Remote-area nurse Dave Corstorphan says a free peer-to-peer counselling service helped prevent him from leaving nursing after his wife's death and years of work-related pressure. Corstorphan, who has more than 30 years' experience and has worked in remote parts of Western Australia, is encouraging nurses and midwives in regional communities to seek support for mental health challenges.
He accessed the service after his wife's death and described it as an “absolute godsend”. Corstorphan said counselling from professionals who had themselves worked as nurses or midwives made it easier to discuss the demands of the job. Their experience with shift work, hospitals and difficult working conditions meant, he said, that they understood what he was describing.
The Nurse Midwife Health Program Australia expanded nationally in 2024 after operating in Victoria. It is an independent, not-for-profit service funded by the Commonwealth government rather than run by state or territory governments. Chief executive Lori-Anne Sharp said counsellors received as many as 60 calls a month from nurses, midwives and students.
The organisation said up to 42 per cent of the medical professionals it counsels come from regional locations. Sharp and midwife Martine Kilday identified burnout, shift work and isolation as common concerns, particularly for workers facing long stretches of consecutive days in rural and remote settings. An evaluation listed anxiety and depression, stress, psychological distress, occupational violence, bullying or harassment, and burnout among the leading issues raised.
Corstorphan said new nurses could find remote work especially difficult because of limited support and the feeling of being isolated, sometimes as the only nurse in a location. He said some staff feared appearing weak or raising concerns within government departments. WA Country Health Services said it employs about 4,200 nurses and 240 midwives in regional areas and offers confidential counselling, debriefing, peer support and additional specialist programs.