TALK about a life-changing experience.
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When CSU Bathurst student Erin Isaacs left for a clinical work placement in America as part of her studies, she didn't think the USA would be part of her long-term plans.
And now?
"I went on this placement because I thought I'll never experience working in America, as I didn't consider it an option, and I left wanting to go back," she said.
Ms Isaacs - who grew up in Jakarta and Sydney and is now living in Bathurst while she studies - is a third-year paramedicine student who will graduate mid-next year.
She was one of 20 CSU paramedicine students who tested their skills while working shifts with the Acadian Ambulance Service in Louisiana and Texas in late 2023.
They were supported on the three-week placement by CSU School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences lecturers in paramedicine Tim Spokes and Krista Reed.
Ms Isaacs, who was stationed in Lafayette, Louisiana, the headquarters of Acadian Ambulance Service, said it was an amazing experience.
"Being able to adapt my clinical skills to a different healthcare system was incredibly rewarding, and the people were so lovely to work with.
"Because the scope of practice differs in the US, I was able to practise intubation, with supervision, for a patient in cardiac arrest, and doing an Air Med [air medical] shift was also definitely a highlight."
Lafayette is a city of about 120,000 west of New Orleans in Louisiana's south.
Lecturer Mr Spokes said the students had extensive exposure to significant trauma and medical cases as well as unique cultural experiences.
"The students were so positively received that the university has been invited to return in 2024 with the next cohort of our student paramedics seeking this unique experience," he said.
"And 12 students expressed interest in future employment with Acadian Ambulance and were offered full-time positions at the end of their placements."
The social events organised during the students' downtime included a guided boat tour on the Mississippi River and airboat adventures on the Louisiana Bayou.
