind. You have patients and their families bringing you food from their gardens, and farmers bring you stuff from their crops. All just trying to show their gratitude,” reflects Tessa.
Making sure she brought back with her that strong sense of community engagement, Tessa says she now applies it to her city life.
“You will never have a greater sense of community and support than that of regional NSW, because they want people out there so much to come and help them, so they'll do anything to keep the ones that do come out. I love that side of people and now do it where I work now.”
Tessa’s experiences in Condobolin highlight the importance of these deployments in supporting communities in regional and rural NSW. Moreover, her participation shows that healthcare workers who engage in the program have a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on both the community as well as their professional and personal lives.
“It doesn't matter what area you work in Health, even in the administrative side of it, you are still making such a difference by providing service, keeping things running, just helping out to make sure things keep going,” said Tessa.
So, with the festive bells set to jingle once more, will Tessa be putting her hand up for another deployment stint?
“Yeah, absolutely. My family is out West so I would love to go somewhere different to Condo next but still in Western New South Wales. People don’t realise there is so much to do out in regional NSW. I have so much I want to explore and meet new people. I also love playing bowls, so I want to go somewhere I can play lawn bowls. It’s great fun, “ concludes Tessa with that sincere smile still sparkling.
