Aboriginal cadet inspired to continue a career in WA health
Physiotherapy patients and staff at Osborne Park Hospital have embraced the skills and experience Jiah Reidy has brought during his 12-month cadetship with the hospital’s Physiotherapy Department.
Jiah started an Aboriginal Cadetship Program with North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) this year in his final year of studies at the University of Western Australia and will soon complete a Bachelor of Science Double Major in Sport Science and Exercise and Health - all while fitting in sporting commitments as a player for the Swan Districts WAFL team.
Working in the health industry has been a lifelong area of interest for Jiah and the cadetship program provided Jiah the opportunity to gain work experience at a specialist hospital and earn an income whilst studying.
“It has been a terrific opportunity and I am so glad I applied for the position. I would highly recommend applying to the program, even if health is not your preference, you may be surprised at how diverse the health system is,” said Jiah.
Osborne Park Hospital’s Head of the Physiotherapy Department Dean Clair said Jiah has been an excellent team member; always cheerful, professional and empathic, and very patient focussed and caring.
“It has been great to have Jiah on board as he brings a different perspective based on his life experience, which has been extremely valuable when engaging with Aboriginal clients,” said Dean.
“Working in the Young Adult Rehabilitation ward, Jiah has helped us engage effectively with clients from remote areas such as Mount Magnet, Carnarvon and Geraldton areas. The importance of ‘land’ is very evident in Jiah’s interactions with these clients.
“Jiah has brought a unique skill set to our team, which we’ll miss! His communication style helped us out with a few challenging patients; he was able to engage with these patients when our usual strategies did not work so well.”
Now in the final weeks of his undergraduate degree, Jiah is looking ahead and setting his sights on gaining experience working in the non-clinical side of health, and possibly pursuing further study at postgraduate level.
“I’d like to thank everyone that has helped me along the way. It has truly been a wonderful experience, the team and everyone I’ve met at Osborne Park Hospital has certainly raised the bar for my expectations going into the workforce,” said Jiah.
About the Department of Health’s Aboriginal Cadetship Program
The Aboriginal Cadetship Program is a key workforce initiative aimed at creating pathways for Aboriginal university students to attract them to a career in health and develop work readiness for future employment in the WA health system.
It is designed to provide Aboriginal students from both corporate and clinical disciplines with an opportunity to gain an income while studying full-time for an undergraduate degree qualification.
NMHS is committed as part of its Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Action Plan, to build a skilled Aboriginal workforce and create career pathway opportunities.
Applications to host an Aboriginal cadet are coordinated centrally by the NMHS Workforce Planning team who are currently in the process of recruiting the next intake of Aboriginal cadets for 2021.