From nursing to occupational therapy, new Allied Health Graduate Keisha Perera can’t keep away from an acute care setting.
‘I used to be a nurse at the Kingston Centre before I decided to switch careers and become an occupational therapist, and that’s why I really wanted to end up in an acute care setting in a hospital environment,’ she said.
‘It’s fast-paced, but I’m really happy.’
With a Master of Occupational Therapy Practice from Monash University, Keisha has started on her first rotation at the Victorian Heart Hospital (VHH) as part of our Allied Health graduate program.
‘It’s definitely what I’d hoped it would be, and there’s endless learning opportunities,’ she said.
‘Monash Health is about building your learning and being in a supportive environment, and I’ve been feeling that a lot.
‘I haven’t been as stressed as you’d imagine someone would be in their first job in a new field!’
Keisha was drawn to make the shift to Allied Health to expand the nature of the care she could provide her patients.
‘Occupational therapy (OT) is all about communication and getting to know patients on a really personal level so you can find ways to help them be able to do what they find meaningful,’ she said.
After starting two months ago, Keisha will finish her rotation at the VHH in July and then either move into a new rotation in a community care, acute or subacute setting at a different site.
Keisha first trained as a nurse with Monash Health’s Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program, so she was over the moon to land back at Monash Health in the Allied Health graduate program!
‘As soon as I started my course in OT I knew I wanted to come back and work at Monash Health,’ she said.
‘When I was in the Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program, I found I was very well supported by my supervisor and other clinicians, but it was really the education aspect that drove me to apply to Monash Health again because there are a lot of learning opportunities here.’
There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing improvements in her patients after implementing OT interventions, Keisha said.
‘It makes me feel very satisfied,’ she said.
‘I like that I get to take my patients’ minds off the medical side of things, and work on their personal goals and what they want to achieve while making them feel involved in the process.’
Keisha is one of over 120 Allied Health graduates who have been successful at obtaining a placement within our Allied Health graduate program in 2025.
Please make our graduates feel welcome and supported as they continue to settle into their new roles.
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.
