NICOLE Ramsamy is proud to be using her skills as Queensland's first indigenous nurse practitioner to help the people who need it the most in remote Cape York communities.

Cairns-born Ms Ramsamy, 37, has worked at the Pormpuraaw Primary Health Care Centre for more than nine years and her new qualification means she can provide extra services previously administered by doctors.

Nurse practitioners can write referrals for patients to see specialists, prescribe medications and request X-rays, blood tests and other diagnostic tests.

"It is very rewarding where I am based. With this qualification it just increases the scope and practice in what I can do," Ms Ramsamy said.

"I find that we are really getting there slowly and making a bit of a difference."

Ms Ramsamy’s mother, Anne Gray, is a senior health worker and has worked for Queensland Health in Cairns for 30 years.

"I was inspired by my Mum and the work she did,’’ she said.

Ms Ramsamy’s skills came in handy when she encountered a car accident south of Pormpuraaw on the way to her graduation ceremony in Brisbane.

After using her satellite phone to call an ambulance and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Ms Ramsamy sprang into action, using her training to stabilise the injured occupants. All four recovered from the accident.

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