For the first time, Tasmanian-trained physiotherapy and speech pathology students will be celebrating graduations this week.
Seventeen physiotherapy students and seven speech pathology students will walk across the stage at the Launceston Conference Centre on Thursday (22 August).
The graduating workforce have already secured employment, filling critical vacancies across the State’s health sector.
“We are thrilled to see our first cohort of physiotherapy and speech pathology students graduate. This milestone has been achieved thanks to years of collaboration with our valued practitioner partners, the Department of Health, and Department for Education, Children and Young People” Professor Nuala Byrne, Head of the University’s School of Health Sciences, said.
“These courses form part of our Allied Health Expansion Program which was designed to create new opportunities to better support the health workforce needs in Tasmania. These inter-professional programs are place-based, regionally connected, and prepare graduates to deliver solutions to complex health problems.
“While our first cohort of graduates are now ready to provide much-needed allied health services, we have recently welcomed our third cohort – with 60 new students commencing our physiotherapy and speech pathology courses.”
Previously, students had to leave the state to pursue physiotherapy or speech pathology training without a guarantee they would return to Tasmania. The Master of Occupational Therapy is the next course in the Allied Health Expansion Program, with the University welcoming the inaugural intake in 2025.
The two-year graduate-entry courses are place-based programs featuring authentic practical study experiences in a range of health, education, and private sector settings.
Graduating cohort:
Master of Physiotherapy:
- Seventeen physiotherapy students will graduate in Launceston
- Most of the graduating cohort are Tasmanian
- Most of our students have secured employment locally, or on the mainland.
Master of Speech Pathology:
- Seven speech pathologists will graduate in Launceston
- All are Tasmanian – one from the North; one North West; and five from the South
- All students have secured employment in Tasmania, aligned to the regions above
- Two students received a THS (Tasmanian Health Service) Graduate Scholarship.
Image caption: Master of Speech Pathology graduate Claire Kent (left) and Master of Physiotherapy graduate Larissa Brake were among 24 allied health students who graduated.