October 1, 2024 • 31 mins
Today, we get to sit down with physiotherapist Judy Chesney who's rich background in anatomy, extensive private practice experience, volunteer work in East Timor, and specialized training in pediatrics, is a powerful testament to the versatility and dedication required to be a rural generalist physio.
Judy shifted from private practice to locum travel work in 2021. Her adventurous spirit has taken her to diverse rural locations like Mildura, Mount Isa, and Thursday Island, where she has made significant contributions to public health.
For graduate physiotherapists contemplating rural generalist roles, Judy shares invaluable advice, underscoring the "fake it till you make it" approach and the importance of leveraging available resources and networks. She opens up about her journey from managing limited supplies to engaging deeply with community priorities, showing how adaptability and genuine care can lead to impactful health outcomes.
We also dive into the complexities of working in remote and Indigenous communities, highlighting the scarcity of resources and the necessity for healthcare professionals to improvise and advocate for their patients' needs. Judy’s insights on the importance of community engagement offer a blueprint for achieving long-term positive changes.
This episode of It Takes Heart has CEO of cmr Sam Miklos hosting alongside Head of Talent and Employer Branding, Kate Coomber.
We Care; Music by Waveney Yasso
More about Judy's Charity of Choice:
St George Tri Club
St George Tri Club is an affiliated triathlon club with Triathlon Queensland and we welcome all abilities to our club. It's the best place to start if you want to try a triathlon or just want to get fit and exercise with like minded people.
Our club is all about having fun and encouraging each other to enjoy getting fit and staying healthy together. Visit http://www.battleonthebalonne.com/ for more information.
Get to know cmr better!
Follow @ittakesheartpodcast on Instagram, @cmr | Cornerstone Medical Recruitment on Linked In, @cornerstonemedicalrec on TikTok and @CornerstoneMedicalRecruitment on Facebook.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sam Miklos (00:00):
We care for the land and sea.
We care for the energy.
We care for our community.
We care.
Welcome to it Takes Heart.
(00:21):
I'm Sam Miklos and I'm KateCoomba.
We hope you enjoy theseincredible stories of healthcare
professionals making adifference in communities across
Australia and beyond.
Through our conversations, welook to celebrate the spirit of
community and care.
We acknowledge the traditionalcustodians of the land who have
long practised and sharedancient methods of healing,
providing care and support fortheir communities with wisdom
(00:44):
passed down through generations.
Kate Coomber (00:46):
Join us as we explore what it truly means to
take heart.
Sam Miklos (00:55):
Today we're chatting with physiotherapist Judy
Chesney.
Judy was working in privatepractice when, in 2021, she made
the bold move into locum travelwork and hasn't looked back
since.
Hailing from Bellingen in NewSouth Wales, judy is full of
life.
She loves to travel, keepactive, explore new and
wonderful places and makeslifelong friends wherever she
goes.
In recent years, judy haslargely worked as a rural
(01:19):
generalist physio in locationslike Mildura, catherine Young,
mount Isa, st George, cairns andeven Thursday Island.
We're really looking forward tohearing about the life of a
travelling rural generalistphysio today.
Welcome, judy, to the it TakesHeart podcast.
Judy Chesney (01:36):
Thank you, good to meet you.
Thank you very much.
Sam Miklos (01:40):
So, Judy, where are you today?
Judy Chesney (01:44):
I'm actually working in a role that I picked
up myself.
It's in uh Jindabyne, so therewasn't much on offer when I was
looking.
So I saw an ad for a privatepractice in Cooma and I thought,
well, I'll come down and I'lltry some skiing.
I was gonna say are you skiing?
(02:04):
Well, I'm trying.
Yes, I've taken a few, I'vetaken a few lessons and I'll try
some skiing.
I was going to say are youskiing?
Well, I'm trying.
Yes, I've taken a few lessonsand I'm going very slowly.
I haven't had skis on for 35years, so it's a big learning
curve.
Again.
How?
Kate Coomber (02:17):
amazing, how amazing.
How did you?
Judy Chesney (02:23):
actually get into.
How did you become a physio?
Well, I think I've always beenquite interested in the human
body.
I started off doing a studyingteaching and did some units of
anatomy and I found them veryeasy and interesting to do.
And then the opportunity wasthere to to turn it into a
career.
I could have chosenphysiotherapy or chiropractic or
(02:49):
osteopathy, but physiotherapyhappened to be the one that was
free, so I took a leap and wentwell, I'll do that.
And I had a young family so Ithought I needed to have a
career of some sort that wouldsupport them, yeah, and that
possibly would be really goodfor travelling and moving out of
the city yeah, and did youalways work in private practice
(03:12):
or did you work across beforeyou stepped into this travelling
locum work?
Sam Miklos (03:16):
where did you work predominantly?
Judy Chesney (03:17):
No, I spent 14 years in the public health
system in a rural hospital, soon the north coast, and then I
did a little bit of rehab workand private practice work and
some in the private hospital.
So I did quite a few bits andpieces worked in the nursing
homes.
So it actually really sort ofexhausted most of the
(03:40):
opportunities that wereavailable around where I was
living.
And then I noticed a job withCornerstone at Mount Isa and
thought, well, it fitted myskill set and I look at that.
I did some volunteer work yearsago in East Timor.
Was that training nurses?
(04:02):
Yeah, training nurses.
Was that training nurses?
Yeah, training nurses.
And then I became interested inpaediatrics and did some time
down in Melbourne and in anotherpaediatric private practice.
So I've got a kind of a verybig range of generalist skills.
You know orthopaedics, surgery,paediatrics.
(04:24):
So that's when I saw this jobat Boundizer and thought, well,
I could do that, not a problem,and the idea of travelling and
seeing a different placeappealed to me.
