No two days are the same for Aspen Medical Virtual Health Clinician Jack Davies. As an experienced Registered Nurse (RN) supporting a national triage service, he may be supporting new parents, unsure of whether their baby’s symptoms are serious or not, provide first aid advice for a cut finger, engage in a triage assessment for an elderly caller who has suffered a fall or use his clinical decision making to assess respiratory symptoms. The situations are wide and varied.
Says Jack, ‘We work remotely and assist the public in assessing them towards the next step. That can be providing information and advice on various medical conditions, referring to a virtual GP service, which can mean a video call, or, in cases of emergency, organising an ambulance.
‘The more challenging calls can be from those struggling with mental health. We are trained to do mental health assessments.’
‘Our main focus is assessing patients who have symptoms while they are still at home, so as to provide them with the most appropriate care pathway.
‘One of the goals of the service is to take the pressure off the hospital system.’
Now working in the position of Virtual Health Clinical Lead for Aspen Medical, Jack started out as a Virtual Clinician RN.
‘Virtual Health is an exciting growth area and one which I’m passionate about.
‘I never thought as a nurse I’d be able to work from home rather than in a hospital.
‘Working from home suits me perfectly. It allows more work-life balance with my partner, and obviously there’s no commuting.
‘You can be based anywhere. We have nurses in all States and Territories.
Jack works varied hours, normally 40 hours per fortnight.
Not only does he find his work fulfilling but he’s also acquired new expertise, on this specialist clinical career pathway.
‘I’ve developed my communication skills. Assessing patients virtually is different to doing so face-to-face.
‘I’ve improved my IT skills, navigating new systems.
‘Working for Aspen Medical means working in a supportive environment, in this exciting new area that’s constantly growing.’
Prior to his role at Aspen Medical, Jack was employed at a busy intensive care unit of a Melbourne hospital. He re-evaluated this full-time position after the challenging times of the COVID pandemic and moved from a full-time to part-time position.
‘Now I split my time between two roles,’ says Jack.
‘I enjoy working in both of these worlds, which are very different and hard to compare. Yet they complement each other and give me a good career balance as well as diversity.’
Meanwhile other Aspen Medical virtual health team members work from home full-time and, as a leader, Jack ensures they don’t miss out on social interactions. ‘We host virtual huddles and discussions.’
Says Jack,’ If people are looking for a new and inspiring opportunity in nursing, something a bit different, then Virtual Health is certainly something I’d recommend.’
Interested in work with purpose whilst maintaining a work-life balance? Check out the current vacancies on our Careers page.
