It was an overseas trip to Germany that inspired Allied Health graduate Georgia Poupoulis to pursue a career in speech pathology.
‘I was living in a country where I didn’t speak the language, and I found it really isolating,’ she said.
‘You can’t express your personality and all the aspects of yourself without being able to communicate.
‘Now I’ve found a passion for helping my patients be able to reconnect with their peers, family and community, and it’s really special.’
After successfully applying for our Allied Health graduate program, Georgia started her first rotation in acute speech pathology at Casey Hospital two months ago and said she’s been ‘absolutely loving it’.
‘It’s exceeded my expectations – I’ve been having a really good time here, and there’s a lot to learn as I didn’t have much experience in acute speech pathology previously,’ she said.
‘The team has been so supportive and welcoming, as well as the wider Allied Health team, so while some days have been really busy, I’ve been loving being here.’
On the day-to-day, Georgia has been assessing and managing patients swallowing and communication, including food and drink trials at the bedside, making recommendations about what textures are safe and providing communication recommendations to the care team if a patient experiences communication difficulties.
In May, she’ll rotate to community care at Cranbourne Integrated Care Centre – but she’s itching for a very specific placement.
‘I have a real interest in aphasia and in rehabilitating language after stroke, so it would be really rewarding to end up on a stroke ward,’ Georgia said.
‘When working with language, the brain is so complex, and you’ve never got any guarantees.
‘I also really love learning about dysphagia!’
With a tertiary background in linguistics and foreign languages, and now a hard-earned Masters of Speech Pathology from the University of Melbourne, Georgia knew she wanted to start her career off at Monash Health after completing two student placements here.
‘I found both the culture and the clinicians wonderful, very supportive and good for learning,’ she said.
‘The clinicians were very knowledgeable, patient, considerate, and patient-focused, and were up to date with the latest evidence-based learning and all these things made it really appealing for me.
‘I also really wanted to work in public health because I believe everyone should have access to good quality, accessible healthcare and I liked the rotational system offered so I could try different things and take part in continuous improvement projects and research.’
While speech pathology is all about communication, Georgia has already learned that the most valuable skill she can possess as a speech pathologist is the ability to listen.
‘It’s the most important because everything we do revolves around listening – whether it’s to someone’s voice, overt signs of aspiration, but also to hear out the patient and what’s important to them to improve their quality of life,’ she said.
Georgia’s year in our Allied Health graduate program is now well underway, and she’s fortunate enough to have joined the largest speech pathology department in Melbourne.
Please make sure to make them feel welcomed and supported as they continue to settle into their new roles across our health service.
To find out more about allied health graduate and early career opportunities at Monash Health, all are welcome to register to attend the Monash Health Allied Health Early Career Webinar on Tuesday 13 May.