Kate Coomber (04:34):
Yeah, Sam mentioned there that you're a
rural generalist physio.
What does that mean?
What is your role typicallywhen you go into these
communities?
Judy Chesney (04:47):
What does that mean?
What is your role typicallywhen you go into these
communities?
Well, it depends on thecommunity.
So different places havedifferent demands.
Like in a big rural settingthere might be, you know, four
or five other physios workingand I might be just working in a
particular ward but I mightrotate around to the different
wards.
So I might go through arehabilitation ward where you've
(05:10):
got people who've had strokesand things like that, and then
maybe I'll spend some time in arespiratory ward and do a little
bit.
So you've got to because ruralgeneralist wasn't even a thing
when I first learned but you'vegot to be able to understand
what your limitations are andwhere your strengths are and
(05:32):
also have a kind of an idea ofwhere to start with most of
these jobs.
So you know the sort of peopleI've seen in Mount Ise are
different from the people inMildura or are different from
the people in, you know,thursday Island.
So it is to have a wide rangeof skills across a lot of
(05:53):
different areas or know enoughabout your limitations that you
can reach out to someone who'smore experienced and ask them
where do you go?
And usually that's with physionetworks.
That's pretty easy to do yeah,you talk.
Sam Miklos (06:08):
you've mentioned Mount Isa a few times and I know
that you really loved your timein Mount Isa.
What was it that made that suchan incredible role?
Judy Chesney (06:20):
I think the thing was is that it had an amazing
team of allied healthprofessionals working there, and
the structure at the time wasmanagement was really supportive
, and so I think it was just thecorrect mix.
You know, they had anincredible team and it was one
(06:43):
of the best experiences I'veever had in my physiotherapy
career, one of the best jobs Atthe time I was there.
They had an incredible team towork with, you know.
So I felt very supported, veryappreciated, which is something
that sometimes doesn't happen inall positions.
(07:03):
Yeah, just appreciated andsupported.
So I'd come from a job that Ididn't feel appreciated in and
then all of a sudden I did.
So that was really good.
Kate Coomber (07:13):
My skills were appreciated, yeah, and does that
lead you to then feel thatyou're having even bigger impact
in these types of communities?
Judy Chesney (07:23):
Well, I think so, if you're appreciated.
It means, then, that you canuse all the skills that you have
, you know, whereas if someonedoesn't appreciate that you've
got skills or expertise, theytend to take a much more
(07:44):
dictatorial approach to what youdo.
They sort of micromanage you abit more, which is uncomfortable
.
Sam Miklos (07:53):
Judy, having worked in the permanent roles and then
stepping into this travellinglocum work, do you feel like
you're able to have as big animpact in a health service when
you're there for a couple ofweeks at a time?
Judy Chesney (08:09):
Yeah, I think so, because I bring my own skills
that they may not have seenthere for a while I mean, often
it can be just the only physiothat they've seen for a long
time and because I've got a lotof skills across a lot of
different areas.
I could approach a problem inlots of different ways, you know
.
So it may be that that myapproach is different from
(08:33):
something that I've had before,or a different way of looking at
things.
Yeah, so I think that that isthe case, is that I can have an
impact and, you know, maybe getthem to think about things in a
different way.
Kate Coomber (08:46):
Do you feel sometimes when you go into
communities it can be difficultto build trust.
You know, I'm sure withcontractors coming in regularly
it may feel like a bit of arevolving door for the people
who live there.
How do you build that trust andestablish it?
When you arrive?
People who live there, how?
Judy Chesney (09:05):
do you build that trust and establish it when you
arrive?
Look, I don't think that.
I think they are used to havingpeople going in and out because
they have doctors that do thattoo.
So I think they are used topeople going in and out a bit.
I try to become involved in thecommunity and, you know, out a
(09:26):
bit.
I try to become involved in thecommunity and you know sort of
make myself get out and dothings with the people in the
community, whether it's going tothe local stalls or, you know,
getting involved in the gym orthe local sports club or
whatever.
Whatever, I try to get involveda little bit so that I'm, you
know, they can see that I'm, youknow I'm there to be.
You know I'll go to the trivianight at the pub and you know,
(09:47):
yeah, so I get sort of knownaround the area a bit, yeah.
Sam Miklos (09:52):
Judy, if a graduate physiotherapist was listening to
this podcast and you know theyweren't familiar with the role
of a rural generalist whatskills would you tell them to
get before?
Like, is it possible for a gradto go out in these rural
generalist roles?
Do you think there's a certainskill set that they should get
(10:14):
first to make them, I guess,better?
Kate Coomber (10:15):
equipped.
How do they transition?
Judy Chesney (10:19):
Look, I guess, if I was sort of thinking about
that, that it would be hard.
But I think, um, if I look backat my career, where I first
moved as a graduatephysiotherapist into a small
rural hospital and I had to allof a sudden be the rural
(10:39):
generalist for that hospital,then I'd say that you just have
to kind of fake it till you makeit really.
Sam Miklos (10:46):
Yes.
Judy Chesney (10:48):
You just have to keep going, just embrace
everything and just go.
Well, I'll just do the best Ican in this situation and
sometimes you don't know howmuch you know until you try.
You actually do know more thanyou think you do.
You know, something might lookcomplicated, but there's a lot
of information available forphysios now online or, you know,
(11:12):
via zoom or electronic hookupsto different major hospitals
where you can get theinformation you need to help
people, and you can actuallyeven now go and do consultations
online with a surgeon sittingnext to the patient and things
like that.
So there's a lot of scope therefor getting that expertise and
(11:32):
feeling very comfortable.
