New Graduate Therapist are a wonderful choice!
Lately, I have had a few parents request that their child is not seen by a new graduate therapist. I wanted to put some of my thoughts in writing as I personally think a new graduate is an amazing choice.
Thirty plus years ago I graduated from Sydney University. I often reflect on how much of what I was taught in the 1990’s has been improved and refined (sometimes even proven to be incorrect) by research. As therapists, we aim to keep our knowledge current and understand the latest evidence for treating different disorders (EBP - evidence based practice) however, the new grads have been taught the most up to date techniques and have often been involved in the research. I regularly learn about the most current teachings from prac (no s) students or new graduates.
New grads can go the extra mile for their clients. They are excited and full of energy with young children. They sometimes may look nervous but as I tell them…we only get nervous about things we truly care about so nerves are not a bad thing. I worked at Sydney University from 2007 to 2017 and my role was to help develop the clinical skills of developing speech pathologists. This means my favourite thing is to watch new graduates grow into amazing therapists.
At Necessity Kids we have a mixture of new graduates , experienced therapists and myself as clinical director. All our therapists have weekly meetings with senior therapists to discuss any client question and they are able to call or book meetings with me as regularly as they need to be reassured they are doing everything they can for the best outcomes for your child. This is a wonderful thing! It means several heads are working to ensure your child is well catered for.
Please be assured that we do have a client triage system. We consider if a case is too difficult/ complex for a new graduate and will always seek to place them with an appropriate therapist.
New grads often come with previous experience. Our own co-director Blake, will be soon be a New Grad OT in the future ;however, the previous degrees and life/work history he will bring to his graduate year will be insane. We have new grads with previous early childhood experience, psychology degrees and teaching degrees. They can bring to a speech pathology session far wider scope to think practically and holistically.
Lastly, we have a chronic shortage of all allied health practitioners in the Illawarra. I would rather have a new grad than sit on a waiting list for a year with no help.
I would love to help local Universities to introduce Speech pathology and Occupational therapy degrees to their campus so we can offer our high school leavers the chance to do these degrees locally and reduce our waiting lists for all families.
I hope this has helped you understand that New Graduate therapists are absolutely a great choice for your child and not something to be concerned about.
Jenny Hill
Clinical Director / Senior Speech Pathologist
