Sense of community serves physiotherapist Simone
If anyone is qualified to talk about working with St John of God Health Care, it’s physiotherapist Simone who has 20 years with the organisation under her belt.
18 Oct 2022
“We have a great mentoring program in the physiotherapy department with lots of senior therapists and lots of opportunities to broaden your horizon and consolidate your skills,” says Simone when asked to reflect on what piqued her interest in working at St John of God Berwick Hospital in the first place.
“But that was back at the start,” she laughs.
“I think now why I stay is that they really strive to live up to the Values and the Mission of St John of God Health Care and it’s putting the patient at the centre of that.
“As a physiotherapist or any allied health professional I think that’s what we want to do. We want to help people. St John of God Health Care really values that.”
Simone also touts the supportive culture that exists among the allied health team noting that even when other caregivers have finished their shift, she’ll often get a call to see if there is anything they can do to help her before they finish up for the day.
“I’m a sole physio on the ward I work on, but I never feel alone,” she says.
“There’s always people to help you.”
As a testament to the vast array of opportunities available to caregivers, Simone cannot list on one hand the number of different roles she has been offered throughout her two decades with St John of God Health Care.
“I’ve had plenty of opportunities to work in many different areas, from ICU, to rehab and everything in between,” she says.
“As I have continued to work with St John of God Health Care, I’ve had the opportunity to lead the physiotherapy services at the rehabilitation hospital and mentor the junior physios. When managers have been away I’ve even had the opportunity to step up and take on some of those non-clinical roles as well.”
For Simone one of the things she loves most about where she works is, that despite St John of God Berwick Hospital being big enough to provide lots of opportunities, different experiences and variety in your work, it still manages to maintain a sense of community and a family feel.
“You’re part of a team where everyone knows everyone,” she says, noting that even when members of the senior leadership team visit, their ability to recall caregiver names evokes a personal touch that’s often hard to replicate across large organisations.
This kind of compassion also extends to the promotion of work-life balance with Simone acknowledging that life outside work is not just supported but largely accommodated through flexible work hours and understanding.
“I think one of the great things is, we strive to live that work-life balance and as your life outside work changes ─ like having a family ─ managers have been really supportive in changing your hours or days, or whatever you might want to do,” explains Simone.
“Then when it’s time for you to come back to work ─ they welcome you with open arms.”
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