It Takes Heart
It Takes Heart is an unmissable podcast where healthcare workers share their honest and unique experiences from Australia’s frontline.
Discover real-life stories of passion and purpose, insight and inspiration from people on the inside and tales that are equal parts heart-warming, heart-wrenching and hilarious. It Takes Heart is co-hosted by cmr | Cornerstone Medical Recruitment CEO Samantha Miklos and Head of Talent and Employer Branding Kate Coomber.
It Takes Heart
Wine, Wit & Travel Midwifery with Lorraine Evans
Lorraine Evans is the kind of midwife who turns every experience into a story worth telling. With a larger-than-life personality and a passion for adventure, Lorraine has built a career that’s taken her from the bustling streets of London to some of the most remote communities in Australia. As a travel midwife, she’s delivered babies in outback hospitals, managed high-risk births via telehealth, and tackled emergencies as the sole midwife on call - all with her signature humour and warmth.
Before healthcare, Lorraine’s career path was as varied as her travels, but nothing fulfilled her quite like midwifery. Lorraine shares the realities of agency nursing, from intense clinical moments to the deep connections she forms with patients and communities. Despite the unpredictability of locum life, she thrives on the freedom, flexibility, and unique experiences it brings.
A wine judge in her spare time, Lorraine brings her expertise to the podcast studio, sharing a glass with our hosts - who, unsurprisingly, end up breaking one in the process! Tune in to hear Lorraine’s take on agency midwifery, her love for connecting with communities, and why she wouldn’t have it any other way.
It Takes Heart is hosted by cmr CEO Sam Miklos, alongside Head of Talent and Employer Branding, Kate Coomber.
We Care; Music by Waveney Yasso
More about Lorraine's Organisation of Choice, the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation
We are a non-profit, charitable organisation who raises funds in order to directly support the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service and the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, which care for nearly 285,000 people from Tully to the Torres Strait.
Get to know cmr better!
Follow @ittakesheartpodcast on Instagram, @cmr | Cornerstone Medical Recruitment on Linked In, @cornerstonemedrec on TikTok and @CornerstoneMedicalRecruitment on Facebook.
Welcome to it Takes Heart. I'm Kate and I'm Sam, and we can't wait to share more incredible stories of healthcare professionals making an impact across Australia.
Lorraine Evans:One of my best jobs in my life before midwifery had been running the hostel for the homeless women and I think I liked that because it was sort of on a really personal level with the women. First time I'd actually scrubbed in. I was like, oh. And then the next thing I knew I had my hands inside a woman's abdomen and they were saying just pull apart. It's better to be torn rather than cut Rock back, rock back and pull. Four weeks ago I was unblocking the photocopier.
Kate Coomber:We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which we meet who, for centuries, have shared ancient methods of healing and cared for their communities. We pay our respects to elders, past and present.
Sam Miklos:The midwife that we're chatting with today has had an incredible life. Born into an Air Force family in Singapore, lorraine Evans has travelled the world and certainly had an eclectic career, which included managing a hostel for homeless women, media sales in London, teaching English in Thailand, then PA work in the UK before studying midwifery. In 2012, she landed in Australia with her midwifery degree and a goal to see as much of this country's vast landscapes as she could. There's never a dull moment in Lorraine's life. She's even a wine judge in her spare time, and she arrived today carrying a backpack full of wine which we loved, although I don't know if it's been given to us, but let's see.
Kate Coomber:We can wait and see Strategically sitting in your office. I know right, I'll pop it in there.
Sam Miklos:The team at Cornerstone say Lorraine is kind, caring and just so incredibly fun and we are so proud to have her as part of our Cornerstone community. So welcome Lorraine to. It Takes Heart, thank you.
Kate Coomber:And thank you for coming in again. I think, truth telling, this is the second time that we've recorded an episode with you, because the first time was a few months ago when we met you. But we met you via Zoom and we had a few technical issues that day and we thought we know that lorraine is just life and soul and we wanted to see you in person but we also didn't have a studio, we didn't have a studio.
Kate Coomber:We were in sort of uh in an off-site and it just still that day just kind of was it went from bad to worse, it was really difficult. We learned a lot that day, so it's so nice. Thank you for swinging by on your way, I believe, up to the Sunshine Coast. That's right On a bit of a holiday with your friend.
Sam Miklos:Yes, so before we kick off, then, wine judging. I think we need to. I think the benefit of being in person is that we can set the tone for today a little bit differently to on Zoom. Now tell me first of all, how do you become a wine judge?
Lorraine Evans:well, I, I'm a wine judge, um, you know, by default, because in cairns they have, they have a wine show and I started as a steward, which is the person in the back who just pours the wine, but you don't get paid for it, it's voluntary work. So they allow you to sit in on a on on some judging and you, you know, if they're judging 70 Shiraz's, you might get 30 and you have your. You know your score sheet and you do your thing and then you sit down with the judges this is when you're still a steward, if you'd like to and then you compare scores, and this, every time I would, I was always yes, me, me. I want to do that for as many times as I could during the week, appreciate and um you have to sign a waiver to spit.
Lorraine Evans:But, as, as nurses will know and doctors, whatever that alcohol is absorbed through the, through your mouth, um, you know, that is the fastest way into the bloodstream. Well, there's also the alternative, but usually, like for a baby that's got a low blood sugar, for example, we don't give it to drink the sugar, we actually rub it into the gums. Yeah, so a lot of alcohol is actually you can't drive to a wine, a wine judging, because you know, even though you do spit out the amount that you've potentially taken, quite a lot of the alcohol has been absorbed. But, um, I started off not great, but then, as you know, I was doing this. I think it's been like 11 years now and I've been a judge, maybe the last five and it just became to the point where I was able to fight my corner.
Lorraine Evans:I did a wine course. I met up with the other wine judges that were local to Cairns for these wine evenings where you know it's disguised and you pour yours and you have questions, and therefore I just got further and further into the wine. But when the judges are all introduced to them, you know to each other, at the start of each wine show. They always say you know, this is blah-de-blah, and they've been working for Brook Brothers for this many years. And here's the winemaker from South Australia. And and then they get to me and they say and here's Lorraine the midwife, and she drinks a lot of wine.
