By 
If you are an Australian looking for a rewarding career in healthcare, you have come to the right place, as we take an in-depth look at the healthcare sector and the careers offered.
- Speech pathologist – There are many speech pathology jobs offered around the country; after graduation, you would be helping NDIS clients with speech impairments. Duties include helping patients with autism spectrum disorder, neurological issues and developmental delays.
- Occupational therapist – There’s a great deal of satisfaction from helping people acquire the skills to manage day-to-day life, which is what occupational therapists actually do. In order to become a certified occupational therapist, you have to complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree course in occupational therapy, which is a total of 1000 study hours, then once you have graduated, you need to register with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (OTBA), then you should contact Ability Action Australia, an organisation that offers essential support to their therapist members.
- Behaviour support practitioner (BSP) – If you contact Ability Action Australia, they can support your admission and when you are certified, you receive a lot of support. You learn how to carry out behavioural assessments on people with mental health issues, you are taught how to design intervention plans that maximise patient benefit. This is not a specific discipline, but rather a combination of several careers; some psychologists work as BSPs.
- Exercise physiologist – This is a growing sector, as more people turn away from drug-based medicine, preferring holistic treatments. Helping people with disabilities is both rewarding and challenging; the degree course teaches many practices, empowering the practitioner to tailor their services. If you graduate as an EP, you will work independently, visiting NDIS patients in a wide range of ways. Click here for information on chiropractic treatment for back pain.
- Physiotherapist – Physios are very busy healthcare professionals and the 4-year course is quite intense, with a mixture of theory and practice. You would likely be mobile in your work, with a vehicle acquired by novated leasing; when you register with Ability Action Australia, you enjoy many benefits.
- Psychologist – Mental health counselling is in great demand, as we are facing troubling times; many Australians have lost their means of income and are very stressed. The position involves helping people with depression, helping NDIS patients to cope with day-to-day living and helping people to build and maintain relationships. If you think psychology could be the career for you, contact Ability Action Australia, where you will find all the details about this rewarding career.
There are more than 20 Australian universities offering bachelor’s degree courses in all of the above and with a Google search, you can find out the admission requirements and take the first steps to enrolling. You can attend the campus, study online or a combination of both; once you have graduated, you need to register with a regulatory board, then you can work as a certified healthcare professional.
