Shirley

I worked for 35 years in a different sector, but as I looked to my future, I wanted to do something that would enable me to give back to my community. I’d been inspired by some OTs that had supported my daughter when she was unwell and also my father when he had a stroke. I saw the positive impact of their work firsthand, so I started to investigate OT career options.

It has certainly turned out to be a perfect choice for me. The best thing about my job is helping clients achieve their goals while continually increasing my knowledge base. My senior supervisor is fantastic, and the onboarding training at the start of the program was very in-depth. Even the interview was great! It was done in a relaxed style where I felt comfortable talking about my placement experiences and put my best foot forward. The pitch for work-life balance, the family-style culture and the ongoing support for grads at Ability Action Australia were huge selling points for me.

Looking ahead, I’m striving for a role as a Senior OT within the next five years. I would love the opportunity to support other students to discover the rewards of working in the NDIS sector and I hope to work my way up to a leadership role.

I obviously had a great deal of life experience behind me when I studied. What I learnt was:

• You don’t need to have ALL the answers, and you can always go back to clients with follow-up questions
• Know your personality and learning styles to assist with how you connect with the team and engage in your learning and supervision sessions
• Get to know the processes of the NDIS (something you’ll also learn lots about during the Ability Action Australia graduate program) and you’ll also learn how you can best manage your calendar to make the most of everyday