Sam Miklos:I think that's a great intro. I think so Well, kate and I. This is Kate, and she drinks a lot of wine too. And we thought, as do I, her friend. We were like well, we would love to give you our favourite rosé and get you to judge our rosé before we get started. So I'm going to get Kate to pour and then also we can enjoy that podcast. There was a.
Kate Coomber:Maybe we might take two on that, kate's not used to pouring.
Sam Miklos:She's used to it. What did you do? And she smashed her whole glass. So we're going to get you to do the next one.
Lorraine Evans:We'll have to have one of them in a. I'll have a glass.
Kate Coomber:Do we just cut? No, we can just go. It's real.
Sam Miklos:I don't mind. I'm from Toowoomba, so I'm happy to have mine, thank you. This is yours. When I grew up, we had it in a bag, strapped to the clothesline.
Lorraine Evans:I heard there was that Goon of Fortune. That's what I've come. That Goon of Fortune, yes, that's what I've come from.
Kate Coomber:Goon of Fortune, strap it up to the clothesline spin it around the backyard when it stops instead of spin the bottle.
Sam Miklos:So tell us a little about this rosé.
Lorraine Evans:Oh goodness, you put me absolutely on the spot so well. One of the first things that you know, as are we, we just smashed it off. It's the first one of the day. I would steal your questions for a second. You need pure white behind because you're going to look at the colour first. Right, and obviously this is, you know, being a rosé. It is in between the two, so I would imagine this one has only been lightly left in contact with the skins, but who knows?
Lorraine Evans:Right and then we'll go for whether or not we've got something decent on the nose. And is that decent on your nose? It certainly is. Um, you know, and your nose can smell more than your tongue can taste. So there should be quite a lot going on here, and then we get the little tiny bit into your mouth.
Sam Miklos:So you kept that in your mouth. Yeah, I could have had three glasses in that time.
Lorraine Evans:But what you're doing is you're actually letting it go underneath your tongue and then you're breathing in to allow air to go over it so that you can actually taste the flavours, and then you'll notice that there's more than one layer to the wine. If it's a good wine, it should taste different, as you.
Sam Miklos:I can't get myself to breathe and taste.
Lorraine Evans:Yes, this is why a lot of people make a strange noise when they do that. But you know it's not that important, but you do need to keep it in your mouth and let it. So it's like a journey from the start, the first taste, until you actually swallow, and then there should still be some flavors and that's sort of the length of the wine as to whether or not the wine has lots of character, lots going on. I appreciate that a little bit more now I know.
Kate Coomber:Thank you for the little tips.
Lorraine Evans:But it doesn't mean that you have to have fabulous wine. The sign of a good wine is that you've opened the bottle and then you look around and it's gone.
Kate Coomber:True wine, the sign of a good wine is that you've opened the bottle and then you look around and it's gone.
Lorraine Evans:Um, true, someone smashed a glass, but that that everyone's enjoying it, that you know. No, it just it hasn't got to be an award-winning wine to be a good wine to have with your friends or with a meal, and sometimes those wines are so intense yeah that you wouldn't want more than one glass, and that's why they sell those fancy smancy. You know aerating gas, that?
Lorraine Evans:will mean that you can keep those bottles of wine because actually it's too much. You know, it's like an incredibly such an experience. You wouldn't want to drink the bottle. So there's wine for different occasions and this is delicious.
Sam Miklos:This is wine for a podcast? Yes, well cheers to that and enjoy that while you're here we can absolutely get a top up if we need as well, now that Kate's poured that.
Kate Coomber:Our tech team will just be going nuts that we've got so much liquid near.
Lorraine Evans:All the equipment, yes, near all the equipment.
Sam Miklos:And Korea.
Kate Coomber:Let's talk about Korea. I'm a cheat.
Sam Miklos:This will be the first time where we've ever had to cut an episode because we put wine into it. And now we're just like hopefully we won't have to do tastery.
Kate Coomber:What's she?
Sam Miklos:had about with Lorraine, not sure, but god, it was fun.
Kate Coomber:I feel like I know more things, so going to your career wine judging, which is only a hobby that is not a career point.
Lorraine Evans:I am like the lowest of the low in this scenario and I'm not a top manager, I think it's a wonderful hobby.
Sam Miklos:Yeah, I think I need a hobby like that, Just a hobby in general but anyway. Good hobbies, but I think you're saying the careers that we talked about. There's so many different avenues. You've worked.
Lorraine Evans:Yeah, how did you come to midwifery? Why did you choose well, midwifery, well, midwifery. Um, I realized, because I was born, and you know, I was born in singapore. My parents were stationed in malaysia and we always moved every three years. It was constant of of moving, even if we went back to berlin, for example, for three tours, um, we were always moving. We're always making sort of new friends and learning, and you could never get bored because there was always something. Nothing just went on. You never assume you've got all the time in the world to do something, because you won't be here next year, you'll be somewhere else. You just got to keep moving. And then, of course, my parents retired and I was sort of, and I managed to pick a university course that came with a year abroad. And I was sort of, and I managed to pick a university course that came with a year abroad and that was that actually was part of my choosing of American studies was a year in America.
Lorraine Evans:How fabulous. I must do that American literature Never been more interested and then.
Lorraine Evans:So I often don't make my decisions based on the most logical of reasons. And I've been, you know, traveling there. I I encouraged a partner in the past to take a job in Hong Kong because I thought that would be interesting. He had never lived abroad in his life but he we went there. That didn't work out but I still, I realized, wasn't keen to just stay in the UK and I started to think well, what jobs would I be able to do that would enable the travel and relocation from London, because London is fabulous, as I imagine Sydney is if you're wealthy, and pretty awful if you're on a low wage.
Lorraine Evans:And one of my best jobs in my life before midwifery had been running the hostel for the homeless women.
