We are so lucky to have a wonderful team at PHP, including our amazing reception team. Taylor is on reception each Saturday and while many of you might see her regularly, a lot of our regular week-day clients might not have had the chance to meet her.
We recently chatted to Taylor and put together a little Q&A to help you all get to know her a little better. We’re sure you’ll agree, we have a great, friendly reception team; don’t hesitate to say hi or have a chat next time you’re in!
You’re studying Occupational Therapy; are you enjoying it? What inspired you to study OT?
I’m currently in my fourth and final year of OT and I absolutely love it. The classes are so interesting and I’m lucky to have a great cohort at uni.
I have always wanted to work with kids and do something under the health umbrella. When I was trying to decide, I went to heaps of uni open days, however I already knew I wanted to go to Deakin in Geelong because I just love it down there. I heard a talk about OT and had no clue what it was but it sounded like something I would like. So, I did some further research into what OT was and I asked a few friends who see OTs about their experiences and it was ticking all the boxes…fast forward a few years and here we are!
Do you have a particular goal in mind for when you graduate/what kind of setting would you like to work in?
Since my first year I thought I knew where and who I wanted to work with. I have always loved kids, and at times I can be a bit like a child myself, so I thought that would be perfect. After completing and loving placement in hand therapy, it’s thrown me a little and now I’m not sure if I would prefer to work with kids or in hand therapy…I also loved the fast pace of working in the hospital environment.
Did you get to complete work placement this year (or did COVID ruin it)? Were you based in a hospital or private practice? What did you enjoy the most?
Yes, I completed my final 8 week placement in hand therapy at a hospital. I was very lucky and managed to just finish placement before Stage 3 restrictions were put in place. I really loved my experience with hand therapy. To be honest, when I initially saw I was placed in hand therapy, I was really gutted as I didn’t think I would enjoy it, but I honestly loved every minute of it. The best part about it was that every day was different and although I saw many people with similar injuries, my approach and treatment always varied. I loved making splints for people and seeing them improve and regain use of their hand was so rewarding. The hospital environment was a great place to learn about the role of other health professionals and the diversity in terms of places an OT can work (for example, inpatient, rehab, community, hand therapy).
So, you’re a pretty sporty person…How long have you played Netball and Lacrosse? Have you always been a very active person?
I absolutely love playing any sport and have always been an active person. At school, I would join every sports team there was available and usually have sport every day of the week. I have played netball since I was six and lacrosse for the last four years. I started netball with a group of friends from primary school because they needed an extra player and haven’t stopped since!
A teacher at my high school would always pester me to join her lacrosse club however I was too focused on netball, and then one week a friend of mine dragged me to lacrosse training and – even though I honestly only went to please her – I fell in love with lacrosse and Now my only regret is not starting earlier. It is such a great game, the club atmosphere is amazing, and everyone is willing to help everyone else improve.
I also coach netball and lacrosse which is a great way to get involved in the club. I have coached netball for a while now and it’s so great to see my little team improve and watch their friendships grow. I started coaching lacrosse two years ago. Having a little Under 9’s team is a good laugh on a Sunday morning, and they really love it and have all improved over the season.
How have you coped throughout the last few months with all group sports being cancelled and remote learning with uni? Is there anything you’ve done that has helped you get through?
I won’t lie, isolation has been a bit of a struggle with all scheduled sport being cancelled and uni moving to being taught online. I have gone for lots of runs, done some home workouts, had many online catch ups with friends, and had lots of uni work to do. I have tried to do some kind of exercise every day and made a plan of at least one thing I want to achieve every day, which helped me stay positive and on track.
I also decided to learn the alphabet in sign language, rearrange my bedroom, and do a spring clean out of my room, so that helped to help me busy!
Online uni has been a learning curve for everyone; I definitely prefer being in the classroom, however I’ve enjoyed the added challenge of remote learning.
Thanks to Taylor for taking the time to share some interesting details about her life outside of Premier Health Partners. Next time you’re in, be sure to say hi and check how she’s going with her hand therapy/working with children predicament!
