Danielle Nimmo hadn't planned on spending three days in Culcairn's MPS hospital ward fighting an infection.
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The local resident knew she needed to see someone because she was in a lot of pain and it was only getting worse.
"I thought I might have to drive myself to Albury to see a doctor, but as a single mum with three children that was a lot to organise, especially if I wasn't able to return home straight away," Danielle said.
"Eventually the pain was so bad I decided to go over to the emergency department (at Culcairn) and get the nurses to have a look at me."
She said it was the best decision she could have made.
Danielle said not only were the nurses brilliant - "I had no idea how highly trained and skilled they are" - the convenience of being so close to home and open visiting hours meant her children could come and go whenever they wanted.
"They have a doctor available by video call 24/7 and even though they were on a screen it was just like they were in the room with me," she explained.
"I felt 100 per cent comfortable with the care I received.
"I have never felt more looked after - in fact I was a bit sad to go home!"
Danielle says her experience at the Culcairn multi-purpose service really changed her perception of the facility.
It's one of the of the reasons the MPS held an open day on Wednesday, January 24, inviting the community to meet staff, inspect the facility and check out the services provided in a rural and remote setting.
The day included a tour of the emergency ward, demonstrations of virtual consultations via state-of-the-art technology and a real-time simulation with the newest member of the team - a mannikin called Arnie HenCul.
Facility manager Kathryn Walters said one of the main aims was to showcase the exceptional level of care available to local residents - even without a doctor on site.
This includes nurses trained in advanced practice who have an expanded scope to treat patients as well as the ECAT (Emergency Care Assessment and Treatment) program.
"We have a beautiful, modern facility here in Culcairn, and an incredible team of highly trained staff, we were really excited about inviting the community to come and see them in action," Ms Walters said.
"With the help of 'Arnie', we were able to simulate an emergency and demonstrate the use of the Remote Medical Consultation Service, a virtual care system that enables us to call on a doctor at any time, day or night.
"No one plans to end up in the emergency department, but we hope that seeing our team in action, and the technology that we have available, is reassuring for anyone who finds themselves in need of emergency care in the future."
Culcairn's MPS provides 24-hour accident and emergency care and has 35 beds, seven hospital care beds and 28 residential aged care beds.
A Virtual Nurse Assist platform gives nursing staff access to a clinical nurse educator 24 hours a day, seven days a week for training and mentoring.
This MPS program aims to provide improved access to health and aged care services in rural and remote communities, tailored to meet the community's unique clinical needs into the future.