Lorraine Evans:And I think I liked that because it was sort of on a really personal level with the women, getting to know them, getting to understand, getting to help them to get themselves back on their feet, get their benefits sorted out, get them new accommodation. After the hostel there was a limited time that they could stay there, so setting them up to go on. And I just realized that when I had done that job before midwifery for the longest of all my jobs. And then I tried all these different things and I was in property and being a PA in an international property company, and then I was flying business class to Chicago in my suit and heels and my briefcase and doing all of those things. But I never enjoyed it as much as I did when I was working with the women in the hostel. And so when I thought, right, what jobs can I do? That will take me out of the UK and America was actually on my list and thank goodness we've dodged that bullet it just goes from bad to worse there.
Lorraine Evans:But also that you know, and of course, health care was on the list and then, the more I looked into it, midwifery, of course, was back with working with women and also you know, just that whole sort of miracle of life that it's a real privilege.
Lorraine Evans:Well, I think in nursing a lot of people who've got their calling I have a friend who works in palliative care back in the UK and I could not do that, but she is fabulous at that. But there's like a place that you're drawn to, I think, in healthcare, and for me, the idea in midwifery is that you actually have healthy women on the whole doing a normal and natural process, and it's actually almost the reverse of healthcare. You're trying to limit the interference of healthcare, to give them the most positive, normal experience that they can have, unless they do have health issues or anything that needs specific attention. And then it's your job as a midwife to ensure that they're safe and that that's happening too. So I decided to do the midwifery course and come away and Australia was looking for midwives and I thought, well, this is fantastic, I can get back to my palm trees, my, my um, fun, sort of more relaxed lifestyle. And, yeah I, I sort of bit the bullet and came over to Australia not long after I had graduated so, yeah, that's an interesting piece.
Sam Miklos:like to graduate and then come out to Australia. Was it hard to get your ARPA registration Not at all To come for a job, or was it getting work the?
Lorraine Evans:English system of training midwives even I'm a direct entry midwife, not also nurse trained at that point was of such a high level. You'll have delivered many more babies than you're required 40 or 60. I can't even remember it was so long now, but I think that you're exposed to the real world of midwifery as a student in London. You really are. I caught my first baby on my first day in the hospital with another midwife.
Kate Coomber:I did not expect that.
Lorraine Evans:I remember being in theatres two or three weeks later, first time I'd actually scrubbed in. Yes, I was like, oh. And then the next thing I knew, I had my hands inside a woman's abdomen and they were saying just pull apart, it's better to be torn rather than cut Rock back, rock back and pull. And I was thinking, good Lord, four weeks ago I was unblocking the photocopier.
Sam Miklos:Oh, my God.
Lorraine Evans:And now I sort of have my hands inside this lady and I'm pulling her abdomen apart. My God, here in Australia actually, when you attend a cesarean birth, the Australian midwives are not quite so hands-on. Yeah.
Sam Miklos:I was just thinking about my cesarean birth no the midwives are not involved. No one was there. It was just the doctor. No one was there.
Lorraine Evans:There you go, the midwives in England are really into that. A lot of them are trained in passing the instruments to the doctor. You're often asked to hold a certain one to help them and, yes, you're fully scrubbing, whereas here you'd put a pair of gloves and a gown and you're all set and just take the baby. But yeah, I just was taken aback and astounded by how quickly and I did actually work for almost a year in London as a qualified midwife. So when I started in Cairns I wasn't a actual grad, I was a fully fledged midwife at that point, because I think it had by the time I was like five, six days short of the full grad year when I left and because I was sponsored, in fact, by the private hospital. Initially I had moved from the public sector to the private sector, which was the same hospital, just had a different wing. This was in Cairns.
Sam Miklos:No, this was in London, in London, chelsea and Westminster. I used to play some allied health staff in Chelsea and Westminster when I was working in London. That's a hustly bustly place to get your training.
Lorraine Evans:So I had experienced both being the autonomous midwife in London, where the doctors are not your boss. In fact, you look after the women and make your decisions, and if you think you need some assistance, you call a doctor, and if you don't like what the doctor's saying, you can call his or her boss and get a second opinion. And only if you're sort of ganged up by many would you be having to do what they're suggesting. If you were hoping to have an, you know, this woman was hoping to have a natural birth. But, um, in the private, in the private sector in london, you learned that the consultant was the boss and whatever they said was what was going to happen. And that was very good training for me before going to the private and even Australian midwifery, because you are, you know, the doctors, the seniors, have the power to say what happens in these situations. So that was a learning curve for me. That midwifery is slightly different in australia.
Kate Coomber:But the midwife not being able to examine me? Uh, because it had to be the doctor for in in my situation.
Lorraine Evans:Yes, it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's different and you have to learn, you know to, to adapt, and there's different things here that you aren't expected to do in the uk, but then you know and the, but you would be really high skilled at it. And then there's things here that you aren't expected to do in the UK, but then you know, but you would be really high skilled at it. And then there's things here that you are expected to do and we're like what Hang on? This isn't. Please don't ask me to give an example, but I know that there is.
Sam Miklos:There have been those moments along the way. Yeah, did you come to a job or did you?
Lorraine Evans:Yes, I was sponsored and I came on out and, yes, just, and I really embraced the far north Queensland sort of. I suddenly took up sailing for the first time. I love the fact that I could be in the swimming pool, you know, an hour before my shift, whether that was under the stars or under the sun. You know, looking up through the palm fronds before I drove my six minutes to work and parked for free, compared to the London allow two hours. You know planes, trains, automobiles journey of hell in the freezing cold only to yeah, it's yeah, fairy godmother waved a wand in terms of my Australian.
Kate Coomber:You know immigration so how long did you work I guess permanently in that role was.
Lorraine Evans:I would say nearly seven years in the private and, for various reasons, it was time for me to go, and that's when the fantastic opportunity arose that I realized I could either go over to the public or I could take advantage of what was looking like being quite a fixed position. Much as I really love Cairns and I have an apartment and I have friends and I belong to different social groups and two gyms, and not that you'd think so Two gyms, two gyms there's always going to be something I want to do.
