Metro South Health led the development of a new video to address the ongoing challenge of filling Occupational Therapy (OT) positions across the state.
Amanda Parker, Director of Occupational Therapy at Logan and Beaudesert Health Service, and lead of the video project, says that over the past few years, there has been an increasing trend of new graduate OTs being attracted to the private sector, making it more difficult to recruit professionals into Queensland Health (QH).
“We wanted the information to be attractive to those seeking roles, and to show that it came from real people they could relate to,” said Amanda.
“We are hoping the video will help answer the question ‘why is Queensland Health a fabulous place to work?’ and will attract new graduates and experienced OT’s to apply for jobs.”
The project was a collaborative effort between OT Directors, Mental Health OT Professional Leads, and Clinical Education Leaders across QH. They partnered with the Senior Digital Content Creator from the Reform Office Strategy, Policy, and Reform, who assisted with creating and editing the content.
Amanda says that the primary aim of the video is to address the common misconception among new graduates that they must secure a specific new graduate role to work at QH.
“There is a myth out there amongst graduate OTs that if they don’t get a new graduate role, they can’t work for Queensland Health.”
“Last year, 23 OTs worked in designated new graduate roles, while 154 new graduates were employed across Queensland Health in other positions.”
“We wanted to ensure those OTs wanting to work for QH knew they could apply for HP3 positions across the state, not just new graduate designated roles.”
While the video’s results are still being evaluated, there has already been a 10% increase in new graduates working across QH. In addition to the video, QH has implemented other recruitment strategies, such as hosting biannual webinars for final-year students, engaging with universities, and distributing newsletters twice a year.
The hope is that these efforts will not only attract new graduates but also experienced OTs, helping to fill vacancies and reduce strain on existing staff.
“Vacancies lead to higher workloads for existing staff, and patients have to wait longer for care,”
“By ensuring that we can attract the best OTs, we aim to optimise staff workloads and improve the care that patients receive.”