What's your job about?
APM is an Occupational Rehabilitation provider that has extensive experience in the successful management of complex psychological injuries, stress claims, and physical injuries. Our teams regularly work with government agencies, and an increasing number of private sector organizations. My area of work is with psychological compensation claims and assisting with early intervention requests with veterans, government agencies, and the private sector. This includes going to treating practitioner reviews with clients, workplaces to discuss return to work assistance, or having meetings with the client and the case managers to ensure rehabilitation is proactive. The types of employers we visit include hospitals, government sites, construction sites, and schools.
What's your background?
I grew up in Toowoomba, QLD, living there until the end of eighth grade, at which point I relocated to Darwin, NT as my dad’s Army work required him to be there. It was a little strange for me, starting year 9 in Darwin as is it is still the last year of middle school – not yet high school, which in Darwin is years 10 to 12. My time in Darwin was a great experience though as it allowed me to learn about different cultures and a different lifestyles. After I graduated year 12, I went abroad with my Mum to the United Kingdom and France before returning to Australia for university. This time, I chose Melbourne, VIC, and completed a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in Rehabilitation Counselling and then a Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Counselling to gain my accreditation.
During my last semester of my post-degree studies, we were required to complete a 20-day placement within Rehabilitation Counselling and after some research, I reached out to APM for the opportunity. I was drawn to APM as they worked with the Australian Defence Force, which was an area I wanted to work in after having had family be members of the Army.
After my placement I was offered a full-time role as a Rehabilitation Consultant and have been with APM for two and a half years now – 18 months in Melbourne and one year in Canberra.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, generally Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, and Social Workers can be considered for this role, however, it also depends on the type of customers and assessments that need to be done. Unfortunately, if you are not from one of these backgrounds or similar it is likely this role would not be a fit for you.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love the most about my job is the flexibility around planning your own week – and the travel – I love traveling to different areas of the state, even out of the state, and even just going to different workplaces, doctor’s offices even cafes. I also love that I get to meet so many different people living so many different lives and hearing their stories.
What are the limitations of your job?
Within my role, there is a lot of responsibility around meeting timeframes and being proactive. I also find that there are my own expectations that I set for myself around my work and the help that I provide to our clients. The role can be physically demanding, especially when traveling a lot, however, I would say it is more emotionally demanding. For these reasons, self-care is super important to make sure you put in enough time for the things that make you feel rested and happy.
Some of the work that I do can be done outside normal business hours, which is great for flexibility of time. I choose not to work on weekends or after normal business hours, but this comes down to the planning of tasks throughout the week so that they are completed within your normal hours. Like most types of work, there are busy times – so planning and time management are essential skills to have.
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