Sam Miklos:I was struggling to get to the one that I joined.
Lorraine Evans:And I realised that through doing agency work that I would have this sort of freedom of being able to see Australia, and not because I wasn't seeing that much of Australia when on the full time work and I was also going to have more challenges than just following on. And then, you know, seeing 20 years on my retirement, still the same sort of set of people, the same situations, the same repeating. Which is what was driving me mad in London in the PA job was, oh my goodness, am I getting this guy's you know kid's ski insurance again? Oh, are we renewing his car you know his car registration again?
Lorraine Evans:The years were ticking by by these repetitive events and I just have loved that through the agency I've gone from Tasmania to Thursday Island, to South Australia, to Western Australia, to South Queensland and so forth and all sort of paid for by agency work and still been able to maintain my home in Cairns. While having these experiences and almost every contract that I've done, I've met someone that's remained in my life as a friend, someone who, whether it's a doctor, whether it's another midwife, it's just been a really good way to meet people and sort of have a or another agency midwife who isn't even from where I'm working, but just is, you know, in the same situation I think when you're turning up with a backpack of wine, I feel like I'd be afraid to.
Sam Miklos:My friend is expecting that wine in the sunny days I know, so do you then go back to Cairns and do some work there, or do you have a? Break in between contracts.
Lorraine Evans:I'm casual and I love this sort of freedom of having like this sort of idea of I know when I'll say I'll do a contract and that's allocated, and there's usually enough work that if I say, can I work now? There's, you know, my agent Becky will find something for me around then and I also, when I'm back in Cairns, decide, you know, put myself forward as a casual and I predominantly work in the special care there and then I I also, you know. So I have this freedom. And what I have loved is I'm still such a big traveler and I've been to the US last September, October, for a friend's daughter's engagement party, Then I went back for the wedding in Texas in May and I'm just currently booking a trip that involves air miles to get me to Milan and then I go all the way through Italy and an American friend's meeting me there, and then I'm meeting a British friend in Genoa and then we're going all the way through the south of France until I meet up with my family, my sister, my niece, my mother in the south of France and then cut round in another loop to get back to Italy again before coming back.
Lorraine Evans:And the joy of working for contracts and being casual is that I don't have to put in a performer and ask for time off. I don't have to wait and see if I'm allowed. Well, that bargain airfare is sitting there only for this weekend only, and you know if you have to go through HR that you're not gonna be able to get that approved for 10 days minimum. That bargain flight, that air miles offer is mine and I can make that decision and just go for it and that's what I've really loved, and a lot of sometimes when there's not a lot of casual work. You know where I live, People are like you need to get a full-time job, You'll feel much, and I'm like, no, I don't. I don't want that responsibility again of having and then being tied to one place.
Lorraine Evans:There will always be work.
Kate Coomber:Absolutely yes, yeah.
Sam Miklos:There'd be loads of challenges. I'm sure as well. Like you've spoken a lot about what you love, about that contract work, but work. But you know we see so many things where people don't love a community they've gone to or the team they're with maybe isn't a great match, or you know just the lack of resources, staff shortages, um staying in staff quarters yeah, some of them are give us the warts and all.
Sam Miklos:Sometimes, yeah, yeah, like I think it's good for people, because people ask those questions like what is it actually like? And I think it's really good to have an insight into what's bad, because you can be well prepared. Sometimes it's actually not that bad.
Kate Coomber:Or I've heard about that. I think it depends on the personality. I think it's not for everyone. It's probably fair to say yes.
Lorraine Evans:I think that one of the things is I have had some fabulous accommodation and I have also had some.
Lorraine Evans:The best is when it's so bad, when it's so bad that you have you know you can complain without looking like a princess, yeah and um, that happened on a recent contract to the and I was, um, you know, I I turned up, it was quite late and I got to the place and honestly it looked I honestly it would look like something from a movie set of a crack den oh wow, like tarantino movie it was so bad and so repellent.
Lorraine Evans:I mean I've, I've actually showed people photos where people have actually said I can't look anymore, I can't look at that at all. And so I phoned back to the hospital and there's always somebody responsible and said look, I'm sorry, but I really can't stay. And they're like is it bad? I'm like, yes, very bad. And they said get a taxi back. We've got backup for this. We'll sort you out for tonight. I can't say that's where you're going to be for the whole contract, but we've got something for tonight. That isn't no. And I showed the particular, you know nurse manager the photos and her language was choice two.
Kate Coomber:She was like no way In agreement or disagree. Oh, absolutely, Okay, that's good.
Lorraine Evans:And then the manager of the unit that I met the next day and was like I need to sorry, I am coming in, I just need to do this, this and this. I've got to go into the post office. Some of the requirements are that you get working with children in certain states, but you can't apply until you get there. There's a lot of challenges and you just have to sort of follow through with how all those things work. But I said I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm certainly not staying in the place. And I showed her the photos and and she was so distressed that she insisted I forward them to her and then sent them, I think, to all the senior people in in the hospital, saying this is why we can't get agency to stay. Um, this is, we have to do better than this and this room needs to.
Sam Miklos:You know, the mattress, the anything in this room needs to be burnt that's good though that they understood and respect the role of the agency nurse, because, it's true, it's all those little things that make you go. I'm not going back there.
Lorraine Evans:Yeah, and I have predominantly, really, either I've been very lucky or that I have had good experiences on the whole.
Lorraine Evans:Sometimes, yes, it can get to the point where you think this isn't actually, there's not enough of us here.
Lorraine Evans:There's a sudden sickness and then somebody else doesn't turn up for an you know because agency.
Lorraine Evans:You know they're expecting people and then I don't know, maybe they had another offer or something or changed their mind, and then everyone's counting on someone turning up and you know it can get crazy, which on the one hand, can be fabulous because you end up with overtime and who doesn't love a bit of overtime and the bank balance but also a little bit overwhelming when you're suddenly expected to do shift after shift after shift without a break, as you say, in these areas where you know sometimes you're waiting on the you know RFDS to come help and there's only, you know, so many planes and there's many more jobs and you're on a wait list and you're just trying to maintain a situation where you wait for your information that the planes at the airport and then you get to do the sort of fun ride in the ambulance with the ambos and the blue light to the airport and do the handover on the tarmac, sometimes in the driving rain, and you sort of you know it has almost a sort of you know a quality of yes, I'm very glad that I left the UK and I'm not still trudging two hours to a job and repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat of the day before.
