After graduating from Mater Education’s Allied Health Assistant course together, Deidre Southam and Amaya Wiseman have gone from classmates to colleagues as they secure Occupational Therapy (OT) Assistant jobs at Mater Hospital Brisbane.

After leaving high school, Amaya started Mater’s Allied Health Assistant Course with placement at Mater South Brisbane.

“I knew that I wanted to work at Mater, so when an OT Assistant opportunity came up, I jumped at it,” said Amaya.

Fellow Mater OT Assistant, Kelly Stephens, echoed Amaya’s sentiment saying, “with our aging population, there are more roles becoming available for occupational therapists, and where there are OTs there are OT Assistants.”

Mater’s newest team of OT Assistants includes Maria Morgan, Deidre Southam, Anna Sing, Amaya Wiseman and Kelly Stephens. These dedicated women work across many specialties, including paediatrics, antenatal, neuro, stroke, orthopaedics, medical, hands, lymphoedema and the surgical wards.

Working under the guidance of Occupational Therapists the women help patients develop their motor skills, recover from injury or illness and generally maintain necessary skills for day-to-day living.

“An important part of our job is engaging with our patients. What differs in our role to other health care professionals is the extra time we get to spend with patients which allows us to have a deeper understanding of their needs and experiences,” Anna explained.

“Being in hospital can be quite stressful and overwhelming, especially for someone who has never been there before,” Deidre said.

“We help a patient understand what is happening. If we can make them laugh or help them feel better about their situation, then it’s a good day.”

Maria emphasised her passion for people working as an OT Assistant at Mater.

“There is a sense of respect and connection among staff which makes collaboration within the team and across departments enjoyable to be part of.”

Agreeing with Maria, Kelly finds the reputation of Mater among the community as a drawcard to the job. 

“I love that I get to be a part of an important organisation with a high standing in the community,” Kelly beamed.

“Every patient is important and it’s the best feeling when you get to see them go home.”

In OT Week this year, we want to educate people on the role occupational therapy plays in patient care.