But you know, there will alwaysbe things and there still are
things that I come across in myroles where I go.
Oh, I haven't seen one of thesefor a while.
What do?
Sam Miklos (11:42):
I do.
Judy Chesney (11:43):
And you just have to look at how you can get that
information or who you canaccess to give you that
information.
Sam Miklos (11:49):
Yeah, I've got to tell you that resonates.
I graduated as an OT, myself asan occupational therapist, and
I remember that fake it till youmake it for those first few
weeks where the orthopaedicsurgeon would come in and say a
splint, and I was like Icouldn't even work out how to
turn on the splint pan, letalone make the splint.
I was like where do I do thatand what am I making it with?
He was like what are you doinghere?
(12:10):
I was like I'll make something.
Kate Coomber (12:13):
I don't know if it's what you'll be wanting, but
it'll look fabulous it soundslike, then the team that you
have around you is reallycritical, that supportive, you
know helping each other.
Yeah, yeah, it's what theymeant Is there a.
Sam Miklos (12:25):
I mean you've worked .
When we said in the intro, someof the contracts you've had,
like some incredible places, hasone other than Mount Isa been
particularly memorable?
Is there another place thatyou've really enjoyed or that
you didn't expect to have, youknow, such a great experience
Look?
Judy Chesney (12:41):
I think the top of my list is Thursday Because I
looked at them.
They're all great, but I thinkthe top of my list is Thursday
Island, because the things there, because the place is so
incredible.
Kate Coomber (12:54):
Can you maybe paint a picture?
Judy Chesney (12:55):
Judy Like some people won't know what's at
Thursday Island.
What's the health service?
Talk us through it.
So Thursday Island is right upthe tip of Australia and they
service I think there's about 50islands in the Thursday Island
complex.
It's a mixture of sort ofPolynesian background people and
(13:16):
Indigenous people as well, as,you know, workers through the
area and it's got that veryunique feeling of, you know,
easygoingness that you know aholiday in Fiji would have.
It's very hot there, you know.
Plus, you've got, you know,rural all the problems that come
with rural Indigenouscommunities as well.
(13:38):
You've got a lot, you know, andand people being shy about
coming for services and things.
So it's uh, and you knowthere's lack, lack of resources
there, like a lot of places too.
So there's a large hospitalthere where I was working and it
services that whole communityand so they have a full range of
(14:00):
things from, you know,fractures and orthopedic
problems right down topediatrics and, uh, anti-natal.
So it's it's quite a big andthey have outreach.
So you know you go out on ahelicopter and stay a couple of
days on a little island and seethe local community and it's
just amazing.
(14:20):
You work in a small clinic andjust try to do the best you can
for the people while you'rethere, you know, and it's a
beautiful environment, you know,just, my view from the window
was the ocean.
It was just incredible, it wasjust a beautiful place to be,
you know.
So, yes, thursday Island wouldtop my list, I think, of
incredible places to work, butyou know, there's limitations
(14:44):
with everything too.
It might not have been asinteresting as other places to
be, and what?
Kate Coomber (14:48):
about your bucket list?
Where's on the list where youreally want to go?
Judy Chesney (14:54):
I want to go to Broome.
Kate Coomber (14:55):
I want to go to Western Australia, yeah that's
on my bucket list and is thereany reason in particular that
that is high on the list?
Judy Chesney (15:04):
well, because I haven't been able to get there
yet, I haven't had a holidaythere or anything else.
I know people who are workingthere now that I'd like to see
and catch up with you.
Know people that I've, andthat's.
The other thing is, when you'redoing these roles is you often
bump into the same people nursesand other allied health
(15:27):
professionals who are also doingthat locum circuit and you go
oh hi, you know, I remember youfrom you know Mount Isa or you
know wherever, and so you dokeep track of people.
So I guess I haven't worked inWestern Australia yet, so I'll
(15:49):
stick to Western Australia.
Sam Miklos (15:54):
Judy, you've made so many great friendships along
the way.
Do you ever find it hard toleave a place?
Kate Coomber (16:01):
And how do you decide how long to stay in each
contract?
Sam Miklos (16:02):
Yeah, and how long are you there?
Because, yeah, what's therhythm?
Like, are you only away for acouple of weeks?
Then you go home, like where'shome for you?
Judy Chesney (16:10):
Home is Bellingen, that's where my family is.
It is hard sometimes, dependingon what's going on, you know,
with my family is hard sometimes, depending on what's going on,
you know, with my family.
Um, so you know, I've beentaking up to 12 weeks and then
I'm at eiser.
I did two, lots of 12 weeks buthad a break in the middle.
(16:32):
Um, it is, it is hard, familyand friends, you know that.
You know, back home inBellingen to sort of keep up
with that, but I find that I'monly back a couple of weeks and
then I'm ready to go again.
You know like I really likegetting out and seeing the new
(16:53):
places and getting out and going.
So yeah, as much as I like tobe home, I also like to go.
You know, have you always had Ilike to sleep.
Kate Coomber (17:06):
Have you looked at travel?
Judy Chesney (17:08):
I think I, looking back, yes, I have.
Yeah, yeah, I have.
I mean, when I had children, ofcourse it slowed down a little
bit, but previous to that I was,I travelled a bit as well, you
know.
So I'd work eight months andthen travel a bit and then, you
know, come back and work a bitmore and travel again.
So, yeah, so it feels verycomfortable to me.
(17:31):
Um, there are places that if Iwas a younger woman and I didn't
have family ties, I would havepicked up the jobs that were
going there and gone.
Yeah, I'll stay here.
Thursday Island If I'd beenyounger, I would have taken a
job at Thursday Island or Tullyhad a job going to.
