Nursing around the world

Darren Saffin Tel: +613 0411 089 209 www.progressivepr.com.au

Leigh Molloy – Profile
Nursing Officer - Air Force

A childhood interest in WWII fighter pilots motivated Leigh Molloy to join the Royal Australian Air Force. Inspired by stories of the Dambusters and Sir Douglas Bader, Leigh entered her nursing degree at James Cook University (JCU) with the sole intention of becoming an Officer in the Air Force.

Now aged 32, Flight Lieutenant Leigh Molloy is a Nursing Officer in the 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron at Amberley Medical Centre outside Brisbane.

After completing a degree in Biomedical Science and deciding it wasn’t for her, Leigh began a Bachelor of Nursing at JCU with the support of a Defence University Sponsorship.

Leigh briefly considered joining the Navy as a helicopter pilot but decided that nursing was a great way to get into the Air Force which was essentially a lifelong dream.

For Leigh the key benefit of the sponsorship was the financial assistance that allowed her to focus on her studies and work placement without the added stress of having to work part-time.
Already with a HECS debt from her previous degree, the opportunity for the Sponsorship was a huge advantage. Under the sponsorship

Leigh was paid a salary to attend university, her HECS was paid for and most importantly there was a rewarding job at the end of it. “Many of my friends at uni struggled to pay for accommodation and travel costs as they were so busy with juggling work placement and study, they had barely any time for a job,” Leigh said. She was able to use her sponsorship money to cover the added costs and pressure of nursing work placement, which she saw as a real advantage.

On university holidays Leigh and fellow Defence University Sponsorship students made trips to various Air Force bases to get a taste of life in the Australian Defence Force. The stays were a little daunting to begin with.

“I remember trying to hide every time I saw a ‘real’ officer because I wasn’t sure if I knew how to salute properly.”

It wasn’t long however, for Leigh to feel at home at the base. “The other officers made the transition from student smooth.”

After finishing her nursing degree Leigh worked for two years in a civilian base hospital as an Air Force employee. She is currently the officer in charge of outpatients – a role similar to a GP practice manager – at Amberley Medical Centre.

Leigh loves her position as a Nursing Officer and has no intentions of returning to civilian nursing. While other Air Force Nursing Officers took on post grad in ICU or emergency nursing, Leigh stuck to a general nursing role that allows her to take on a more managerial position.

“Last year I deployed to Dubai for four months as a Senior Nursing Officer at the Air Force medical facility on base. It was extremely busy but a real highlight of a rewarding career,” she said.

Leigh witnessed the devastation of the SEIV-36 boat explosion at Ashmore Reef first hand back in April 2009. Just hours after the explosion Leigh, an Army doctor and one other Army nurse were flown to Truscott Airfield to assist in the Aeromedical Evacuation (AME) of civilians.
During the traumatic time Leigh helped coordinate AMEs from Truscott Island to Perth. “I acted as liaison between the Air Force and the civilian nurses and doctors; we were all working together to evacuate the patients during the crisis.”

While her friends from university may be working on the ward day in day out, Leigh has taken her nursing degree to the next level with the Air Force. “Signing up for the sponsorship was one of the best things I’ve done, it’s given me access to a whole new world.”