For most people, stepping from a busy metropolitan emergency department into a collection of canvas tents would feel like a leap into the unknown. 

But for one emergency nurse who participated in Exercise Viper Walk 26, the surroundings were less important than the mission.

For Flight Lieutenant Teysha Sandford-Hill, originally from Whangārei in the far north of New Zealand’s North Island, the journey to becoming a Royal Australian Air Force aviator has spanned continents, from New Zealand to living abroad in London, and now the bustling Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne.

A new chapter began when she decided to join the Australian Defence Force as a specialist reserve officer. This required patience – waiting for citizenship before completing a Specialist Reserve Induction Course, adapting to Defence systems, processes and ways of working.

Now in her first year of service as a nursing officer, Exercise Viper Walk was her first major field activity. Though the military environment – with its layers of command structure, terminology and patrols – was eye-opening, the clinical component felt strikingly familiar.

“Health is health. It's very transferable, no matter where you work,” Flight Lieutenant Sandford-Hill said.

“This hospital offers similar services to what you would expect from a civilian hospital.”

'It’s a privilege to wear the uniform, and I’ve found it very rewarding to contribute my civilian skills and knowledge in a Defence setting.'

Inside the Role 2 medical facility, the olive-green canvas quickly gave way to a surprising sense of normalcy. High-tech equipment mirrored an ordinary hospital, where clinicians moved with calm precision.

The facility included medical imaging, including the ADF’s first deployable CT scanner, a resuscitation bay, pathology laboratory, a ward and isolation area, a fully equipped operating theatre and a two-bed intensive care unit.

“Being able to actually use the equipment and go through the process has been awesome, just to see how quickly things can move if we need to,” she said.

For Flight Lieutenant Sandford-Hill, the most rewarding part was learning from those around her, from Australia’s Air Force, Navy and Army to partner nations – the New Zealand Defence Force and the United States Pacific Air Forces.

For those still in the civilian medical field considering a similar leap, her advice is simple: the environment might be different, but the heart of the work remains the same.

“It’s a privilege to wear the uniform, and I’ve found it very rewarding to contribute my civilian skills and knowledge in a Defence setting,” Flight Lieutenant Sandford-Hill said.

While currently providing critical support on the ground, the future holds even higher aspirations. Flight Lieutenant Sandford-Hill's goal is to eventually move into aeromedical evacuation – taking life-saving care into the skies.