Resilience writ large after life-threatening car crash

It was the middle of the night when rural nurse Elyse Hannan received an urgent call to rush back to work. She could never have predicted what was to come.

Leadership: Elyse Hannan. Picture: Jacque Hemming

It was the middle of the night when Elyse Hannan received an urgent call to rush back to work.

As the nursing director at Dirranbandi Hospital, 600km west of Brisbane, she was used to such calls but she could never have predicted what was to come.

A single-vehicle car crash had left a patient fighting for life. They were on their way to the hospital for treatment until they could be flown to Brisbane.

Ms Hanna performed trauma treatment and specialist resuscitation procedures, guided by a Brisbane doctor locked in his home because of the pandemic.

Receiving instruction via iPad, Ms Hanna led her three-person team until the retrieval response unit arrived. “It was pretty tough at the time but when you look back and think, well I might have saved that person’s life or helped that family through something then that sort of makes it all worthwhile and keeps me going,” she told The Australian.

Her extraordinary efforts and incredible leadership are why she has been nominated in this year’s annual Shine Awards, which put a spotlight on the untold stories of rural and ­regional women. A partnership between Aus­tralia’s leading rural and regional masthead The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman, the Shine Awards recognise unsung leaders who make a difference to their communities.

While metro healthcare staff are often faced with difficult situ­ations, pressures on healthcare workers in the bush are immense.

Ms Hannan said the pandemic had accelerated many of these challenges, including staffing ­issues and retention. She has lost 60 per cent of her nursing team in just six months.

In a bid to improve rural health outcomes and alleviate staffing ­issues, Ms Hannan is interested in managing and nurturing younger members of the workforce.

“I’ve always had a passion for trying to recruit and retrain nurses to rural areas,” she said. “I think the most important thing is managing the cultural aspect of the work environment, and creating a sense of collegiality. It’s especially important when people are ­fatigued and overworked.”

Despite the obstacles, she continues to be driven by her passion for rural medicine, which was shaped by her childhood growing up in Goondiwindi. “The most rewarding part is being able to make a difference in people’s lives in these communities, and seeing the difference you’re making; having people appreciate the difference is what makes me keep going.”