October 14, 2020Today is Allied Health Professional’s Day, an international event that was started in 2018 by two clinicians in the UK to celebrate who allied health professionals are, what they do and why they are valuable.
Jim Sayer, Director of Allied Health, says he is really proud to lead Allied Health at Northern Health.
“Our 400 staff in allied health are all passionate about improving the quality of our patients’ lives,” he said.
Jim chose the profession of physiotherapy after touring as a young athlete, which included a team physiotherapist, exposing him to this career path.
“I always imaged it would be great to tour the world as a sports physiotherapist. Maybe the international travel as a sports physiotherapist didn’t happen for me, but the profession is still rewarding,” he added.
His colleague, Jimmy Goulis, Senior Outpatient Physiotherapist, has a similar story – he loved sports and was often injured, which introduced him to the world of physiotherapy early.
“I always like reading about the human body and I also like helping our culturally diverse community. One of the great things of working here is the variety in your role – from research, to patient contact as well as emergency experience,” he said.
Hien Pham, Speech Pathologist, said she enjoys working in allied health because they work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
“We look at all aspects of patient’s wellbeing and life – and it’s great to improve someone’s quality of life. I am inspired when I see my patients improve their communication after a stroke and when I support them to communicate on the wards,” she said.
Her colleagues Elaina Vatcky, Orthotist, Bond Romeo-Mutch, Social Worker and Gee Kasmawan, Occupational Therapist, agree that helping patients achieve their independence, working in a supportive team, and improving someone’s quality of life are the main reasons they choose their profession and enjoy coming to work every day.
International Allied Health Professionals’ Day is a social movement to recognise the contribution of Allied Health Professionals to patient care and population health, and a chance to get to know and celebrate skills and achievements with Allied Health Professionals across the world.