I would have loved to stay atTully.
(17:53):
That was very nice there,depending on the point in your
life.
Sam Miklos (17:59):
really, yeah, yeah, judy, I'm always keen to hear
like how we can better supportyou know candidates' wellbeing
on placement and I did read thatyou were crowned the Lifetime
Member Category Winner for theNational Weight Watchers Slimmer
of the Year competition.
Judy Chesney (18:17):
Oh God, god that just never leaves, does it?
I bet it doesn't, I bet itdoesn't go away, but I.
Sam Miklos (18:23):
But it got me thinking.
You know how some of thoseplaces you've mentioned, like,
how do you keep active, how doyou eat healthy, um, how do you
look after your well-being whileon placement?
And you know, in some of theseplaces where there might just be
an IGA, not necessarily a gym,what do you do?
What have you seen?
Judy Chesney (18:44):
Well, if there's a swimming pool, I'll go swimming
.
So I do swimming.
Sometimes I take my bike withme.
So I've, you know, take thebike riding here I'm going.
Well, here I'm going skiing.
You know, take the bike righthere I'm going well, here I'm
going skiing.
Um, so I just try to findwhatever is the physical
activity of the area at the time.
(19:05):
You know to, and it might bejust walking or running or doing
something like that to juststay active.
There's usually a small groupof people that do some activity
and and it's different in everyplace, and sometimes it takes a
bit of time to find out what's.
What's going on.
Um, food wise, I think thatthat's probably the difficult
(19:29):
thing.
The expensive thing is, eachtime you go to a new place,
you've sort of got to setyourself up with your pantry.
You know, because you knowyou've sort of got to set
yourself up with your pantry,you know, because you know
you've got no sauces and nocondiments and nothing like that
, no tools to make anything, soyou can't really sort of get
into making fancy meals.
Often my meals are just readymeals, or I mean, at the moment
(19:59):
I'm drinking a lady shake justfor the sake of it, you know, to
fill me up because it's easyand it's cheap.
So I look at what I can havethat's easy and cheap and then
maybe once a week I'll go downto the pub and have a pub meal
or something like that.
You know.
So I don't know that it'sinexpensive.
(20:21):
It can get expensive in termsof, you know, setting yourself
up and then having the foodsthere that you want but you just
make, do you know?
So some places I mean ThursdayIsland didn't have a big pick of
groceries either.
You just whatever you can findthat's healthy and, you know,
(20:43):
nutritious.
There's usually fruit andwhatever.
Some places don't have prettyexpensive fruit, you know.
So I know when I was in Weeperthey had to rely on a barge to
bring their food in, sosometimes there'd be nothing
left in the supermarket, verymuch at all and, I guess,
(21:04):
seasonally, with weather thatprobably impacts some of those
communities as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Yeah.
So there'd often be sort of novegetables there to speak of or
anything like that.
Yeah so you just have what youcan have you know?
Kate Coomber (21:19):
yeah, you sound like you really absolutely
thrive in this travelling locumwork.
Do you think you'd ever go back, I guess, to a permanent local
job, or you know what is it that?
Judy Chesney (21:33):
you love so much about this?
No, I don't think so.
I don't think so.
What do you love?
so much about it?
No, I don't think so.
I don't think so.
What do you love so much aboutit?
I think it's the variety.
I think it's just theincredible variety of things.
Even you know, it might be arural hospital in one place and
a rural hospital in anotherplace, but they're totally
different.
How so they're totallydifferent?
Well, just even the people inthe township are different.
(21:58):
You know, like, for instance,mildura, you'd get a lot of
people who were having alcoholwithdrawals.
It's a very big winemakingcountry, so you'd get people who
were suffering fromalcohol-related neurological
diseases or strokes.
So it was an affluent communitywhere people do those kind of
(22:22):
things.
Or else you'd go into anotherplace, like Catherine, and that
would be with people withvascular diseases and
malnutrition and things likethat.
So it was very vastly different.
The sort of communities and thepresentations that you have to
help with, you know, and a richcommunity, you know they might
(22:43):
have access to all your walkingframes and your aids and your
wheelchairs and your services,where another community doesn't
have any of that or might waitweeks for that.
So there's a lot of challenges,you know, in different
communities and in differenthospitals.
The sort of challenges you knowin different communities and in
different hospitals, the sortof people that you see, and even
you know, the cultures in thehospital can be different as
(23:05):
well, you know.
So yeah, just very different,very different.
Lots of variety.
Sam Miklos (23:13):
What would you say is the greatest challenge that
you've seen, I guess, in termsof working as a physio in these
communities?
Like you know, if there'sphysios listening who are
(23:39):
interested in this kind of work.
Judy Chesney (23:40):
What's something that they should know that's
maybe a little bit difficult orthat you maybe didn't expect
would be challenging from aclinical or professional
perspective.
I think remote communities,particularly even Indigenous
communities, suffer from lack ofresources, and that might mean
that anything from just yourphysical resources like
(24:01):
wheelchairs and things like thatbut even you can't get home
modifications done, or elsemaintenance of equipment is very
difficult, or you might nothave what you need.
You might not even have theother staff members that you
need.
You might be the onlyphysiotherapist there, but they
(24:22):
haven't got a speech pathologistand they don't have a dietician
, they don't have anoccupational therapist, or
there's no nursing staff thatcan go out and help someone in
their home their home, you knowso.
(24:43):
So it's that kind of um thatkind of difficulty in terms of a
professional thing is that you,you have to be ready to kind of
, you know, go well, I haven'tgot what I need so what can I?
Do with what I've got.
Kate Coomber (24:53):
Yeah, so that's really the challenge, yeah, and
aside from, perhaps you know,extra funding and things like
that, what do you think we cando to help bridge that gap of
outcomes?
