Melanie is part of a group of Newcastle University nursing students committing to raising funds and supplies for remote communities, and will travel to Cambodia in January for a three-week trip. 

Here, the students will be delivering free health care to the locals and Melanie said she is very excited for the opportunity. 

“I am not sure what to expect,” she said.

“It is going to be a real tester, to see how much I am able to help people without the resources I am used to working with.”

The 19-year-old is currently in her second year of nursing and has been working at Cessnock Hospital since completing a traineeship in 2011 as part of work experience at Mount View High School.

The Cambodia trip is designed to put the nurses to the ultimate test, working well outside of their comfort zone within the reception and triaging in the emergency departments of local hospitals and clinics. 

They will also be providing health education, weighing and measuring individuals, taking and treating observations (including blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respiration rate), recording data, dispensing medications and assisting in crowd control.

In the lead up to the trip, Melanie will be raising funds and approaching local businesses for donations to assist with the mission. 

She has already placed a number of donation tins in shops around Cessnock and will also be holding cake sales at the hospital. 

“I know that this will be a very eye-opening experience for me,” she said.

“Hopefully I can help make a difference.”