Meet Ricky, one of our Occupational Therapists

You started at Windermere in the Allied Health Graduate program – can you tell us more about that?

As a new graduate in Occupational Therapy, I was lucky enough to be accepted into Windermere’s Allied Health Graduate Program. Unlike many programs, Windermere’s graduate program lasts around two years, not just 12 months. It also offers the opportunity to learn about other allied health disciplines, which I found really exciting.

As a graduate, you are still figuring out your own craft and developing your confidence so the graduate program offered some amazing benefits. I found the dedicated regular graduate catch-ups, which extended over the two years, to be hugely beneficial. They were also a great support base for ongoing training and guidance. 

What are you doing now?

As an occupational therapist, I work with all children up to the age of 12 years, although they are generally aged around three to ten years old.  I’ve now been at Windermere for over four years and in my current role, I also support other staff and supervise our Allied Health Assistants.

I also run a variety of group support programs on an ongoing termly basis. These vary around the needs we identify in the community.  As an example, we are currently offering a program in conjunction with our dietitian around supporting children who have feeding challenges. We also regularly run group programs that are designed to support young children to develop their fine and gross motor skills.

What do you enjoy about Windermere?

I love that every day is different! My role is very varied, so I could be visiting a variety of places, such as kindergartens, schools, running a group program or going to the office.

At Windermere, we use the key worker to support children with a developmental delay or disability. This means that our team works collaboratively to plan and provide a range of therapies and support for the family. The family has one point of contact in their Key Worker who brings a range of knowledge and experiences from various disciplines. I feel this means they can be supported in a much more holistic and meaningful way.

From a career perspective, I also love the culture of learning and professional development. There are plenty of opportunities to contribute to special projects and to expand more knowledge of other disciplines, not just the one I trained in.

What interests do you have outside of Windermere?

I love catching up with friends and family, learning new things and going to the gym.

 

To find out more about our Allied Health Graduate Program allied health career opportunities or our Early Intervention and Therapy Services, call the team on 1300 946 337 or email info@windermere.org.au.