Sam Miklos:No day would ever be the same Because you have to live it. Was there a?
Lorraine Evans:security guard helping one of the birds. No, it was just that. It was just. Actually, I was quite distressed that there wasn't enough backup. I was quite distressed that there wasn't enough backup and I actually made a quite inappropriate joke that the only backup was that one of the security guards once saw an episode of One Born Every Minute, and that was up in history.
Kate Coomber:I mean the whole area that you practice in. You know having babies is unpredictable. Absolutely so if you're in a more rural area. I know that they have things in place to to move women to maybe a larger hospital if it is a complex pregnancy or things like that. But things happen, yeah, they do. They do Routine pregnancy and they happen at once. They happen at once.
Lorraine Evans:You know the worst is the lull. Once you've had, in remote areas, sort of seven plus days with no deliveries and no drama, you know it's coming and it's coming at once every it's all going to happen. Bang, bang, bang. It's going to be people trying to deliver in the corridor because all the births, you know your two or three birth suites are full and there's. You know this is it. It happens like that, which I quite like, that rush, and I also then quite like those periods of quiet where you can sort of get to know the other people that you're working with. And you know that's when all the checks are done and everything's sorted for, ready for the. You know you're almost preparing for that that tsunami of women through the door which will happen.
Sam Miklos:I guess I was just gonna say I feel like last time we talked about this, that one birth that's really affected you, or the one that's been, you know, a particularly challenging one that's gone okay in the end. Is there any of those?
Lorraine Evans:I think I don't know, even because there's been several, I think, being in a very, very remote area once and having a late and being on night shift as the only midwife in the hospital, and suddenly, you know, someone has been admitted through ED and it's such a small hospital that they haven't phoned to tell me. She's just appeared from ED through the doors into my section and I can tell the way, the way she's walking, that she's in labor, she's with another lady and I'm thinking, well, at least she looks quite large. So because I have a list of who we're expecting, I know she's not one of them because I've met them in the last week and you know, as MGP you get to know the women and I'm like I don't recognize this woman, but she's got, she's quite large, so one hopes that she's not too prem. But unfortunately it turned out that it was 26 week, twins on board and her waters had gone and. But we actually handled it really really well and um, I say we, I mean I, I phoned the cavalry and got everyone in and luckily everyone had their phone on and, um, you know the two anesthetists for the two twins, um, two, you know two, two obstetricians, all the midwives we could get hold of and and we actually had more time than we thought we had probably almost three hours from her admission to her delivery of those very premature twins. And we're on telehealth to a major hospital where they're all watching us and giving direction.
Lorraine Evans:Because it was so remote, they needed to see that the babies were born alive before they put into place the transfer, because they'd turn up and we didn't have success and so there was a lot of time of keeping those babies going before they were able to be transferred.
Lorraine Evans:But that was fantastic and it was close enough to where I lived that I was able to see that lady after she had gone further afield than where I live and then came back to there, and then I was able to be there when she was discharged with those twins. So eventually, you know, it wouldn't be no better term. So a full, many weeks, money months after, and then, because the world of midwifery is so small in Australia, that when I was on my last placement just in September on the other side of Australia, I was asked to mentor a student in birth suite and I said hello, I'm you know, I'm you know. And she said of course. She said don't you remember me? I was there when the twins were born, and so she and she was now in her final year of. I was like I don't remember anything about the when the twins were born, and so she and she was now in her final year of.
Lorraine Evans:I was like I don't remember anything about the night the twins were born but yes, and of course I recognized it then, but out of the absolute, out of context of where we were, so, yeah, so things have overlapped, like that. And when you do a midwifery job as a contract, even if you've never met the other midwives there, if you, you know, because I'm of a Facebook age yes, I think it's meant for the only for the over 40s.
Sam Miklos:Yes, we are in that group.
Lorraine Evans:Yes, If you go on, you will always and put in the new person that you've just met on the contract. Even they will have friends that you know there's such a small community of midwives. So you'll be able to say, oh, you know so and so, yes, I met them on that contract and so you're able to sort of make all those connections that way but where's the craziest place you've delivered a baby?
Sam Miklos:does it mean anywhere you go?
Lorraine Evans:god, that was a bit well, I think those, you know those twins there were. That was pretty hairy, I mean.
Kate Coomber:Ever not in a hospital.
Lorraine Evans:Well, I did In London you train a lot with the home births and I can't claim this is my own, but I remember, in London too, that a friend delivered a woman in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital lifts and she got onto her knees and she said I had just. She had a wool coat on. Coming just back from her break and she said I couldn't believe it, I had it dry cleaned last week and then of course everything had run up her arms from delivering this baby on her knees and the woman standing in the lift.
Sam Miklos:Yes, Of all the hospital lifts, though in London, I feel that would have probably been one of the nicer ones but they never come when you want them.
Lorraine Evans:She might have been there a week trying to get up there.
Sam Miklos:You know you talked before about the telehealth support and you know thinking about someone who's considering going out to a remote or regional area. Do you feel supported enough when those scenarios happen?
Lorraine Evans:and you are talking to someone in telehealth, I think yes, so the telehealth situation is mainly doctor to doctor in that sense, or, I think, nurse, not midwife. So sometimes it might be an obstetric situation on, say, a small island up at the top of Australia where those very isolated nurses are suddenly faced with an obstetric situation and then they might be on telehealth to us directing and I'm trying to talk a nurse through how to find a fetal heart on the lady that she's with and things like that. But I think that you know where, wherever I have been placed, through Cornerstone as well, I have always had the support of an on-call doctor. Through Cornerstone as well, I have always had the support of an on-call doctor and most of them are, you know, within 10, 15 minutes and they've got different, as always, different personalities and different degrees of involvement.
