From the wintry Apple Isle and Central Australia’s ochre heart – David Carpenter’s RFDS career was inspired after a nursing stint in the remote communities of the APY Lands.
Now an Alice Springs ‘local’ for the past ten years, David wouldn’t have life any other way.
“This time of year, Alice is just beautiful – I don’t miss the cold days and grey skies of Tassie,” he said.
David works in a tight-knit team of clinicians, pilots and task coordinators that respond to every manner of health incident in the Territory.
While he concedes that he is sometimes called out to respond to dramatic events, he says chronic disease among regional and remote Australians is a long-term and lesser-known reason for Flying Doctor care.
“We do a lot of work around chronic disease such as diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular issues. There’s a great understanding within the team that chronic disease can easily exacerbate other urgent medical conditions too.
“We are always assessing what’s going on with a patient, what the variables are and what’s going to make a difference.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people out at their point of need and being able to problem-solve as part of a team.
“The RFDS is such a widely respected and iconic organisation and that’s the truth of it. It has a great legacy but it has also moved with the times and is really open to using contemporary technologies.
“It really is the definitive health care option for people who are living, working or travelling a long way from anywhere."
