We recently ran a little experiment… and asked some of our staff: what are the 3 main benefits of working for SAHCT?
We expected some of the answers… but some of things that our team really value surprised us!
Here are their most common responses:
1. Pick and choose your own hours
One of the questions we ask anyone who’s interested in working with us is:
“What does your ideal work week look like?”
Do you want full-time work? Or only a couple of days per week? Only available between school drop-off and pick-up? Need to work around sporting committments?
We don’t advertise for 0.6 or 1.0 FTE:
We have full-time, part time and casual employees… and they let us know how much they’d like to work!
2. Rewarding, client centred, goal focussed work
Our focus is helping older adults stay happy and healthy in their own homes.
This means a wide range of clinical presentations… and focusing more on functional difficulties than just pain management
(if that’s what the client wants)
Something that really stands out with our physios in particular… being able to work on what our clients want to work on.
3. Variety in caseload
Even though our focus is helping older adults stay happy and health at home, this comes with a lot of variety.
A normal day includes things like:
- Long-term strength, balance, and mobility rehabilitation
- Falls prevention
- Short-term rehabilitation (e.g. clients who are post elective joint replacement)
- Home safety assessments
- Equipment presciption
The list goes on!
NOTE: We provide our therapists with regular and formal professional development
Recent sessions have include:
- Strength and Balance: Latest Evidence
- Floor Transfer Training
- Management of lower limb arthritis (GLA:D)
4. Consistent workload with regular clients.
We didn’t realise how often this one would come up:
Continuity and consistency and having the same therapist for the same client
When this one was raised it made sense:
We get to work with clients to help them achieve their short, medium AND long-term goals
We get to see a difference. And that’s job satisfaction.
It’s amazing to be able to scroll up through the notes history of client we’ve been seeing on an ongoing basis and see the shift from:
- Pain management, to
- Mobility rehabilitation and no longer needing a mobility aid, to
- Taking the bins out independently!
That being said, some of our team like variety
(so they choose their case-load to be more of the initial home safety assessment, equipment prescription, problem solving, transition care and rehab in the home approach)
Our therapists get to have a say in not just HOW MUCH work they’d like to do, but also WHAT TYPE of work they’d like.
5. Above average pay
Money isn’t everything… but we know that people have bills to pay!
We’d rather pay a bit extra so our team are happy both in terms of job satisfaction and financial security.
Oh, and if there’s a gap in your schedule?
That should never come out of your pocket!
(we’ll never force anyone to take an annual leave day just because they’re quiet… that’s our problem, not yours)
Maternity leave?
We offer a little extra on top of the Government’s paid parental leave.
6. Work close to home
This one was another surprise:
It makes sense to us, as much as it does for you, to not be driving over to the other side of the city.
Our goal is to have a neat run where you get to spend your time helping clients… not being stuck in traffic.
Need to pick the kids up from childcare?
Well then we won’t have you finish miles away, and being subjected to the variability of the South Road car park!
7. No pressure to rebook patients (or sell products)
We don’t measure the average number of sessions you see a client.
We don’t have any products to sell.
If a client no longer needs our services?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
All we ask of you is to be a good therapist… and focus on trying to keep your clients happy, healthy, and meet their goals.
Interested?
We’re currently hiring physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, and podiatrists.
And as you can see, we don’t specify how much you have to work with us
(that’s up to you)
Click here to contact us if you’d like to find out more…