Jacinta McGrath

Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy)

Occupational Therapist

What is your degree and where did you go to university?

I studied a Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) at the University of Sydney

Tell us about your role at Kurrajong and what a typical day at work looks like for you?

I am an Occupational Therapist in the New Graduate Program. Every day is different which I love!

A typical day will include any combination of the following:

A school-based therapy session at a local school, working on attention, sharing and fine motor
Lunchbreak outside in the sunshine with the team
A home visit to our Supported Independent Living Accommodation to conduct a functional assessment with an adult client
An hour for supervision, mentoring, or a team meeting
An Early Intervention session at the clinic, working on transition to school goals
A case conference for a client, with their multidisciplinary team
Emails and phone calls to carers and teachers
Research, resource preparation and session planning
Assessment scoring and report writing

What have you enjoyed about Kurrajong’s Allied Health Graduate Program?

The Allied Health Graduate Program has allowed me to transition from university to full-time work seamlessly. The gradual build-up of my caseload allowed me to get to know Kurrajong’s processes, observe other therapists’ sessions, and participate in client handovers before starting to see clients on my own. Scheduled weekly supervision has given me the chance to discuss clinical questions with my supervisor, and track my caseload and professional development goal progress. As I have settled in, I have had the autonomy to increase my caseload a little at a time, and work towards reduced KPI targets, allowing me to focus on learning and growing as a clinician so that I can provide the best support to my clients. Each day, I have the space in my calendar to allocate time to researching interventions and planning for each session, ensuring I feel informed and prepared to deliver evidence-based interventions to my clients.

What has been the best thing about moving to and working in a regional centre like Wagga Wagga?

Wagga is the best of both worlds – it has the charm of a country town, but the resources and supportive team that you might expect to find in the city. From one side of town to the other, most things are located within a 20 minute drive – that means less time commuting, and more time to do the things you love outside of work, really fostering that sense of work-life balance. Wagga is also perfectly located equal distances from Sydney and Melbourne, and only a couple of hours from Canberra.

As a regional centre, we have the opportunity to support not only clients local to Wagga, but also those living in the wider Riverina community, including Gundagai, Nangus, Temora and Narrandera – with our clients travelling to see us, or us to see them. From a clinical perspective, this means earlier exposure to a wide range of complex client needs and consequently, more opportunity to observe and implement a wide range of interventions across a variety of clinical areas.

Cooper Pascoe

Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Physiotherapist

What is your degree and where did you go to university?

My name is Cooper and I am a Physiotherapist with Kurrajong Therapy Plus. I studied at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie, completing the course in 2021 before beginning with Kurrajong in 2022.

Tell us about your role at Kurrajong and what a typical day at work looks like for you?

At Kurrajong we work with National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, which presents a diverse caseload of children, all with differing needs and goals for therapy. As a Physiotherapist with Kurrajong in the undergraduate program a typical day would involve; seeing your clients, participating in supervision and mentoring or professional development, managing your caseload and communicating with the clients broader therapy team. The flexibility to complete therapy sessions outside of the therapy centre, including at the park or the swimming pool for Aquatic Physiotherapy, is a great way to meet clients goals and adds great variety in your day. Supervision has been structured to suit my learning style and I am able to discuss difficult clients and plan appropriately. Communicating and completing joint sessions with other therapists including Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists and Educators, is a common way in which I will see a client and has helped me learn new skills for completing sessions and helped me achieve the Physiotherapy goals of the session.

What have you enjoyed about Kurrajong’s Allied Health Graduate Program?

I have enjoyed the Allied Health Graduate Program at Kurrajong as it has provided me with a wealth of opportunities to learn new skills, develop my Physiotherapy skills and work with a wide variety of professionals and clients. As well as the supervision and professional development opportunities, work with other professionals both within Kurrajong and externally has increased my confidence in managing complex client presentations, and I have been supported throughout the process.

What has been the best thing about moving to and working in a regional centre like Wagga Wagga?

Moving to Wagga was initially a big change for me, moving from the beach to the bush, but it has been a great experience. Once settled in to the area, and with some great people around you at Kurrajong, it is hard to miss the business of the cities. The best part is there is no traffic, everything is no more than 15 minutes away. This includes great walks, rivers, lakes, pubs, shops and cafes.

Tracy Allen

Master of Speech Pathology

Speech Pathologist

What is your degree and where did you go to university?

I studied a Master of Speech Pathology at the University of Canberra. The course was largely delivered online, with face to face ‘intensives’ in Canberra at the beginning and end of each semester. I previously studied Education and Linguistics at Wollongong and Macquarie Universities.

Tell us about your role at Kurrajong and what a typical day at work looks like for you?

As a new grad speech pathologist at Kurrajong, each day looks different. I see clients in the clinic, at school, or at home. All my current clients are paediatric clients, but I hope to get some adult clients on my caseload in the coming months. Some days I drive to neighbouring towns and visit clients and families. I see clients for speech, language, AAC, and feeding interventions. I work closely with families and schools and other therapists, so my day will include emails, phone calls, meetings (face to face or TEAMS). There is usually a report to write and there are always session notes to complete. I organize my own calendar and schedule sessions. I have regular supervision in my calendar and complete PD that is of interest/relevant to my caseload. There is always a coffee break in there somewhere too! Each day is different!

What have you enjoyed about Kurrajong’s Allied Health Graduate Program?

I’ve loved the amount of independence I have had to organize my own time and caseload while at the same time having the support of the whole team, right up to the manager. I have always had supervision when I have needed it. I had weekly supervision for a long time and now that I am feeling more settled I have dropped it back to every week or two. I have always felt really supported in my new grad role at Kurrajong, every therapist is only a phone call away (I am not at the main site – otherwise they would be a lot closer!) and ALWAYS happy to help with anything I need. The non-clinical staff are also a wealth of knowledge and so helpful with understanding all the processes – which can be overwhelming when starting a new role in a new sector!!

I have also loved the variety of clients on my caseload. I have learned SO much this year from them. I’ve also been supported to completed PD in areas of particular relevance to my caseload, which has been really helpful as well.

What have you been most excited about whilst working Kurrajong?

I’m most excited about all the things I am yet to learn. It can be very overwhelming at times, having so much to learn, but when you can see yourself – and your clients – making progress, it is so motivating to keep at it and keep learning new things.

Videos

Meet Taylah a recent Speech Pathologist Graduate from Therapy Plus Kurrajong