Emiliana Guerra, an occupational therapist at Monash Health, has recently been awarded the Elspeth Pearson Award from Occupational Therapy Australia.
The Elspeth Pearson Award enables award recipients to advance their clinical skills and expertise through access to professional development opportunities.
The award is targeted toward occupational therapists within their first three years of experience looking to establish a defined career path and or to final-year students seeking practical or academic experience in a specific discipline of occupational therapy.
Emiliana has been working at Monash Health since December 2021 as an occupational therapist in the Mental Health Program and has recently commenced a new role in the Mental Health Allied Health Graduate Program.
Emiliana said she applied for this award after it was bought to her attention by a leadership team member.
“I decided I wanted to specialise as a mental health occupational therapist after a year of working in the Mental Health Program, and this award provided me access to professional development activities and the opportunity to broaden my education and experience as a mental health occupational therapist,” Emiliana said.
Emiliana plans to use this award to advance her clinical skills and expertise in mental health practice through a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health at La Trobe University.
Emiliana said she chose to study occupational therapy because she is “passionate about health and wellbeing and enjoys working with people.”
“It was not until I started my degree that I learnt what occupational therapy was and the diverse career opportunities it has to offer. Now, I am in a fulfilling and rewarding position where I get to empower people to overcome barriers and make a genuine difference in their lives.”
At Monash Health, over 230 occupational therapists are working in a wide variety of roles, providing services to our community. This is what attracted Emiliana to begin her career at Monash Health.
“Support is provided to grow and build on your career. There are various roles for occupational therapists at Monash Health, with endless career opportunities. From acute settings and community health to research positions and senior leadership, there is much to look forward to!”
If you are an occupational therapist within your first three years of experience and are interested in applying for this award in 2024, you can visit the Occupational Therapy Australia website.
Congratulations to Emiliana for this incredible achievement!
