It takes a certain kind of person to work in the disability space, equally so when it comes to working with kids.
According to Monash Health Exercise Physiologist Paul Mauracher, working in disability and with kids in a community-based setting, “is a rare combination, suited to only a few special people”.
“This is why I think our team culture is the way it is,” Paul said.
Paul works in a multidisciplinary team within Monash Community, providing support for children who have an injury, illness, developmental delay, and/or disability.
“We as a team take so much pride in what we do, and we are passionately dedicated to our clients and their families,” Paul said.
“We understand and know the significant positive impact we can have on a person’s development and life through our client and family evidence-based practice.”
Paul began his career in a different profession providing reactive treatment to injuries but always felt that a proactive approach was a better philosophy.
After completing his degree in Exercise Physiology Paul continued working in private practice.
“I enjoyed this work, but it was a lonely and poorly supported role,” he said.
At this time, one of Paul’s placement supervisors mentioned to him the support she had received at Monash Health.
“She spoke about the transdisciplinary skills she was learning from working as a part of the multi-disciplinary team and this conversation led me to look for new opportunities,”
As luck would have it, at the time Monash Health were advertising a community-based Paediatric Exercise Physiology role.
Paul said applying for the role was “one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
“It’s given me amazing learning opportunities through supervision, transdisciplinary learning, and professional development,” he said.
“The transition to the paediatric space was a breath of fresh air which immediately validated my choice and sparked a passion to work in this space.”
A typical day in Paul’s work life includes both operational and clinical work in our community sites and in clients’ homes.
Paul’s clinical work also includes community outreach in schools, kindergartens and early learning centres, as well as community engagement at venues including playgrounds, sporting fields, community centres and gyms.
“Part of our work involves providing education sessions for our participants and their families or guardians to help empower them to take control of their condition, and health coaching to support the interventions and therapy we provide to lead to, hopefully, lifelong change.”
One of Paul’s most memorable patient interactions during his time at Monash Health was with a young client who had been referred to from Monash Health’s Clinical Gait Analysis Service.
“A combination of pain, lack of self-belief, and previously perceived failures gave her minimal confidence when applying herself to physical goals.”
Paul’s client’s goal was to not finish last in her school’s cross-country race, which was scheduled four months from when they first met.
“We worked together with her family, educating them and putting together a training program for her to do at home with the support of her parents and siblings,” he said.
“At the same time, we completed in-clinic sessions looking at strengthening, stabilising and improving her balance and stability.”
By incorporating a combination of pain management strategies, over the next few months, Paul and his team were able to control her pain and improve her function, strength and stability.
“After all her hard work, the end result was her returning to the clinic just two days after her cross country, with a ribbon in hand and a smile from ear to ear!” Paul said.
“She was so excited to share her amazing accomplishment with me, and less excited when she realised our goals had been achieved and discharging her to self-manage was the next step in her rehabilitation journey.”
Paul said that by choosing to work at Monash Health, he was offered an opportunity that didn’t exist in the private sector.
“It allowed me to work exclusively with the paediatric population, which is a rarity in my profession,”
“I’ve had access to a range of learning opportunities both clinically and operationally and have had the support to build my interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills.”
Interested in a career in Exercise Physiology at Monash Health? Learn more about the opportunities available and take a look at our current vacancies on our Exercise Physiology Careers page.