Our People in NSW
Amanda Crawford - Getting paid to study
Albury-Wodonga local, Captain Amanda Crawford, is currently experiencing a deployment unlike any she’s been on before.
Amanda, 36, is a Nursing Officer in the Army, based at the Army School of Health in Albury-Wodonga, who first heard about the opportunity to join the Army as a nurse from a mentor in Darwin.
Originally from Perth, WA, she took a few years to realise her desire to become a nurse, testing out jobs in a number of different industries and locations before settling on nursing. This move was almost inevitable though, given her family’s strong background in nursing – both her mother and aunt are nurses in Perth.
After starting her nursing studies in Perth, Amanda moved east and up north, completing her studies in Darwin under the Australian Defence Force’s Undergraduate Entry scheme. Under this scheme the Army paid for 2 ½ years of Amanda’s studies, and in return she signed up to do a minimum 3 years as an Army nurse.
Amanda’s first taste of Army life was the Specialist Services Officers course at the Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon, in Canberra which she thoroughly enjoyed. Postings at 2 Health Support Battalian in Brisbane and another stint at RMC, this time as a member of the staff, soon followed.
Amanda then moved to Albury-Wodonga where she is responsible for training Army medical technicians and junior nurses. She also works in the Emergency Department of the Albury Base Hospital.
Now though she is a million miles away, onboard the United States Ship Cleveland as part of Pacific Partnership 2011. This is an annual Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) program that aims to strengthen alliances and promote multilateral security cooperation.
It’s now in its seventh year, and partner nations continue their mission to improve the lives of people in the Pacific region, as well as improve the capacities of nations and organisations to respond to disasters through recurring opportunities for cooperation and training.
“This has been a great opportunity to exchange information with health professionals from different countries including identifying with our host nations the best ways to operate in case of a disaster given the resources they have,” said Amanda.
This 10 week deployment will take Amanda to Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea where she will provide medical care to remote villages that don't often have access to qualified medical staff.
On her return to Australia, Amanda is looking forward to catching up with her partner, Pete, for a well deserved break in Darwin before heading back to Albury-Wodonga and continuing her studies for a Masters in Advanced Practice Nursing.