Lorraine Evans:So there's been some, you know, consultants on some projects that want to know wake me up in the middle of the night, tell me if there's somebody in labour. And when they're at second stage, about to have a baby, I want to know, I want to be in the hospital, so if something goes wrong I'm right there. Um. To other doctors who say um, you know well, if your midwives, you know what you're doing. Don't wake me up and tell me you're having a baby. That's your job. Um, only call me if there's a problem, I'll be there.
Lorraine Evans:So it just depends. And it's the same hospital. It just depends who's on call which doctors at that point. And that's the thing with with contracts. And I meet other agency midwives on my travels and they always are surprised that I'm on my second or third tour of duty of that place and they're like I never go back. You always think it's going to be, but just accept your first contract and keep moving, because when you go back things have changed. There's different management or different doctors or different people working and you know you had such a great time and then you can lose that sort of memory of that if you don't have that repeat time. But you know, on the whole I have enjoyed going back and there's something, there's something nice about being asked to go back and it's sort of.
Kate Coomber:I think, um, it clearly really suits you this whole traveling locum lifestyle, and I think it sounds like you've got to be a really good communicator to make it work. Because even understanding those nuances, when you get to a contract of how am I going to communicate with this doctor, how would they like us? You know, how will they communicate with us, and vice versa that's a skill in itself, isn't it? To be able to understand and to give the time to get to know, that hospital.
Lorraine Evans:I think you know that they the places where we're going. They're quite used to agency staff as well and they even have some of them a little guide to to the doctors, you know exactly, and it's not just their glove size, yeah, yeah, you know what to look out for for them, you know so do you have a favorite place?
Kate Coomber:I'm just about to ask that.
Sam Miklos:Oh my god, it's interesting. I've never actually thought about not going back to the same place to ruin the memories?
Lorraine Evans:yeah, I really agree with that.
Sam Miklos:Now I can I'm not not for asian go back to the same place multiple times.
Kate Coomber:Yeah, we should be promoting that.
Lorraine Evans:But even if you did have a less pleasant experience that first time, it could be completely different another time yes and they don't rule anything out is maybe the message there Exactly, and I think, taking enough with for me, I never travel light, taking enough of your own things to not so that you can prepare food or you know.
Sam Miklos:Yeah, what's in your before we get to favorites like what's in your before you get to favorites like what's in your suitcase that you take a pillow, because if you end up with a hospital plastic pillow, you're going to be distressed by that.
Lorraine Evans:Um, if I, you know, I try and find out what size bed I'm getting. So if and if possible, I put in a extra set of linen. So just be sure that you've got something that's clean, um, when you first arrive, or something that you know is of a decent quality. But then I'm absolutely a massive op shopper and most places that I've worked a few exceptions, but most places have an op shop and I'm on the first day as I can, my first day and then I'm like you know what, I'm not going to be frustrated by the fact that I can't cook because somebody's used the pan and hasn't washed it up.
Lorraine Evans:But you can't take sauce, big frying pans and all of these sorts of equipment with you. So I just go down the op shop and shell out a few essentials, after having checked out what's in the kitchen and sort of like OK, now I know I can do this quite easily and that's going to be that, and then I donate them either back to the op shop or to the kitchen when I go and that sort of works out too. And just, yeah, I mean it's having that flexibility to go somewhere new and and not be. And I had some great advice when I went to America for university for that year abroad and the professor said something like it'd be very easy when you go somewhere that's similar to where you are and be very frustrated by the differences.
Lorraine Evans:Because you know what do you mean? Go from England to America? What do you mean? You have to pay for banking, which at that time you did in the States and not in the UK. What do you mean? This closes on a Friday, what do you mean? And you're very like. This place is crazy. What's wrong with these people? Whereas you were went from the UK to Africa, you'd be like, oh, things are closed on Friday. Well, that's Africa, yes. And it's like having the attitude of just stop comparing. It's different. And just because it there's so many similarities, don't just accept.
Sam Miklos:There's going to be differences between where you go and embrace them, I guess, and you're there for difference, right?
Kate Coomber:yeah, you don't go to different countries and different places in hope that it's all the same.
Lorraine Evans:No, otherwise you just stay home exactly, and one of the great things that I found is um and that's this is varied from place to place is how involved the um, the people that do live there, or the other agency, in terms of you know, one of them might have a car um is how interested they are in helping you sightsee or inviting you to their homes or, you know, having you… Welcoming you into the community and allowing you to enjoy it.
Sam Miklos:Because do you, on your days off, do you explore?
Lorraine Evans:always I try to. I try to see as much as possible and that depends because, of course, some contracts come with a car. As technology advances, it's becoming more restrictive because they can see on their GPS where you've been, and it shouldn't be Dan Murphy's, I was thinking, because you can't do your hobby of wine judging online really.
Sam Miklos:So have you got other hobbies that you're taking there?
Lorraine Evans:So, yes, tasmania was fantastic, but it's probably not a good look to have the health car outside the vineyard. So, yes, sometimes you have to be nice, could be an emergency. I was just going to say unless you're delivering a baby?
Sam Miklos:Yes, exactly.
Lorraine Evans:Don't mind me. No, I think. Yes, I try to play and there's always somebody. Even on my last very short contract, there was a lovely lady that took me out to see a fantastic beach and she had a huge four-wheel drive and we drove over the top of these dunes and came down to this, you know, surreal clear blue water and white crystal. You know, crystal, white sand. And I was like, is this real? It's so insane. And um, and then we got in. There was a sort of an inlet and I said, but there's no crocs. And she said, said, well, we'd be really unlucky. I'm like, yes, we would be.
Sam Miklos:Where's your favorite location been? Are you top three?
Lorraine Evans:You see, it's all about the people, as I say. So, you know, and for different reasons. And so, like I've met one of my very good friends when I was in Rockhampton, and you know, unless you're really into the state, rockhampton has got a lot to learn from. Rockhampton yeah, there you go, but you know it's not like a top, but then I did have a fantastic trip from. There's a lot to see from there.
