Considering a career in health? Perhaps you want to look into an allied health course that might spark a new passion. You could find your calling as an Allied Health professional.
But before we dig deeper into why these roles are so important, let’s answer your first question—what is an allied health professional?
Allied health professionals or practitioners are people specially trained for a specific healthcare role, who aren’t your standard doctors, nurses or dentists but could include Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Community Rehabilitation Therapists.
Our healthcare system appreciates that there are many more aspects to health services beyond the work of what were considered traditional health care practitioners — like mental health, social wellbeing, community health and more.
Therefore, allied health professionals together provide care that is complementary to the more traditional doctor–patient model. Why are allied health professionals important? Because each has a role to play in maintaining and improving the physical and mental health of our society.
Allied Health roles might include psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, physiologists or physiotherapists, to name a few. Your doctor can refer you on to allied health professionals that can help you with a specific area or health issue.
As you can see, a career in allied health is one that is part of the fabric of a functioning, healthy community. That’s just one of the reasons why prospective TAFE course students are leaning more and more towards a career in allied health.
Here are just a few more reasons why you might want to consider taking an allied health course towards a career in allied health.
Allied health is a rapidly growing part of Australia’s health workforce. The number of registered professionals is growing each year. The fastest-growing fields are occupational therapy, osteopaths and physiotherapy.
Demand for allied health professionals is expected to grow further over the next decade as Australia’s population changes.
Allied health professionals often focus on helping those that slip through the cracks in society. Those who struggle with mental health, for example, or those who can’t or won’t access traditional care due to living in a remote community.
Not only is this incredibly important and rewarding, but it also means that there is immense flexibility for prospective TAFE course graduates considering a career in this field. You can work anywhere in the country, banish the 9–5 working day, and help those who really need it. Win–win–win.
Our governments appreciate the role that allied health professionals have. As such, the sector is often in the spotlight when it comes to innovation, trying to work out the ways in which we can best help more people.
The latest federal election and preceding federal budget is a prime example. The Liberal Government is investing in ‘record health funding’, increasing spend for the sector by 9% with specific focuses on rehabilitative care.
As governments rotate and budgets flex, there’s a constant push on the sector to adapt, grow and innovate. It means that your career prospects look incredibly bright, whether you stay in the same role or move around the sector.
Working as an allied health professional is an incredibly rewarding career. Not only do you know that you are providing an essential service to the community, but you also get to experience the one-on-one interaction with your clients, seeing your efforts pay off in front of your eyes.
What’s more, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals who are all doing what they’re doing for a common goal—to help people. It’s not surprising that allied health attracts some of the most compassionate and empathetic people out of all sectors.
If you are considering a career as an allied health professional, a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (HLT43015) is the perfect starting point. And the great news is, you may be eligible to study this course with Free TAFE**.
The qualification will prepare you to provide therapeutic and recovery related support to allied health professionals who have an overview of the patients recovery and treatment plan. Working under supervision, you will assist with day to day and ongoing recovery activity prescribed and defined by allied health professionals. You will gain skills and knowledge enabling you assist and work with a specialist clinician in occupational therapy, physiotherapy and community rehabilitation as allied health assistants in a health care environment.
The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (HLT43015) at Kangan Institute also includes a work placement component in the allied health services industry for a four week period, ensuring that your classroom learning is enhanced with real world experience.
Want to study allied health at Kangan Institute? You can find out about more about our course on our website, call us on 138 233, or apply online now.
*Sourced June 2019
