student story

Thank you to our School of Allied Health Practicum Supervisors

Chiropractic students in rural Australia

School of Allied Health students hone and develop their skills through hundreds of hours of practical experience in various public and private healthcare and industry settings. In November we thanked and celebrated with our amazing practicum supervisors.

Across Western Australia, we have over 100 practicum supervisors affiliated with the School of Allied Health, and all contribute to our students' essential supervision and mentorship. In November 2024, we invited our supervisors to our Practicum Supervisors Appreciation Evening to say thank you.

The evening comprised insightful talks from Lorelee Gobetti, Drs Lyndon Amorin-Woods and Brendyn Applyby.

Lorelee is a 2024 graduate of the Murdoch University Master of Creative Arts Therapy course. Lorelee told us of her practicum at St John of God Murdoch Hospital and inspired everyone with case studies highlighting the positive benefits of this therapy on patients and the ripple effect this can then have on other staff, patients families and loved ones, a lesson for all our students in how small differences can have a strong influence beyond what you might think.

The Chiropractic program will be celebrating 20 years of graduates in 2025. Dr Amorin-Woods has been a Clinical Supervisor at Murdoch University for all of that time. Lyndon has managed the Chiropractic Clinical Immersion Program for five years. He has taken us on a journey to understand the importance of the program in building community liaison skills in our students whilst offering a well-being service free of charge on country. On average, students in the program provide 3,750 health checks each year. Whilst this primarily involves the treatment of physical problems, it also encourages healthy living through health promotion, improving the quality of life for many with disadvantaged access to healthcare. Equally, the program expands students' experiences. It has been shown to increase the likelihood of them returning to rural practice once they are qualified.

Senior lecturer in Exercise Science and current Head of Conditioning for the Australian Men's Hockey team (Kookaburra's) passed on lessons from his experiences coaching athletes in Elite Sports to inspire supervisors and students. He reminded us of the importance of knowing your vision and values in academic and practicum placement life and that discipline and positive daily habits may seem small but can compound and make a measurable difference.

All the speakers reminded the guests that sharing experiences can lead to success for practicum supervisors and students.

After the presentations, we marked our practicum supervisors' actions and commitments to the future of Allied Health Professions with certificates of commendation. We also enjoyed tours of student teaching and research facilities.