Kate Coomber:Yeah, I went to the Keppel Islands for example.
Lorraine Evans:And also they have Yippoon the wags the wednesday afternoon, guys and girls sailing. So I also took up sailing so I was able to do some sailing on um when I was announcing rockhampton and so you know, and there's always some festival and I tend to encourage the other staff to sign up for a pub quiz. I love a pub quiz and I try to also make that a mix of doctors as well as midwives and nurses, which doesn't always go down well initially, but then when we win it does, because we've got a much broader sense of ages and sexes and you know knowledge, you know interests to be able to win. So yeah, I've sort of have enjoyed that aspect of it. And you know, in Tasmania, I mean, who can't love Tasmania, except it's cold?
Sam Miklos:Yeah.
Lorraine Evans:But in terms of the food and the drink and you know, and I've sort of loved being part of a remote island experience up in Thursday Island, because that is also pretty unique and not something that I would want to do, I wouldn't want to move there and have all the inconveniences of living that they, you know that, come with that, particularly as a, you know, single woman, being up there alone, very limited, but how fantastic to do that for, you know, two months or a few weeks, even just just very lucky to have that opportunity and is there any way still on your bucket list?
Lorraine Evans:Oh plenty, south Australia, far more. I think I'd like to see Kangaroo Island and you know I remember I hadn't really considered. I think South Australia is like sort of they're keeping it in the same way that Australians as the whole are trying to put off the rest of the world the tales of dangerous creatures that really aren't part of our everyday life at all. I still think South Australia's got their little curtains drawn and like don't notice, we're fantastic.
Lorraine Evans:Because I remember going down for actually a sad reason, to see a friend who had terminal cancer and to say goodbye, but then phoning my agent here at Cornerstone to say, do you do work here? You know when I was in Adelaide, do you do work down here? This is have you seen these beaches? Because, know, when I was in Adelaide, do you do work down here? Have you seen these beaches? Because my agent's also from the UK. It's like the Caribbean down here. What's going on? Why haven't you told us about this? Why isn't everybody in South Australia? Well, the Great Whites might be one reason, but then you can argue for the creatures anywhere. So, yeah, I think there's more to see in South Australia. So, yeah, I think there's more to see in South Australia. It's a shame that New South Wales doesn't have fantastic rates, because I think there's plenty there.
Lorraine Evans:And I'd love to sort of tie that in with a festival. Who wouldn't want to go?
Sam Miklos:you know to Before they stop being a thing. I've got to come back to the single woman thing Right Now. We've talked about this on another podcast with another single lady, and how do you know?
Kate Coomber:traveling around who you know, then found someone, so maybe we had something to do with that. Oh, did we?
Sam Miklos:yes, well, well, yeah, being out on contract in these small communities it can have its moments.
Lorraine Evans:okay, there can be fun, and there also you have to be so careful when it's so tiny. If you were to go on any of the online apps, it's going to be immediately obvious you're going to see it and then you're going to see them the next day in the hospital. So very careful there. But no, there's an opportunity, I think, as a single person, to have you know widen. You know some of the places I'd say are less of a gene pool and more of a sort of a murky puddle, and then other places you might just hit lucky, yeah. Or, of course, you know travelling on your way or meet someone, and of course you know I'd love for dating to go back to the more organic and introductions. But of course, by doing these contracts, I am meeting more people from different places who are inviting me to go visit.
Kate Coomber:And I think when you're in these smaller communities they tend to do a lot of things you know from those regional the quizzes and the community events.
Lorraine Evans:There's probably less people on the app, so it's more of an organic experience. Well, exactly Some of the smaller places. So you know there was a much bigger disparity between doctors' pay and nurses' pay in the UK, and so doctors at the end of most shifts would say come on out for a drink. You know, that was terrible. Let's all go out for a drink and put their card behind the bar. And that has never happened, you know, in Australia. But I think it's because nurses aren't starving here.
Lorraine Evans:If I were you now, once your episode goes live the next doctor you're working with will send it to them and be like you need to pop the car behind the bar.
Lorraine Evans:But I think, because they were fully aware Back home, you know, and I think, unfortunately because they haven't increased the salaries back there for so long, that some, you know, you qualify for food stamps as a nurse. Wow, it's absolutely ridiculous. Whereas here, of course, and particularly in agency work, you know, you are given, you know, a very decent wage to live on. So the idea is that the doctor shouldn't have to cover all the drinks. But in these smaller and you actually don't see them outside of work unless you convince them to go to a quiz, but but in these smaller areas there's only the one pub anyway. So you will get to sort of socialize. You will be drunkenly singing karaoke with, you know, with everybody from the hospital, from you know from, from cleaning and catering staff, all the way up to the, you know, the, the head of the hospital, because that's the place to go.
Lorraine Evans:And so that is sort of another interesting aspect of getting you know being fully part of the healthcare.
Sam Miklos:yeah, what would you? You know, when you look back on the highlight reels of all these years of locuming, is there a memory like the best memory that you think, that really makes you laugh and brings a smile to your face?
Lorraine Evans:I know you're fishing because you know this story.
Sam Miklos:That's the time that I that is so unlike you. Did you need a refill?
Lorraine Evans:You fill that and I'll fill it, so I did have a little incident, I guess, where I was. I just had a little fling with one of the rescue team the helicopter rescue team and he had come to say goodbye at the airport and unfortunately there was an incident at the airport where somebody had collapsed and so we of course got our also got involved while waiting for the ambulance and um, and we had kept our situation quite secret and um. But then we were both involved in this incident doctors arriving, cannulations happening with you know, defibs, no, you know it's all going on. And then I suddenly realized actually my plane's going, and so across the patient, we sort of lent over the poor man and he kissed me goodbye, and then I stood up and ran for my plane and everybody else that was involved, who I also knew from, you know, from this very small community, were like what just happened, that's a movie waiting to happen.
Sam Miklos:Is this the way we end these situations now? Yes, exactly.
