Ms Kassie Shardlow1, Mr Mark Gooding2
1Queensland Health | Metro South Health, Logan, Australia, 2Queensland Health | Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Townsville, Australia
Biography:
As Queensland’s Physiotherapy Clinical Education & Training Program Manager, Kassie provides strategic planning and professional leadership of state-wide clinical education and training initiatives for the Queensland Health Physiotherapy and Allied Health workforce and students. She’s passionate about the provision of high-quality education, training, and staff support to facilitate the provision of safe and effective health care.
Abstract:
Queensland Health’s Physiotherapy New Graduate Support Framework (Framework) supports new graduates’ (NGs) transition to practice. It ensures access to consistent, high-quality support strategies through a standardised approach and flexible delivery options. The Framework's five key pillars—onboarding and orientation, professional support and supervision, clinical skill development, health and wellbeing, and development of staff supporting NGs—offer a consistent, adaptable approach to NG support.
This presentation provides an overview of the Framework and findings from its first evaluation. Two surveys, based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, were distributed to NG support officers, directors/line managers, and NGs. Data analysis included descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data.
37 NG support staff and 25 NGs participated. 88% of NGs and 80% of NG support staff expressed satisfaction with the Framework. Over 80% of NGs and 70% of NG support staff found the Framework effective. Time constraints and lack of awareness were barriers, with mixed views on local support. Only 57% of NG support staff noted a positive culture for NG support, and less than 50% reported adequate resources for implementation.
While minor changes to the Framework are needed (e.g., simplifying instructions, providing specific guidelines for clinical settings), valuable lessons have emerged regarding targeted implementation strategies. These include further education on the Framework, support for local implementation, and appointing local champions. This presentation will discuss evaluation findings and implementation strategies, offering insights for other Allied Health disciplines to address common barriers and improve similar resources across healthcare settings.