Whether you’re a seasoned Allied Health professional with years of experience under your belt, or you’ve recently graduated and are finding your feet within the industry, Continued Professional Development (CPD) is an important part of your career in Allied Health. Regardless of your level of expertise, embracing new learning can be fun and allow for interaction by connecting with like-minded people to ultimately provide better patient-centered care. CPD may help you discover and develop professional areas of interest and career diversity whilst fulfilling ongoing/registrational requirements. 

Next in Health are excited to be partnering with Healthia, who are a leading integrated Allied Healthcare Organisation in Australia. Healthia offers a wide range of practical, relevant and accessible CPD opportunities, catering for clinicians with different areas of interest and at all stages of their career. Healthia recognises the importance of tailoring CPD to meet the demands of busy clinicians, by making sure their CPD is up to date and clinically relevant.

How can CPD advance my career as an Allied Health professional?

As technology and research continue to advance, the healthcare sector is forced to challenge the way we have historically cared for our patients within the Allied Health sector. Targeted, evidenced based CPD opportunities allow us to become familiar with these changes, whilst understanding the implications they have on the clinical world.

As a new graduate or individual Allied Health clinician, CPD not only keeps your skills up-to-date as advancements occur, but it can also help you discover new areas of interest which can often lead to different career pathways. Working with Healthia allows this discovery through their professional development and engagement programs in several areas of allied health including Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Exercise Physiology, Speech Pathology, Optometry, Audiology and more.

Through Healthia’s extensive education, professional development and mentorship programs, starting off as a new graduate and gaining experience as clinician can lead to creating your own pathway through specialistion and even on to clinic ownership.

Career progression

Career progression and advancement cannot be understated when the appropriate CPD opportunity is undertaken. Healthia offers Allied Health opportunities across three main areas including Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Optometry with over 30+ brands. This allows Allied Health professionals to access work opportunities from a diverse range of businesses across Australia.

CPD can offer vastly different opportunities if you are new to the allied health industry or have been practicing for some time. For example, those that are more experienced clinicians may be more interested in advanced or specialised CPD, exploring options in clinic ownership and/or seeking CPD opportunities which teach relevant business and management skills. For graduates new in the field, it may be about consolidating and building on their clinical skills and knowledge base, proactively engaging in innovative trends and the use of technology such as telehealth.

Regardless of where you find yourself, Healthia offers opportunities for growth and progression through their supportive programs. Check out the Healthia jobs on offer here.

CPD Learning Types - Why It Matters

Have you ever considered how you learn best? Does the penny drop after you’ve watched somebody else perform a task? Or are you a tactile learner who likes to get physically involved from the get-go? When considering the type of CPD program or workshop you’d like to register for, how you learn best is worthy of consideration.

It’s interesting to consider the two common types of learning; active and passive. Though active learning may sound hard and significantly tiresome, this isn’t necessarily true in all cases. According to Graduate Programs for Educators, active learning requires students to think, discuss, challenge, and analyze information. Whereas passive learning requires learners to absorb, assimilate, consider, and translate information. When considering a lecture style CPD opportunity vs a debate or problem solving role play activity, take a moment to recognise which one you may enjoy more whilst not eliminating the chance for personal growth when pushed outside your comfort zone. 

You could also consider self-directed learning - a hands-off approach commonly seen within CPD providers. Learners will be given a varying range of resources such as text, video and visual guides which learners work through independently. This kind of learning requires discipline particularly when there are ambiguous deadlines and expectations.

Healthia offers a range of programs including Graduate Programs, Clinical Leadership Programs, Business Leadership Programs and a Professional Development Conference, along with numerous workshops, all differing in their education delivery methods. Take a closer look at these programs and gain a clear understanding of the benefits Healthia can offer you.

Whether you’re a new graduate kick starting your career in Allied Health or you’re progressing onto the exciting world of clinic ownership, Healthia is here for you. They not only provide support in exceeding your CPD requirements but they proactively offer workshops, courses and programs to see you truly thrive within the Allied Health industry.

If you are looking for the perfect Allied Health role, Next in Health is working to help new graduates and experienced Allied Health Professionals find their next role.

Visit https://nextinhealth.com.au/healthia-jobs/