Ballarat Region Service Learning Information

Allied Health Service Learning placements commenced in 2017 in Occupational Therapy, followed by Physiotherapy in 2018 and Social Work in 2021. Student placements have been developed to address BSHS’s need for increased allied health services across their programs, with a focus on dementia care and improving the wellbeing of older adults residing in long-term care.

BSHS currently hosts Physiotherapy placements throughout the year. Planning is underway to resume Occupational Therapy and Social Work from 2024.

Physiotherapy placements are well suited to Gerontology and Subacute subject areas. Students attend the Skipton and Beaufort campuses and experience a range of settings including outpatients, TCP, and aged care. Students have a supported hands-on learning experience, while assisting to provide needed services to the local community. Paired placements are preferred to optimise peer-assisted learning opportunities and peer support while living away from home.

Allied health students work with clients and patients in various settings including acute, transitional care, community centre outpatients, home visits and aged care.

Physiotherapy: a collaborative supervision model is led by an external Physiotherapy supervisor, with support from onsite Physiotherapists, onsite Exercise Physiologist, Nurse Unit Managers and the BSHS Education team. The collaborative supervision model opens numerous opportunities for interprofessional learning and collaboration. The external Physiotherapy supervisor coordinates students’ learning activities, ensuring these meet students’ learning needs, while boosting physiotherapy services in needed areas across the health service.

Students apply their discipline-specific coursework to practice in various clinical settings and are exposed to a broad scope of practice. Students have opportunities to learn from and with healthcare professionals from other disciplines. There is collaboration with other students within Going Rural Health footprints via Peer Assisted Learning workshops. Students access online learning resources specific to rural practice and cultural awareness.

Allied Health placements at BSHS are well suited to students with prior clinical placement experience, strong communication skills, initiative and commitment to learning. Students are expected to work in pairs and at times without direct discipline-specific supervision.

Student accommodation is available in BSHS’s student house, a short walk from Beaufort Hospital and Beaufort’s town centre. Students book accommodation by contacting Beaufort Hospital directly. Students will require a car and driver’s licence.

Please email our placements team at Going Rural Health (Ballarat) for placement coordination information.

Going Rural Health has partnered with Uniting Ballarat since 2018 to coordinate Occupational Therapy service-learning placements. This occurred in response to increased need for OT support in the Street2Home outreach program which supports rough sleepers with access to services and assistance to secure long-term accommodation. As part of this placement program, OT students set up and ran a cooking skills program which is continuing to be run by volunteers to support participants with daily living skills.

In late 2023, Uniting Ballarat OT placements moved across to Reid’s Guest House. Reid’s Guest House provides short term to permanent accommodation for people who are facing homelessness. Reid’s is staffed 24/7 and high safety protocols are in place.

Students attend Reid’s Guest House to experience the OT role in a transitional recovery model of outreach support. Guided and supported by their OT supervisor, students work with participants in individual and group contexts where OT assessment and therapy supports are needed. Students also work alongside the onsite Social Worker and Housing Worker to assist the running of activity programs and provide wellbeing supports.

Reid’s Guest House supports adults from all walks of life who are experiencing crisis including homelessness, mental illness, alcohol and other drugs. Up to 68 people can be supported at a time.

External Occupational Therapy supervision is provided by a local OT with considerable experience in outreach support services. Students receive additional support from the onsite Social Worker, Manager, and Housing Worker. GRH staff provide placement coordination and mentoring support for students.

Students apply their coursework to practice through opportunities for observation and undertaking assessments and interventions. Working alongside onsite staff, students may assist with running and developing activity programs including cooking skills groups, walking groups and craft groups. Other programs may include tenancy support, support to access needed healthcare, and drug & alcohol support. Where needed, students apply their OT knowledge and skills to develop a resource or activity that will benefit the Reid’s community. Students attend placement in pairs to optimise peer support and peer-assisted learning opportunities. Going Rural Health provides online learning resources specific to rural practice and cultural awareness. There is collaboration with other students within Going Rural Health footprints via Peer Assisted Learning workshops and online tutorials.

This placement suits students with psychosocial interests, who have some previous placement experience and life experience. Students should be effective and adaptive communicators with some resilience.

Student accommodation is available at The University of Melbourne Ballarat and Creswick Campuses. Students book accommodation via the Going Rural Health website.

Please email our placements team at Going Rural Health (Ballarat) for placement coordination information.