The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) has created a great demand for allied health professionals, which is exciting for graduating therapists across a variety of domains. As an allied health professional within the NDIS, you can be truly client centred in your role and have the privilege to work with participants in the natural environment using a strength-based approach.
There is a considerable adjustment period when you begin a graduate position. In fact, it can take up to four years to really build all the skills you’ll need to be successful in your profession. These skills are developed with the assistance of three core pillars which are critical for you to be able to build your foundations as an allied health therapist – supervision, support and education.
SUPERVISION
There are many ways supervision can be presented and structured. No workplace is the same, so it is important you develop and understand different support structures to ensure you select a graduate program or workplace that will provide support in the most beneficial way for you.
Our team at National 360 implore any new graduates to really maximise their exposure to supervision, and we offer three key types:
- 1-to-1 or group supervision
- Work shadowing
- Mentoring communities of practice peer networks
EDUCATION
You should never stop learning. Education is important in enabling you to transition into a practice environment and increasing your confidence in a clinical domain. Take the opportunity to engage in education to establish yourself as an active learner – it is a trait that will set you on the right path for success as a health professional. It will also assist you in developing the core skills of professional reasoning and professional identity, and adds a whole new dimension to your reflective practice.
SUPPORT
The organisation you choose to work for has a professional responsibility to set you up for success clinically, but also in the non-client-facing tasks you will have to perform as part of your professional role. Teamwork is a massive component of your informal support to successfully navigate your new role as a graduate. Having great team support encourages an open workplace culture which is a very important element when selecting a company to complete your graduate program with.
At National 360, we support our occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists and behaviour support therapists by:
- clarifying roles and responsibilities and ensuring that a novice therapist begins with a realistic caseload, recognising that other than clinical rotations this is their first employment experience
- providing a senior mentor or an experienced supervisor as a source of professional guidance and personal support, along with opportunities to establish supportive professional relationships
- refraining from having new graduates supervise other clinicians in their initial year, or at least providing significant direction and modelling in the supervisory processes
- providing regular on-site reviews of basic policies and procedures
- providing ample opportunities and financial support for education.
At National 360, we want you to have a long and enjoyable career as a therapist and have a vested interest in ensuring you are set up for success. This is why our supervision, education and support structures are at the forefront for not only our graduates, but all team members across the company throughout their career. We want to see our therapists continually progress through the National 360 career pathway, as showcased in the diagram below.
If you would like to learn more about our National 360 Graduate Program in occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, and behaviour support, or have any questions you’d like to ask us, visit our website or get in touch with our People & Culture team today!