Good question, well, it's a bigone, isn't it?
Judy Chesney (25:25):
and I think there's no I think governments
all over the world have beentrying to do that.
They either throw money at itor throw resources at it, or
make a new department,everything, everything else.
I think the thing, as I saidoften, you can't get the staff
there.
So getting staff in a place inthe first place is the first
(25:49):
thing, and then those staff canstart to identify the things
that they need, where thefunding should be spent.
So if you can get professionalsto take positions in rural and
they're committed to the ruralcommunity, then they can
actually start to go.
You know what we need is morecommunity nurses, or what we
(26:10):
need is, you know, four-wheeldrive wheelchairs, or what we
need is, you know, ramps so thatthey can actually.
Or what we need is, you know,ramps so that they can actually.
Or what we need is, you know, avehicle that will bring the
people in from the communities,you know, so they can actually
start to identify how they candeliver their services better.
You know.
Kate Coomber (26:29):
This information is so helpful to people and I
think it sounds like we reallyneed the right people in these
communities who have thatmindset, who have that level of
understanding, to really havethat impact which I think, just
sharing your stories today isreally going to help that.
Judy Chesney (26:46):
And I think the other thing and this is
something that I learned in EastTimor when I was there is that
you have to have people who areprepared to listen to the
community about what they need,because often you can go in
there as a professional and gowell, I can see that what you
(27:08):
need is a new house, you know,with all the access, but that
may not be the priority forthose people.
You know they might have adifferent priority, you know.
Maybe they just want new shoesor food in their bellies or
something else you know.
So I think it's getting thatconversation going with the
(27:29):
community and the people thatlive there and the people that
know them to actually startidentifying the things that are
priorities for the community,yeah, and that real holistic
approach.
Yeah.
Kate Coomber (27:41):
Every episode, we're donating $500 to a charity
of our guest choice, judy,where is that going for you
today?
Judy Chesney (27:50):
I'm not sure that this qualifies for what you say,
but I would nominate the StGeorge Triathlon Club.
So, St George is a littlecommunity of about 3,000 people
and the triathlon club is run byvolunteers and they do amazing
(28:12):
things.
You know they do a whole eventwhere people from miles around
come to the event and it's allyou know.
And people from the communityput on, you know, sausage
sizzles and there's littleprizes for kids on their bikes
and each Sunday they also runevents and things to where the
(28:32):
kids get involved, where thekids get involved.
So they've really got a goodfocus on bringing activity and
sport and involvement to thatvery small community.
You know they do bike ridesthrough the week and the doctors
get involved and there's prizesfor, you know, teams.
(28:55):
I think two of the doctors'teams won this last event that
they run, you know, so they'rejust.
It would be wonderful.
Because you know I said to themoh, you're putting out medals
and things.
You know I said, oh, no, wedon't have enough money for
medals.
You know, and I just think youknow, to keep these people
interested in being able to keepthat focus on community
(29:19):
activity and it's so importantfor health and wellbeing and
mental health and everythingelse.
That would be a real bonus tothem.
Sam Miklos (29:26):
yeah, that's a great choice, judy.
I think you know what you'vespoken to.
There is, you know it's soabout keeping the focus on the
community, and you know you'veshone a light on a number of
communities that you've worked,worked in, and I think if we've
got physiotherapists that listento this episode, I'm sure there
would be many that would beinspired to come into these
communities and, at the end ofthe day, that's what we need,
(29:47):
right?
That's the first step thatyou've pointed out is, if we
could just get more healthcareprofessionals to to take a leap
into a different community andmaybe go back there a couple of
times and get that continuity,it'll just start to make a
difference.
Judy Chesney (29:59):
Well, it's amazing how many people who start off
doing a locum end up as apermanent resident.
Sam Miklos (30:05):
This is exactly right, you know.
Judy Chesney (30:09):
so yeah, it does happen.
Sam Miklos (30:11):
And that's the end goal right, getting you know the
right people in the rightplaces.
So thank you so much for yourtime today.
We've so enjoyed hearing aboutyour journey and, yeah, enjoy
your time down in the ski fields.
That sounds fabulous.
I'm trying not to break a leg.
Yeah, I was going to say juststay safe and enjoy it.
Stay safe, I will.
I will Thank you so much, judy.
(30:31):
Thanks, judy, okay, thank youBye.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to share, rate andreview.
This allows us to reach morepeople and share more incredible
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an episode.
Thank you.
We care for the land and sea.
We care for the energy.
We care for our community.
We care.
Welcome to it Takes Heart.
(00:21):
I'm Sam Miklos and I'm KateCoomba.
We hope you enjoy theseincredible stories of healthcare
professionals making adifference in communities across
Australia and beyond.
Through our conversations, welook to celebrate the spirit of
community and care.
We acknowledge the traditionalcustodians of the land who have
long practised and sharedancient methods of healing,
providing care and support fortheir communities with wisdom
(00:44):
passed down through generations.
Kate Coomber (00:46):
Join us as we explore what it truly means to
take heart.
Sam Miklos (00:55):
Today we're chatting with physiotherapist Judy
Chesney.
Judy was working in privatepractice when, in 2021, she made
the bold move into locum travelwork and hasn't looked back
since.
Hailing from Bellingen in NewSouth Wales, judy is full of
life.
She loves to travel, keepactive, explore new and
wonderful places and makeslifelong friends wherever she
goes.
In recent years, judy haslargely worked as a rural
(01:19):
generalist physio in locationslike Mildura, catherine Young,
mount Isa, st George, cairns andeven Thursday Island.
