For Katie maintaining clinical practice comes back to a desire for lifelong learning.
“From a Speech perspective I love seeing clients and their families, I love accessing Speech Professional Development and I love learning so I need to keep it a part of my world.
“No matter where you are in your career, you can never know it all, so it is important for me to maintain that connection to clients and more broadly the NDIS,” she said.
The clinical component of the role has proved beneficial for Katie, helping to shape her interactions with other clinicians in her team.
“I have that clinical perspective of what it is like to be currently practicing and I’ve got that business side where I go ‘this is what we need to do’ or ‘this is what’s happening’. It really allows me to reflect and understand why things may have been difficult or tricky to navigate both clinically and professionally,” Katie explains.
When embarking on new stages of your career, including moving into more senior roles like Team Leading, Montrose continues to provide structured clinical supervision and professional support. In Katie’s experience, this included access to mentoring, a peer support group, training and upskilling, and finically funded PD like a new leader training course.
“With all the support I have received to help with the transition I am definitely feeling more confident. I have already dealt with things that I initially thought would be challenging so that has given me a boost too,” she said.
Although admittedly she is still finding the perfect balance, Katie says the position is a great fit and a positive step toward fulfilling her career goals.
“It feels right! I can’t see myself as an SCM now that I am in this role. I don’t think I could have given up my clinical practice and stayed happy.
“I love team leading,” Katie said.
