Mrs Lisa Schmierer1, Ms Felicity Martin1
1Canberra Health Services, Garran, Australia
Biography:
Felicity Martin is Senior Director of Allied Health at Canberra Health Services (CHS), Felicity is committed to leading allied health workforce transformation. Felicity is working with Allied Health colleagues at CHS where she commenced worked on a Multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework. She has established a number of Advanced Practice Allied Health roles and trainee positions leading efficient, accessible and safe models of care. Felicity’s background includes leading the Speech Pathology Team and Quality and Safety leadership roles at CHS.
Abstract:
Workforce shortages in allied health are a growing challenge for healthcare services across Australia. Graduate programs are widely acknowledged in nursing and medicine for their role in improving recruitment, retention, and workforce sustainability, yet such programs remain underutilised in allied health. Canberra Health Services (CHS) has implemented a centralised allied health new graduate program, designed to support the transition of new graduates whilst addressing workforce shortages both now and into the future.
Piloted with six therapeutic allied health professions, the program featured centralised recruitment, coordinated onboarding and interprofessional orientation, clinical supervision, buddy program, 12-session interprofessional education program, and clinical rotations. A mixed methods evaluation conducted at six months revealed several key outcomes. Education and clinical supervision emerged as the most critical elements of the program, fostering confidence and competence in new graduates. Clinical supervision was linked with increased confidence, development of peer relationships, improved learning and broadening of thinking. The education program enhanced collaboration built strong interprofessional peer networks, and supported transition to practice. Additionally, clinical rotations provided diverse skill-building opportunities and expanded professional exposure. Overall, the program facilitated the development of strong support networks and positively influenced participants’ intention to remain at CHS.
This presentation outlines the design and implementation of the program, shares the findings from the evaluation, and discusses implications for workforce development. Future evaluations will further inform the program’s impact and sustainability. This model demonstrates the potential for centralised allied health graduate programs to strengthen recruitment and build capacity in allied health.