We're really looking forward tohearing about the life of a
travelling rural generalistphysio today.
Welcome, judy, to the it TakesHeart podcast.
Judy Chesney (01:36):
Thank you, good to meet you.
Thank you very much.
Sam Miklos (01:40):
So, Judy, where are you today?
Judy Chesney (01:44):
I'm actually working in a role that I picked
up myself.
It's in uh Jindabyne, so therewasn't much on offer when I was
looking.
So I saw an ad for a privatepractice in Cooma and I thought,
well, I'll come down and I'lltry some skiing.
I was gonna say are you skiing?
(02:04):
Well, I'm trying.
Yes, I've taken a few, I'vetaken a few lessons and I'll try
some skiing.
I was going to say are youskiing?
Well, I'm trying.
Yes, I've taken a few lessonsand I'm going very slowly.
I haven't had skis on for 35years, so it's a big learning
curve.
Again.
How?
Kate Coomber (02:17):
amazing, how amazing.
How did you?
Judy Chesney (02:23):
actually get into.
How did you become a physio?
Well, I think I've always beenquite interested in the human
body.
I started off doing a studyingteaching and did some units of
anatomy and I found them veryeasy and interesting to do.
And then the opportunity wasthere to to turn it into a
career.
I could have chosenphysiotherapy or chiropractic or
(02:49):
osteopathy, but physiotherapyhappened to be the one that was
free, so I took a leap and wentwell, I'll do that.
And I had a young family so Ithought I needed to have a
career of some sort that wouldsupport them, yeah, and that
possibly would be really goodfor travelling and moving out of
the city yeah, and did youalways work in private practice
(03:12):
or did you work across beforeyou stepped into this travelling
locum work?
Sam Miklos (03:16):
where did you work predominantly?
Judy Chesney (03:17):
No, I spent 14 years in the public health
system in a rural hospital, soon the north coast, and then I
did a little bit of rehab workand private practice work and
some in the private hospital.
So I did quite a few bits andpieces worked in the nursing
homes.
So it actually really sort ofexhausted most of the
(03:40):
opportunities that wereavailable around where I was
living.
And then I noticed a job withCornerstone at Mount Isa and
thought, well, it fitted myskill set and I look at that.
I did some volunteer work yearsago in East Timor.
Was that training nurses?
(04:02):
Yeah, training nurses.
Was that training nurses?
Yeah, training nurses.
And then I became interested inpaediatrics and did some time
down in Melbourne and in anotherpaediatric private practice.
So I've got a kind of a verybig range of generalist skills.
You know orthopaedics, surgery,paediatrics.
(04:24):
So that's when I saw this jobat Boundizer and thought, well,
I could do that, not a problem,and the idea of travelling and
seeing a different placeappealed to me.
Kate Coomber (04:34):
Yeah, Sam mentioned there that you're a
rural generalist physio.
What does that mean?
What is your role typicallywhen you go into these
communities?
Judy Chesney (04:47):
What does that mean?
What is your role typicallywhen you go into these
communities?
Well, it depends on thecommunity.
So different places havedifferent demands.
Like in a big rural settingthere might be, you know, four
or five other physios workingand I might be just working in a
particular ward but I mightrotate around to the different
wards.
So I might go through arehabilitation ward where you've
(05:10):
got people who've had strokesand things like that, and then
maybe I'll spend some time in arespiratory ward and do a little
bit.
So you've got to because ruralgeneralist wasn't even a thing
when I first learned but you'vegot to be able to understand
what your limitations are andwhere your strengths are and
(05:32):
also have a kind of an idea ofwhere to start with most of
these jobs.
So you know the sort of peopleI've seen in Mount Ise are
different from the people inMildura or are different from
the people in, you know,thursday Island.
So it is to have a wide rangeof skills across a lot of
(05:53):
different areas or know enoughabout your limitations that you
can reach out to someone who'smore experienced and ask them
where do you go?
And usually that's with physionetworks.
That's pretty easy to do yeah,you talk.
Sam Miklos (06:08):
you've mentioned Mount Isa a few times and I know
that you really loved your timein Mount Isa.
What was it that made that suchan incredible role?
Judy Chesney (06:20):
I think the thing was is that it had an amazing
team of allied healthprofessionals working there, and
the structure at the time wasmanagement was really supportive
, and so I think it was just thecorrect mix.
You know, they had anincredible team and it was one
(06:43):
of the best experiences I'veever had in my physiotherapy
career, one of the best jobs Atthe time I was there.
They had an incredible team towork with, you know.
So I felt very supported, veryappreciated, which is something
that sometimes doesn't happen inall positions.
(07:03):
Yeah, just appreciated andsupported.
So I'd come from a job that Ididn't feel appreciated in and
then all of a sudden I did.
So that was really good.
Kate Coomber (07:13):
My skills were appreciated, yeah, and does that
lead you to then feel thatyou're having even bigger impact
in these types of communities?
Judy Chesney (07:23):
Well, I think so, if you're appreciated.
It means, then, that you canuse all the skills that you have
, you know, whereas if someonedoesn't appreciate that you've
got skills or expertise, theytend to take a much more
(07:44):
dictatorial approach to what youdo.
They sort of micromanage you abit more, which is uncomfortable
.
Sam Miklos (07:53):
Judy, having worked in the permanent roles and then
stepping into this travellinglocum work, do you feel like
you're able to have as big animpact in a health service when
you're there for a couple ofweeks at a time?
Judy Chesney (08:09):
Yeah, I think so, because I bring my own skills
that they may not have seenthere for a while I mean, often
it can be just the only physiothat they've seen for a long
time and because I've got a lotof skills across a lot of
different areas.
I could approach a problem inlots of different ways, you know
.
