NEONATAL UNIT ALICE SPRINGS HOSPITAL
The Neonatal Unit at Alice Springs is classified as a Level 5 Unit.
The unit has eight (8) funded beds, however this number is flexed up to any number of neonates requiring care.
• 1 NICU bed, 3 HDU beds and 4 Special Care Nursery beds + 3 attached Maternal Boarder beds. The Neonatal Unit is responsible for providing the following critical services;
Specialist care to premature and unwell term neonates including:
Neonates of 32 weeks gestation and a weight of ****gms or more.
Neonates that are of a gestational age of less than 32 weeks and ****gms in response to unplanned presentations. These neonates may or may not remain in Alice Springs depending on their condition and care trajectory requirements.
Short Term Mechanical Ventilation, with the usual duration being maximum 3-4 days.
THE TEAM
The Neonatal unit utilises a multidisciplinary team approach to ensure the best possible health outcomes and discharge planning processes for every patient.
The team includes: Nursing, Medical, Social Work, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, Dietetics, and Perinatal Mental Health.
SHIFTS
7 days a week, 24hr service, mix of 8hr, 10hr and 12hr days and mix of 10hr and 12hr nights.
Routine staffing is 2 Registered Nurses on each shift, plus Clinical Manager present during Monday to Friday business hours.
MODEL OF CARE
Neonates are admitted into the Neonatal Unit under Paediatricians and cared for 24 hrs by Registered nursing staff/specialist neonatal nursing staff. A collaborative team approach features comprehensive communication, planning and collaboration on a shift-by-shift basis to ensure adequate skill mix to patient acuity. Patients remain within the NNU when requiring respiratory support or monitoring, and those not requiring such support can 'room in' with parents on the adjacent Maternity Ward or in the boarder room if parents are allocated a bed.
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITES
Neonatal Unit provides a clinical education environment that supports safe, best practice care through effective orientation, and ongoing staff learning. This includes:
Induction and Orientation process to the ward for new staff and new learners.
Opportunistic teaching at the bedside – nursing, medical and allied health.
In-services specific to Neonatal Nursing
Joint In-services with Maternity Unit
Essential training.
Education and clinical pathways.
Clinical education linking with Flinders Medical Centre.
Access to Special Care Nursing and Intensive Care Nursing through University of Tasmania
HOW TO APPLY
Follow the link to apply. Within the application form select
Alice Springs
as your location preference and
Neonatal
as your clinical preference.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
ASH is one of five hospitals in the Northern Territory with responsibility to administer public health services in the NT. The Central Australia region covers a vast geographical area of approximately 873,000 square kilometres encompassing the Simpson and Tanami Deserts and Barkly Tablelands and our vision is to provide better health outcomes for all Central Australians. CARHS employs approximately **** full time equivalent staff and is the largest employer throughout Central Australia and the Barkly region.
The Northern Territory has a population of 231,292 ***** ABS) comprising of 162,442 non-indigenous (70%) and 68,850 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (30%). The NT is a large geographic area with a dispersed, mobile population. About 44% of the Northern Territory population lives in remote or very remote areas compared to 2% in the rest of Australia. There more than 100 Aboriginal languages and dialects spoken in the NT.
The Region of Central Australia and The Barkly (CARHS) has an estimated overall population of 47,000. This includes 40,000 in Central Australia and 7,000 in the Barkly. Indigenous people comprise over 42% of the population. For 70% of Aboriginal Territorians English is their 2nd, 3rd, 4th or subsequent language. The NT is very transient and has the highest population turnover in Australia. The closest major referral centres are Darwin and Adelaide. The Aboriginal population has a higher burden of disease than the non-Aboriginal population.
• There is a higher incidence of pre-term births and neonates requiring special and intensive care management secondary to maternal co-morbidities in the Aboriginal population.
• Chronic disease burden – Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and kidney disease are major causes of mortality and morbidity, particularly for the Aboriginal population in Central Australia.
• Alcohol and tobacco are significant problems for the NT population.
Central Australia works in close partnership with a number of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, which operate a number of health care services dispersed across the region. NT Health services include Alice Springs Hospital, 20 remote medical clinics, urban and outreach primary and public health services.
The region has a semi-arid climate, offering hot sunny days most of the year, with winter nights able to drop below freezing, and the possibility of witnessing spectacular spring storms. You won't be able to resist the impulse to explore spectacular ranges, gorges, swimming holes and ancient desert landscapes under endless blue skies.
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