Congratulations to our first ever graduating cohort of Assistants in Nursing! These Year 11 students took part in the first year of the Allied Health Program and are looking forward to taking the next steps in launching their career in the healthcare industry. They have completed their Certificate III in Health Services Assistance, which qualifies them as Assistants in Nursing with the knowledge and skills needed to work in a range of assistant-style roles in health, as well as the experience they need to communicate with respect and care.

As part of their Term 4 learning program, students visited our partner universities: The University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University to learn about different pathways and programs in health.

At UQ, students enjoyed using Virtual Reality (VR) goggles and being taught by UQ academics about how VR technology is used in a wide range of healthcare training including anatomy study in medicine, dentistry and allied health. BSHS Alumni and UQ academic, Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak, then met with students to give them insight into pathways in physiotherapy, as well as occupational therapy and speech pathology, and how these disciplines work together. Armed with this information about how these allied health professionals work to care for patients, students spent the afternoon in UQ’s simulated ward with an actor playing the role of patient to guide students through case studies.

On the visit to QUT, students engaged in a simulated emergency experience on the ward in the School of Nursing. They participated in a range of activities in the podiatry clinic and learnt about what it means to study health information management and radiation therapy.

At Griffith University, students were immersed in a physiotherapy experience that challenged them to collect and analyse data on human movement. They also learned about pathways to physiotherapy that allow students to transition into physiotherapy through exercise science.

In 2023, we look forward to students in Years 10 and 11 participating in the Allied Health program.

Ms Clancy Strickland – Head of Partnerships and Transitions