Royal Perth Hospital physios lend a hand at Kalgoorlie Health Campus

Physiotherapists from Royal Perth Bentley Group are gaining valuable rural experience thanks to a team effort between WA Country Health Service and East Metropolitan Health Service.

Madelyn Stringer and Mike Webster arrived in the Goldfields in late August after signing up for a two-month deployment at Kalgoorlie Health Campus.

For Madelyn, who has been a Physiotherapist for two years, it was the perfect opportunity to return to regional WA.

“I was born in Perth but spent some time as a teenager in the Great Southern,” she said.

“I also did a couple of months in the Kimberley on my final placement as a student and absolutely loved it. This experience has been very reminiscent of that so far – it’s been great.”

Madelyn, who has worked at Royal Perth Bently Group since graduating university, is relishing the opportunity to undertake professional development.

She said she’d received a warm welcome from staff, patients and the wider Kalgoorlie community.

“I put my hand up for a few different reasons including wanting to lend a helping hand, and being able to get regional experience,” she said.

“I wanted to see the other side of the coin to what we only get a small glimpse of in the metro hospitals.”

Madelyn has been mainly working in the hospital with the occasional home visit in Kalgoorlie and surrounding communities.

“I’m currently covering the outpatient clinic in Kalgoorlie and am seeing patients with similar presentations and surgical procedures in Perth,” she said.

“But for quite a few of these patients, I’ve found goals have had a more functional orientation at a much earlier stage because you’re unsure when they will next be in town.”

For Michael, who’s been at Royal Perth Bently Group for two years, it’s been a “busy but refreshing” experience setting into a new town.

“I’ve always had an interest in working rurally, so the opportunity to try it out for a couple of months was a no brainer,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying learning from the people who work here in Kalgoorlie, especially about providing healthcare to patients from regional communities.”

Madelyn and Michael both cited a love of helping people among the reasons they pursued a career in allied health.

“I love the human body and understanding how everything fits together,” Madelyn said.

“Physio has allowed me to empower patients to be able to help themselves and make a long-term positive impact on their health.”