Partnership Success - Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy

Featured in the AHTA Fingerprint magazine Issue 142 March 2025.

Partnership Success - Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy

Qualified Hand Therapists are in high demand throughout Australia and internationally. Yet, for many clinic owners and employers, finding the time and resources to train their early career staff can be a problem. In 2023, the Australian Hand Therapy Association partnered with the Hand Faculty to bring the Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy to employers in both public and private settings, to reduce the burden of training and improve workforce demand.

Designed for postgraduate Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists, the one-year Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy program is designed to fit around participants’ existing work schedules, with an achievable balance of online and in-person tuition. Intakes are capped at 8 individuals per cohort, with four cohorts running each year.

For private practice owners and department heads, access to the Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy means that they can save time and money by outsourcing hand therapy training. Students are required to complete weekly tasks with the help of a workplace mentor and a weekly 30-minute tutorial and a 60m fortnightly case study with a hand faculty tutor.

Now in it’s third year, the program has received great feedback from employers, mentors and students.

Several practices now see the course as a ‘win-win’ opportunity and have returned to enrol new students. Clinical Leader and Hand Therapist, Mel McCulloch, says that the process of having a workplace mentor is ideal because it “trains the supervisor as well as the early-career therapist. It has enabled the supervisor (workplace mentor) to also reflect and develop their leadership skills – a win for all” she added.

Occupational Therapist and Hand Therapist Yaser Yousry, pictured, has said that being a mentor in the program’s 12 month journey was very rewarding. Having access to new research in the field has boosted his confidence and given him access to new assessment and management approaches.

“Before becoming a mentor, I didn’t see myself as equipped to supervise, educate, or guide another therapist’s development. However, this experience has ignited a new passion for mentoring, and I’ve discovered how rewarding it is to contribute to someone’s professional growth” he said.

Amanda Sawadsky, another workplace mentor said that one of the notable features of the program is its clear structure and organised delivery. This gave her the opportunity to structure supervision during clinic time without needing to do a lot of one-on-one training.

For Mel McCulloch, the fact that students acquire important skills that “go beyond” clinical competencies is also a win. She said that having graduates who have received instruction on billing, promotion and caseload management, meant the teachings “were much deeper” and added extra value to the clinic.

For students such as Luca Almiento, undertaking the Early Career Fellowship in Hand Therapy provides access to new knowledge experiences. “Treating my first patient from first consult through to discharge was a huge milestone for me” he said. “I also found the anatomy and assessment resources invaluable” he added.

Similarly, for student Daisy, the experience was ‘amazing’. In particular, the breadth of the lectures and the opportunity to get to know a great cohort of hand therapists have helped her build her career.

“The program provides a solid foundation … and a structured learning plan that is achievable within the timeframe” she said.