University of Southern Queensland offers OT and Physio programs at Toowoomba campus

As a way to combat a healthcare shortage, a regional Qld university has opened up two allied health programs in Toowoomba with the hopes to fill a much needed gap in the workforce. Meet a couple of the inspiring students:

University of Southern Queensland first-year occupational therapy student Elle Weeding and first-year physiotherapy student Liisa-Henriette Cooper are part of the first cohort of students at UniSQ's Toowoomba campus. Picture: Christine Schindler

University of Southern Queensland students Liisa-Henriette Cooper and Elle Weeding have just finished their first class of a health degree offered for the first time at the university’s Toowoomba campus.

But with families and roots in Toowoomba, they are not the average, first-year university healthcare students.

In four years time Ms Cooper is set to graduate from an honour’s degree in physiotherapy, and Ms Weeding in occupational therapy.

They both share a desire to upskill from their own past work experiences and work within regional and rural Queensland communities.

They have joined a cohort of about 30 people in each program, many with similar backgrounds, who are now empowered to pursue allied health careers at home without having to undertake hefty commutes or move to cities.

University of Southern Queensland first-year physiotherapy student Liisa-Henriette Cooper, occupational therapy program director Priya Martin with first-year occupational therapy student Elle Weeding. The students are part of the first cohort of OT and Physio degree programs at UniSQ's Toowoomba campus. Picture: Christine Schindler

Now a yoga teacher, Ms Cooper came to Australia as an Estonian backpacker, met her Aussie husband in a pub, and they moved to Toowoomba to raise their son.

A marriage celebrant and mother of three, Ms Weeding grew up in Toowoomba and has experience working as a teacher aide and in an occupational therapy support role.

She decided to study OT after seeing how much it helped her son, who is on the spectrum.

Being able to study at the Toowoomba campus and access family support for their young kids means that the completing the degree has become a realistic choice.

The program, with flexible online lectures and in-person tutorials, aims to recruit students like Ms Cooper and Ms Weeding, and means to have a flow-on effect by contributing to a more stable future workforce for regional areas.

“Regionally and rurally it is really hard to recruit and retain staff for all health professionals, especially in OT,” OT program director and Associate Professor Priya Martin said.

University of Southern Queensland occupational therapy program director and associate professor Priya Martin. Picture: Christine Schindler

Working for more than 20 years within the health industry as an OT, Ms Martin has spent the last decade training healthcare workers in regional and remote roles and researching ways to retain them.

What is unique about the program is the focus on rural and regional healthcare, Ms Martin said.

This means be able to bring a much-needed regional and rural perspective to the workforce – whether the students decide to be practitioners or researchers.

While it is only one anatomy class into the degree, Ms Cooper hopes to find ways to integrate physio practices into her yoga teaching, potentially following to a research position.

Ms Weeding, on the other hand, wants to become a practising OT, with the hope to hold rotating day clinics around regional Queensland towns.

Originally published as University of Southern Queensland offers OT and Physio programs at Toowoomba campus