Lorraine Evans:And he wasn't in uniform or anything, so he was just a random man at the airport. And then they were like, oh, I know who he is, oh, my god, you would have been to find them all there. You would have been like what I know and the poor man underneath us would be like. What are you doing?
Sam Miklos:It's not so good. Me me, Focus on me.
Lorraine Evans:But he was fine and very stable. At that point I bet, yeah, you were like yep, sorted, let's do it. Goodbye Back onto me.
Sam Miklos:You know, just before we wrap up, you've said that you know, locum work brings soul to your life. What is it about the work?
Lorraine Evans:I think it is that you, you know that you're not in the rut, that you do genuinely get to go to a place and you have the opportunity to meet so many, so many people.
Lorraine Evans:And sometimes it can be quite, quite difficult because they you know, some people might not be thrilled with the healthcare situation or not want to be there at all, and you get to have an opportunity to treat people with the utmost kindness and respect, and maybe just not everybody, but some people turn a situation around to a point where someone who really didn't want to be there, really was quite angry, upset on their arrival, really was facing a tricky situation with the social services or something else from actually trusting you, and now suddenly maybe turning up for more appointments or understanding what the drug test is for, and that we're trying to prove that you're not, not prove that you are, that this is going to help you.
Lorraine Evans:You know something being able to in, even in a short time, sometimes by just, you know, being open and respectful, have an opportunity to make a difference, and I think you can, of course, do that in in one place as well. But I think it's almost like a fresh face and look, I don't know what I'm doing here, but I actually just want to help you.
Kate Coomber:is is a unique a position to be in you know it sounds like your role in London helping women in the shelter, has really lent itself so beautifully to this?
Lorraine Evans:That actually could well be because, yes, I get very cross when people and we all judge. I even have a shirt that a friend gave me which said silently judging you. And then on the back it says and now I'm talking about you, which is bad, but we're all judgy. But you know, when you know that people don't choose their life path sometimes and they've had very different choices or opportunities, and I know that I'm have been really fortunate with my life of travel and my opportunities, my sort of stable family background and I've just been.
Lorraine Evans:All the cards dealt have been. I've been very lucky hand and other people have not. They've ended up with a load of you know, just a hand that doesn't win them anything. And so, to try not to judge, and I get very cross even when people say can you believe that this woman whose baby she's got gestational diabetes and she's eating a king size Mars bar now, and you know? And now the baby's? You know this and all these people, and I'm like you know what, if eating a healthy diet was that easy, we'd all be supermodels, yeah, and we don't know anything about why this woman is eating like this, and I think we can just back off with the rolling of the eyes and actually just see, well, what can we do today?
Lorraine Evans:And I even had an anesthetist once tell a woman in labor who was requesting an epidural well, this is going to be very difficult as you're so fat, oh my gosh. And I got very annoyed with him and I said not helpful, actually, because you can't do anything about that right now, except you've upset her. So maybe, um, you know, just unnecessary, unnecessary abuse, you know a bit more compassion.
Kate Coomber:Yes, exactly.
Lorraine Evans:Um, just just say nothing. You know that whole. If you can't say something kind of say nothing at all but um, yeah, that is what I think is the sort of the soul element of it, maybe, if that's what you quoted me and I said at one point. But just yeah, I like this opportunity to and I sometimes maybe talk too much to people and I'm still, you know, writing my notes later because I've actually, but it's about seeing people, isn't it? It's about, you know, not just next.
Kate Coomber:And you're seeing people in quite a vulnerable state. You know like going having a baby is not a straightforward, obvious process that people just know what to do like you know it's you'd rather.
Sam Miklos:You'd rather have a midwife that's present and talking to you than writing the notes and you're wondering what's your?
Kate Coomber:what's your writing? Are we all good over here?
Lorraine Evans:yeah, people would feel lucky to have you in the room with them I think, but I think that I would say you know, not everyone's cup of tea. I think I was given a very helpful advice from one of the consultants that colourful people are remembered and you know and appreciated by many, but disliked by a few because you're too bright and that's not bright intelligence, it's just too much Like. You know I'm not their person and that's fine too, because you know you have to have the skin like a rhinoceros if you're going to be sort of.
Kate Coomber:you know, I saw you're also not everyone's cup of tea, but it's because you're a glass of champagne.
Sam Miklos:Yes, when you said that, you looked at me and I was like am I not everyone's cup of? Tea Too much, we can talk about it Too much Did you say that she just looked at me. I think we're both too much and can relate. Love it yeah.
Kate Coomber:Thank you so much. You're very welcome. It's been so wonderful to spend more time with you today. With this season, we're donating to a charity of your choice. Where should we raise some awareness today?
Lorraine Evans:Well, I would like the donation to go back to Cairns, to the public hospital there, to the Far North Queensland.
Lorraine Evans:Foundation because they are helping provide equipment for the hospital that's not on this sort of budget for Queensland Health but helps people who live there get treatment up there without having to come down to Brisbane, for example, for example, and be separated from the support networks that they would normally have in what is, for example, cancer or major surgery situations. So that's sort of a way I think that would be a nice way to donate. Yeah, fantastic, Thank you.
Sam Miklos:Lorraine, thank you so much. I am so glad that the tech didn't work last time Me too.
Kate Coomber:Oh, I thought you were saying now no. Oh, my God, I'm so sorry about that. Lord, imagine if it doesn't.
Sam Miklos:But just, it's so nice to have you in this space and you know you are just a phenomenal midwife and hearing your stories, there were so many things. I mean, we didn't even get to Berlin, like so much that I want to. I feel like we need like a season three. We need to get you back again. But look, it's been a joy talking to you. Thank you for sharing your stories and just thank you for being you. You've just been incredible and a great advocate along all of the years that you've worked for us.
Lorraine Evans:Thank you. Thanks so much Thank you.
Sam Miklos:Cheers. Thanks for tuning into it. Takes Heart.
Kate Coomber:If you love this episode, subscribe, leave a review or share it with a friend, and if you know someone with a great story in healthcare, get in touch. Follow us on socials for all the behind-the-scenes fun, and we'll see you next time.
