Natalie Wong
Marnie Ponton, Goulburn Base Hospital’s first Emergency Nurse Practitioner, is no stranger to high-pressure situations.
An accomplished marathon runner, Marnie won the 2022 Canberra Marathon, and has represented Australia at the World Cross Country and the Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships.
“I think the amount I run makes me more efficient, to be honest,” she said. “The more you run, the better you get at time management. You just don’t waste any time.”
“Exercise is a great way to maintain a lower level of stress. I don’t ruminate when I’m running, I’m just completely free and thinking about running. I’m getting all those good endorphins.”
Southern NSW Local Health District
Marnie grew up in Yass and completed her nursing degree at the University of Canberra, before relocating to the Blue Mountains. After completing a Master of Advanced Practice in emergency nursing and Master of Nursing
(Nurse Practitioner), she worked as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner at Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. She’s recently made the move to Southern with her partner and two children.
“We decided that we wanted to be closer to family, and I was keen to work in rural practice,” she said.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have authority to practice independently and collaboratively in an expanded clinical role. Nurse Practitioners can assess and treat patients, prescribe medications, order diagnostic investigations, and refer to other health professionals. Nurse Practitioners collaborate with the broader multi-disciplinary care team to support safe, appropriate, and timely care.
Nurse Practitioners are a rapidly expanding clinical speciality in Australia. Australian nurse practitioners have extensive post-graduate clinical experience and have completed mandatory prescribed education at a Masters level.
The Emergency Nurse Practitioner role at Goulburn was developed to work alongside the well-established emergency medical model, to manage patients presenting with minor injury or minor illness. Emergency Nurse Practitioners can also be found at Queanbeyan and South East Regional Hospitals.
The new role echoes Southern’s vision to invest in and build a rural health workforce which is contemporary, sustainable and has the right skills and training to address the unique health care needs of our regional and rural communities.
“There’s huge opportunity for Nurse Practitioners in rural practice, for the simple reason that they’re a mainstay of
the community,” Marnie said. “They’ve got a commitment to the community and to giving good healthcare. They augment the medical staff, who can be transient at times in rural communities.”