So it may be that that myapproach is different from
(08:33):
something that I've had before,or a different way of looking at
things.
Yeah, so I think that that isthe case, is that I can have an
impact and, you know, maybe getthem to think about things in a
different way.
Kate Coomber (08:46):
Do you feel sometimes when you go into
communities it can be difficultto build trust.
You know, I'm sure withcontractors coming in regularly
it may feel like a bit of arevolving door for the people
who live there.
How do you build that trust andestablish it?
When you arrive?
People who live there, how?
Judy Chesney (09:05):
do you build that trust and establish it when you
arrive?
Look, I don't think that.
I think they are used to havingpeople going in and out because
they have doctors that do thattoo.
So I think they are used topeople going in and out a bit.
I try to become involved in thecommunity and, you know, out a
(09:26):
bit.
I try to become involved in thecommunity and you know sort of
make myself get out and dothings with the people in the
community, whether it's going tothe local stalls or, you know,
getting involved in the gym orthe local sports club or
whatever.
Whatever, I try to get involveda little bit so that I'm, you
know, they can see that I'm, youknow I'm there to be.
You know I'll go to the trivianight at the pub and you know,
(09:47):
yeah, so I get sort of knownaround the area a bit, yeah.
Sam Miklos (09:52):
Judy, if a graduate physiotherapist was listening to
this podcast and you know theyweren't familiar with the role
of a rural generalist whatskills would you tell them to
get before?
Like, is it possible for a gradto go out in these rural
generalist roles?
Do you think there's a certainskill set that they should get
(10:14):
first to make them, I guess,better?
Kate Coomber (10:15):
equipped.
How do they transition?
Judy Chesney (10:19):
Look, I guess, if I was sort of thinking about
that, that it would be hard.
But I think, um, if I look backat my career, where I first
moved as a graduatephysiotherapist into a small
rural hospital and I had to allof a sudden be the rural
(10:39):
generalist for that hospital,then I'd say that you just have
to kind of fake it till you makeit really.
Sam Miklos (10:46):
Yes.
Judy Chesney (10:48):
You just have to keep going, just embrace
everything and just go.
Well, I'll just do the best Ican in this situation and
sometimes you don't know howmuch you know until you try.
You actually do know more thanyou think you do.
You know, something might lookcomplicated, but there's a lot
of information available forphysios now online or, you know,
(11:12):
via zoom or electronic hookupsto different major hospitals
where you can get theinformation you need to help
people, and you can actuallyeven now go and do consultations
online with a surgeon sittingnext to the patient and things
like that.
So there's a lot of scope therefor getting that expertise and
(11:32):
feeling very comfortable.
But you know, there will alwaysbe things and there still are
things that I come across in myroles where I go.
Oh, I haven't seen one of thesefor a while.
What do?
Sam Miklos (11:42):
I do.
Judy Chesney (11:43):
And you just have to look at how you can get that
information or who you canaccess to give you that
information.
Sam Miklos (11:49):
Yeah, I've got to tell you that resonates.
I graduated as an OT, myself asan occupational therapist, and
I remember that fake it till youmake it for those first few
weeks where the orthopaedicsurgeon would come in and say a
splint, and I was like Icouldn't even work out how to
turn on the splint pan, letalone make the splint.
I was like where do I do thatand what am I making it with?
He was like what are you doinghere?
(12:10):
I was like I'll make something.
Kate Coomber (12:13):
I don't know if it's what you'll be wanting, but
it'll look fabulous it soundslike, then the team that you
have around you is reallycritical, that supportive, you
know helping each other.
Yeah, yeah, it's what theymeant Is there a.
Sam Miklos (12:25):
I mean you've worked .
When we said in the intro, someof the contracts you've had,
like some incredible places, hasone other than Mount Isa been
particularly memorable?
Is there another place thatyou've really enjoyed or that
you didn't expect to have, youknow, such a great experience
Look?
Judy Chesney (12:41):
I think the top of my list is Thursday Because I
looked at them.
They're all great, but I thinkthe top of my list is Thursday
Island, because the things there, because the place is so
incredible.
Kate Coomber (12:54):
Can you maybe paint a picture?
Judy Chesney (12:55):
Judy Like some people won't know what's at
Thursday Island.
What's the health service?
Talk us through it.
So Thursday Island is right upthe tip of Australia and they
service I think there's about 50islands in the Thursday Island
complex.
It's a mixture of sort ofPolynesian background people and
(13:16):
Indigenous people as well, as,you know, workers through the
area and it's got that veryunique feeling of, you know,
easygoingness that you know aholiday in Fiji would have.
It's very hot there, you know.
Plus, you've got, you know,rural all the problems that come
with rural Indigenouscommunities as well.
(13:38):
You've got a lot, you know, andand people being shy about
coming for services and things.
So it's uh, and you knowthere's lack, lack of resources
there, like a lot of places too.
So there's a large hospitalthere where I was working and it
services that whole communityand so they have a full range of
(14:00):
things from, you know,fractures and orthopedic
problems right down topediatrics and, uh, anti-natal.
So it's it's quite a big andthey have outreach.
So you know you go out on ahelicopter and stay a couple of
days on a little island and seethe local community and it's
just amazing.
(14:20):
You work in a small clinic andjust try to do the best you can
for the people while you'rethere, you know, and it's a
beautiful environment, you know,just, my view from the window
was the ocean.
It was just incredible, it wasjust a beautiful place to be,
you know.
So, yes, thursday Island wouldtop my list, I think, of
incredible places to work, butyou know, there's limitations
(14:44):
with everything too.
It might not have been asinteresting as other places to
be, and what?
Kate Coomber (14:48):
about your bucket list?
