Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison

Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hospital Liaison Service acts as a cultural link between health professionals, identified patients and/or the families of people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent. We advocate that services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients are culturally sensitive and culturally appropriate.

We provide:

• assistance with improving health care information and planning with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients and/or families
• the provision of emotional and cultural support to our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients and/or families
• consultations with hospital staff seeking further information in the delivery of services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients and/or their families
• advice and support to both staff and clients on appropriate referrals to other organisations.

We have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander liaison officers and health workers in the following areas:

• acute care
• renal services
• chronic disease
• maternity.

Allied Health Assistants

Our Allied Health Assistants are valued members of the multidisciplinary clinical team.

Working under the supervision and delegation of allied health professionals, Allied Health Assitants provide care and therapy to either individuals or through group sessions.

At Logan Hospital, our Allied Health Assistants can work under various professions including:

• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• speech pathology
• audiology.

They work across all areas of the hospital including acute medical wards, rehabilitation, community outreach and outpatient clinics.

Read more about requirements to practise as an Allied Health Assistant.

Audiology

Our Audiology Department provides diagnostic hearing services to inpatient and outpatient clients. We treat both paediatric and adult patients, and use evidenced based practice, with a diverse range of assessments, to obtain information regarding a patient’s hearing abilities.

Registration requirements

Audiologists wishing to practise in Queensland must have tertiary level qualifications in audiology and provisional or full membership of the Audiological Society of Australia. 

Internationally qualified Audiologists

The Audiological Society of Australia provides the application process for internationally qualified audiologists. Please refer to the Audiological Society of Australia.

Nutrition and Dietetics

Our Nutrition and Dietetics team provides services to inpatients and outpatients across the hospital.

We are a dynamic team of multi-skilled Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) specialising in a variety of areas of clinical practice, food service and research.

With diverse backgrounds of training and experience, we are highly skilled in the areas of chronic diseases (heart failure, renal, diabetes), women's health, eating disorders, enteral and parenteral nutrition, gastrointestinal disorders, surgical nutrition support and research.

Our department is committed to evaluating the impact of our practice on patient outcomes. Our aim is to ensure each staff member is supported to progress and incorporate research into their clinical practice and to share our practices with others.

Our staff take every opportunity to present our research findings at national and international conferences and we have also had a significant number of publications in peer reviewed National and international journals and presented at conferences.

One of our major and significant contributions to inpatient care is to provide nutrition support with the aim to keep patients well-nourished whilst they are undergoing treatment or recovering from a condition.

Physiotherapy

Our Physiotherapy Department provides services across Logan Hospital, including inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.

Our staff work within multi-professional teams across a variety of specialities servicing adult and paediatric clients:

• acute physiotherapy services
• paediatric physiotherapy services
• community physiotherapy services
• musculoskeletal physiotherapy services
• physiotherapy musculoskeletal management clinic
• rehabilitation
• women’s, men’s and pelvic health services.

Registration requirements

Individuals wishing to practise as a physiotherapist in Queensland must be registered with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.

Internationally qualified physiotherapists

Physiotherapists who completed their qualifications in a country other than Australia or New Zealand are required to have their qualifications assessed for equivalency by the Australian Physiotherapy Council in order to be eligible to apply for registration with the Physiotherapy Board of Queensland.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a health profession which helps people gain or regain the skills which are important for an individual's safety, function and quality of life. Occupational therapists use functional activity in assessing and treating people to maximise their ability to perform tasks that are important to them and their lifestyle.

Our Occupational Therapists work with people (and their family, carers, and other health professionals) with a variety of conditions, which can affect a person's ability to move, think, communicate, see and perceive, as well as their mood and personality.

Occupational Therapists working within the Logan Hospital provide a variety of services including:

• prescribing assistive equipment (e.g. over toilet frames, bath-boards, shower chairs and wheelchairs)
• recommendations regarding home modifications (e.g. ramps and grab-rails)
• splinting for hands and other body parts to maintain or improve health or function (e.g. to prevent contracture)
• upper limb retraining post neurological conditions and acute trauma
• assistance and retraining with functional tasks such as showering, dressing and cooking
• strategies to assist with thinking skills
• providing education and support regarding activity with conditions such as heart attacks and chronic lung conditions and mental illness
• providing advice about positioning and equipment to manage pressure ulcers
• providing therapy programs for children.

Registration requirements

Individuals seeking employment as an occupational therapist in Queensland must be registered with the Occupational Therapist Board of Australia.

Internationally qualified Occupational Therapists

Internationally qualified occupational therapists wishing to practise in Australia are required to have their qualifications assessed for equivalency by the Occupational Therapy Council before applying for registration with the Occupational Therapist Board of Australia.

Psychology

Our psychologists specialise in understanding human behaviour and the way people think, feel, and behave. Psychologists can help with assessing, diagnosing, and treating a wide range of emotional and/or behavioural difficulties which can affect patients' physical health and medical treatment.

At Logan Hospital, our psychologists perform various duties including:

• therapy and counselling in numerous health settings
• input into diagnosis and management of mental health conditions and neurological disorders
• services for children, adults, and older adults. 

Registration requirements

Psychologists wanting to work in Queensland are required to be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia. 
A postgraduate qualification in Clinical Psychology or Neuropsychology is required for many psychology positions advertised in Queensland Health. Specific job descriptions provide the mandatory qualifications required for individual positions advertised.

Internationally qualified psychologists

Psychologists with current registration and a current practising certificate allowing them to practise as a psychologist in New Zealand may apply for registration under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997.

Psychologists who obtained their qualifications from a country other than Australia or New Zealand must have qualifications assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS), the profession’s national assessing authority, to determine eligibility to apply for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Social Work

Social workers utilise theories of human behaviour and social systems and intervene at the points where people interact with their environments, aiming to work with and support people to achieve the best possible levels of personal and social wellbeing.

Our Social Workers are clinicians who have undergone professional social work training and possess specialist knowledge and skills to assist people who have health issues, and their families and carers to:

• deal with the emotional and practical issues that may arise due to illness
• reduce the social and emotional impact of illness
• restore individual, family and community wellbeing
• enhance development of each individual’s power and control over their lives
• develop capacity and promote self-efficacy
• access resources and services in the community. 

Social Workers have training and experience in providing specialist evidence-based interventions to help consumers to manage or overcome difficulties arising from their illness, and to support their families and carers.

Requirements to practise

Social workers wishing to practise in Queensland must possess tertiary level qualifications (Bachelor or Masters) providing eligibility for membership with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Internationally qualified social workers

Internationally trained social workers must undergo an assessment by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) to determine eligibility for membership prior to being allowed to work for Queensland Health.

Speech Pathology

Our Speech Pathologists specialise in the assessment and treatment of adults with acquired disorders of communication and swallowing.

At Logan Hospital, we provide the following services:

• swallowing assessment and treatment
• Videofluroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) Clinic
• FEES assessments (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallow)
• communication (speech, language, voice) assessment and treatment
• telehealth services to Beaudesert Hospital
• multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of paediatric inpatients and outpatients presenting with feeding and/or communication difficulties.

Requirements to practise

Individuals wishing to practise as a Speech Pathologist in Queensland continue to be required to possess a tertiary degree in Speech Pathology, providing eligibility for practicing membership to Speech Pathology Australia.

Internationally qualified speech pathologists

Speech pathologists who have obtained their qualification outside of Australia or New Zealand are required to undertake an international qualification assessment to satisfy the employment requirement for eligibility for practising membership to Speech Pathology Australia.

If you possess relevant professional membership in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada or USA you may be eligible to have your qualifications assessed under the Mutual Recognition Agreement.