Corrie Ramsay, awarded AHA of the Year at the 2024 Australian Allied Health Awards, sat down with Nerida Volker (AHANA Board member until November 2024, now Standards, Education and Professional Development Committee member), last year for a wide-ranging chat covering the Award, her career journey, what she loves about her job, and her future career aspirations - all before Corrie's eventual appointment to the AHANA Board in December 2024.
There are several layers of what this award means to me.
The first being a symbol of recognition that Allied Health Assistants are valued within the Allied Health Community - this is something that I feel very strongly about!
The second being the opportunity to increase awareness of the Allied Health Assistant role to the general public as well as professionals, and show that we can make meaningful contributions to positive therapy outcomes.
On a more personal level, this award means so much more. I underwent a career change during the pandemic, after 11 years in one industry and a toxic workplace environment. This was all I knew after leaving school, so taking the leap and making a change was scary… extremely scary! Returning to studies after a long break came with many challenges, and entering an unfamiliar industry during a time of such uncertainty around the world was terrifying. I was fortunate to have immense support from my family and friends, and still do! So this award signifies that the hard work, bravery, dedication and commitment is absolutely worth it, and that a career change was definitely the right decision!
I have always had an interest in Physiotherapy, and had considered studying this at University during my younger years. My horse had major emergency surgery about 8 years ago, requiring an extensive rehabilitation program. I worked closely alongside her Physiotherapist (who is also mine!), completing her specific exercises and stretches daily, touching base in between booked appointments, and absorbing as much knowledge as I could. My horse returned from surgery fitter and stronger than ever, which was credited to me committing approximately 2 hours each day to complete her program, and still continuing with a maintenance program to this day. My Physiotherapist commented that she wished that other ‘horse patients’ owners had the same dedication to rehabilitation and maintenance, and the desire to learn more to help their horse – she then planted the Allied Health Assistant seed, but not with humans in mind!
I then completed my Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction, and towards the end of the training we were covering rehabilitation and working with different pathologies or conditions. I thoroughly enjoyed this and was seeking more, which is when I found the Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistant (Physiotherapy) course. I had a little crossover between starting one course and finishing the other, but they complimented each other so well.
Helping to get our Athletics Carnival up and running for our clients, which has now become an annual event. It is like a school athletics day with adjustments, modifications and supports provided to encourage participation and enjoyment for all. The event is sponsored, there are podium presentations for medal winners, free ice-cream, and a great sense of community and inclusion. Everyone cheers for everyone, it is a day full of celebration! Volunteering to help with this event and seeing the pure joy on the faces of the little athletes, and their families watching on, as they give each individual and team event their very best effort is just the most heartwarming experience and I am so proud to be a part of the team that brought this idea to life!
Never knowing what I am walking in to! I don’t know from one day to the next if I am going to enter a classroom to see a client and they will be ready to engage and participate, if they are in an extremely dis-regulated state, or anywhere in between. I always attend sessions well prepared with a plan A, plan B, plan C… plan T… to be able to adjust to most presentations that I could be working with. I also attend Professional Development sessions both internally at my workplace, and external, to develop my toolkit to manage these challenges. However, the biggest tool I have is getting to know my clients, what specific strategies work for them, what their interests are so I can tailor activities or rewards to support engagement, and ensuring the communication is always two-way. I tend to find that majority of the time when I arrive to a client and they are dis-regulated, it is because they are not being heard, they have an unmet need.
By seeking out and attending professional development opportunities. This includes mentoring, self-reflection and research, clinical supervision, team training days, AHA CPD Community of Practice, networking, attending expos related to health/ageing/disability, webinars, conferences, participating in Allied Health Industry Action Groups, and attending various other CPD opportunities.
What I love about my role is that there isn’t a typical day! I tend to have a very high caseload and client contact time, with quite minimal admin and a lot of variety. I have a lot of ad-hoc sessions to support school swimming lessons, sports carnivals, special events, appointments with other professionals, etc. Due to being community-based, I also spend a lot of time driving between clients. An example of a day at the moment is:
Communication, flexibility, teamwork, resilience, situational awareness and attention to detail, and a willingness to learn!
I work within a multi-disciplinary team, and am often working alongside more than one Allied Health Professional for each of my clients. We also have clients accessing services from other providers, plus teams within hospitals (both medical and Allied Health). We take a holistic approach when working with our clients, and ensure everyone is on the same page with what each individual is working on. We hold regular internal team meetings (and with external teams if approved by the client), involving the client and their family as appropriate to collaborate and discuss current goals, strategies being implemented, any changes to note, and next steps. I will also regularly touch base with the referring Allied Health Professional regarding the program that I am delivering for them – I am often working remotely so this will be via email or phone, depending on the urgency.
If you enjoy working with people, are an excellent communicator with great attention to detail and are seeking an active career instead of a desk job, becoming an Allied Health Assistant is something to seriously consider.
There are so many different pathways to enter in to – from the workplace environment (hospital, aged care facility, community based, private practice, etc.), the demographic of clients (paediatrics, adults, older adults, a combination), the type of work you do (discipline specific, multi-discipline)… There is something for most interests! Although the course/role is often considered as a pathway into further studies at University in a particular Allied Health field, it is important to remember that you can have a career as an Allied Health Assistant – and a lot of people do!
I would love to continue working both as an Allied Health Assistant, and as a lecturer of the Certificate III and IV courses. This allows me to stay connected with both training and industry, and each role continues to develop transferable skills that are so important for the other.
I would like to expand my experience working in other fields as an Allied Health Assistant, and contribute towards developing skill sets to add on to the AHA qualifications.
I would also like to connect the AHAs working within our state* to network, share ideas, and build our community as it can feel very isolating over here!
I aim to continue to promote the role of Allied Health Assistants to both the Allied Health community and the general public, to increase utilisation in a manner where our skills and contributions are appreciated.
*Note: Corrie is located in Western Australia.