Experiences of a new graduate occupational therapist in the Northern Territory

By Jenna Considine

Moving interstate as a graduate – terrifying or exciting?

I have to say, it really was a healthy mix of both. My name is Jenna, I am a new graduate occupational therapist working in Darwin in the Northern Territory. I am sharing my experience to inspire other early career and graduate therapists to take the leap and experience all that the Top End of Australia has to offer.

^{Jenna at the hospital entrance}

My journey to a role in the Northern Territory

To be completely honest, I did grow up in the NT so the prospect of moving here was not all that foreign, but I had to draw you into this blog somehow! Like many Darwin kids, I moved interstate for university. I spent four years studying at the University of Newcastle in NSW. I never really intended to come back to Darwin and, if you asked around at the hospital, you are hard pressed to find a young professional that is a local. Moving back here was out of my comfort zone. My routines, friends and occupations were so different to that of my childhood, so I would say it was a fairly new experience for me as well.  

How did I get here?

I was accepted to complete my final ten-week placement at the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) with the trauma team. I also completed a number of acute/sub-acute placements while at university and was certain I wanted experience working in the acute setting to build a variety of skills before venturing out into the big wide world of private OT. Coming to the end of my placement, my supervisor encouraged me to apply for the graduate position. There were no acute positions available in Newcastle at the time – at least not ones with a commute less than an hour. I was sure that full time work would be an exhausting change, and I probably needed my mornings and afternoons for self-care and sleep. I can now confirm that was an accurate assumption. When I was successful with the position at RDH, I thought ‘why not?’, and I was excited to try something new.

What attracted me to working in the Top End?

There are very enticing aspects to working for NT Health. For example, six weeks leave! You definitely need it up here because the adventure of the dry season is just too attractive. For those of you who are interstate, the NT only has two seasons – the dry and the wet. Admittedly, I did not know the order of the four seasons prior to moving interstate. The wet season (September to March, or just a little bit longer) is hot, and I mean sweating constantly hot, but it is great for fishing and seeing the beautiful views of our national parks. Plus, it’s footy season (AFL), which most people get involved with. The dry season (April to August) is cold, and I mean everyone is rugging up like they’re freezing at 25 degrees. In the dry, Darwin puts on the most incredible festivals and celebrations of food, culture and dance. I love the NT for so many reasons, but the dry makes Darwin and the NT feel like one big family. It is such a celebration of all the different cultures we have. There are markets, festivals, and it is the absolute best time to go camping. National parks are open for swimming, camping, day trips and a whole lot of four-wheel driving. The weather is perfect for swimming during the day and campfires at night.

^{Jenna at Nitmiluk National Park}

What is keeping me here?

You have heard what got me here, but what is making me stay? One hundred percent it is the work I get to do with our clients. This is the juicy part because I get to talk about OT, and I could talk about this all day. For the readers’ sake I will do my best to be succinct.

The opportunity to learn has been an aspect of working for NT Health. I have only been in the service for ten months and I have completed a six-month medical rotation, and I am four months into a joint medical/surgical rotation. During this time, I have and continue to upskill in more niche areas of OT such as hands, scar management, burns, lymphoedema, head injury, paediatrics, oncology and neurology. Everyone in my team has been so open and willing to share their knowledge both in and out of formal learning sessions. I feel incredibly lucky to have these opportunities and they are opportunities that I do not think would have been achievable in this time frame if I were in other metropolitan areas.

There are only six hospitals in the whole of the NT, and RDH is the largest. For reference, NSW has 228 public hospitals¹. We often have patients fly in from across the NT. The Top End region, where Darwin is located, has around about 96 communities, many of which are remote or very remote². These Aboriginal and First Nations communities use different languages, dialects and have different customs. The way people live and carry out their daily occupations is drastically different to those in any city in Australia, even Darwin. I get to work with my clients, their families and services both in and out of Darwin to plan for their return home, and to ensure they are supported to practice their daily routines and occupations. One of my favourite parts of this job is getting to listen to clients and their stories and connecting with them and their families.

I am not going to tell you that this role has not come without any challenges and frustrations, because it most definitely has. Wait times, limited services and restricted resources have, at times, left me feeling disheartened and anxious for the outcomes of our clients. These barriers are not just for those living regional and remote areas, but in Darwin as well. Reflecting on this recently, I have found a flip side. I feel like barriers such as these have pushed me to build my advocacy skills, my determination and creative, and my out-of-the-box thinking. This is an essential component to being an OT, especially in the Top End.

I often have to push myself to be as holistic as our profession advocates to be. I have to push myself to truly listen to what is important to my clients and what they would like to achieve from working with me. I think it is easy to be boxed into your own beliefs and assumptions about society, life and what we think essential occupations to be. I am so thankful to have these experiences early on in my career, because I am still stepping into myself as a professional and as a therapist. I think reflecting and trying to use a critical lens on my practice, no matter how uncomfortable that can be, has been one of my greatest motivators to do better and be better.