Where's on the list where youreally want to go?
Judy Chesney (14:54):
I want to go to Broome.
Kate Coomber (14:55):
I want to go to Western Australia, yeah that's
on my bucket list and is thereany reason in particular that
that is high on the list?
Judy Chesney (15:04):
well, because I haven't been able to get there
yet, I haven't had a holidaythere or anything else.
I know people who are workingthere now that I'd like to see
and catch up with you.
Know people that I've, andthat's.
The other thing is, when you'redoing these roles is you often
bump into the same people nursesand other allied health
(15:27):
professionals who are also doingthat locum circuit and you go
oh hi, you know, I remember youfrom you know Mount Isa or you
know wherever, and so you dokeep track of people.
So I guess I haven't worked inWestern Australia yet, so I'll
(15:49):
stick to Western Australia.
Sam Miklos (15:54):
Judy, you've made so many great friendships along
the way.
Do you ever find it hard toleave a place?
Kate Coomber (16:01):
And how do you decide how long to stay in each
contract?
Sam Miklos (16:02):
Yeah, and how long are you there?
Because, yeah, what's therhythm?
Like, are you only away for acouple of weeks?
Then you go home, like where'shome for you?
Judy Chesney (16:10):
Home is Bellingen, that's where my family is.
It is hard sometimes, dependingon what's going on, you know,
with my family is hard sometimes, depending on what's going on,
you know, with my family.
Um, so you know, I've beentaking up to 12 weeks and then
I'm at eiser.
I did two, lots of 12 weeks buthad a break in the middle.
(16:32):
Um, it is, it is hard, familyand friends, you know that.
You know, back home inBellingen to sort of keep up
with that, but I find that I'monly back a couple of weeks and
then I'm ready to go again.
You know like I really likegetting out and seeing the new
(16:53):
places and getting out and going.
So yeah, as much as I like tobe home, I also like to go.
You know, have you always had Ilike to sleep.
Kate Coomber (17:06):
Have you looked at travel?
Judy Chesney (17:08):
I think I, looking back, yes, I have.
Yeah, yeah, I have.
I mean, when I had children, ofcourse it slowed down a little
bit, but previous to that I was,I travelled a bit as well, you
know.
So I'd work eight months andthen travel a bit and then, you
know, come back and work a bitmore and travel again.
So, yeah, so it feels verycomfortable to me.
(17:31):
Um, there are places that if Iwas a younger woman and I didn't
have family ties, I would havepicked up the jobs that were
going there and gone.
Yeah, I'll stay here.
Thursday Island If I'd beenyounger, I would have taken a
job at Thursday Island or Tullyhad a job going to.
I would have loved to stay atTully.
(17:53):
That was very nice there,depending on the point in your
life.
Sam Miklos (17:59):
really, yeah, yeah, judy, I'm always keen to hear
like how we can better supportyou know candidates' wellbeing
on placement and I did read thatyou were crowned the Lifetime
Member Category Winner for theNational Weight Watchers Slimmer
of the Year competition.
Judy Chesney (18:17):
Oh God, god that just never leaves, does it?
I bet it doesn't, I bet itdoesn't go away, but I.
Sam Miklos (18:23):
But it got me thinking.
You know how some of thoseplaces you've mentioned, like,
how do you keep active, how doyou eat healthy, um, how do you
look after your well-being whileon placement?
And you know, in some of theseplaces where there might just be
an IGA, not necessarily a gym,what do you do?
What have you seen?
Judy Chesney (18:44):
Well, if there's a swimming pool, I'll go swimming
.
So I do swimming.
Sometimes I take my bike withme.
So I've, you know, take thebike riding here I'm going.
Well, here I'm going skiing.
You know, take the bike righthere I'm going well, here I'm
going skiing.
Um, so I just try to findwhatever is the physical
activity of the area at the time.
(19:05):
You know to, and it might bejust walking or running or doing
something like that to juststay active.
There's usually a small groupof people that do some activity
and and it's different in everyplace, and sometimes it takes a
bit of time to find out what's.
What's going on.
Um, food wise, I think thatthat's probably the difficult
(19:29):
thing.
The expensive thing is, eachtime you go to a new place,
you've sort of got to setyourself up with your pantry.
You know, because you knowyou've sort of got to set
yourself up with your pantry,you know, because you know
you've got no sauces and nocondiments and nothing like that
, no tools to make anything, soyou can't really sort of get
into making fancy meals.
Often my meals are just readymeals, or I mean, at the moment
(19:59):
I'm drinking a lady shake justfor the sake of it, you know, to
fill me up because it's easyand it's cheap.
So I look at what I can havethat's easy and cheap and then
maybe once a week I'll go downto the pub and have a pub meal
or something like that.
You know.
So I don't know that it'sinexpensive.
(20:21):
It can get expensive in termsof, you know, setting yourself
up and then having the foodsthere that you want but you just
make, do you know?
So some places I mean ThursdayIsland didn't have a big pick of
groceries either.
You just whatever you can findthat's healthy and, you know,
(20:43):
nutritious.
There's usually fruit andwhatever.
Some places don't have prettyexpensive fruit, you know.
So I know when I was in Weeperthey had to rely on a barge to
bring their food in, sosometimes there'd be nothing
left in the supermarket, verymuch at all and, I guess,
(21:04):
seasonally, with weather thatprobably impacts some of those
communities as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Yeah.
So there'd often be sort of novegetables there to speak of or
anything like that.
Yeah so you just have what youcan have you know?
Kate Coomber (21:19):
yeah, you sound like you really absolutely
thrive in this travelling locumwork.
Do you think you'd ever go back, I guess, to a permanent local
job, or you know what is it that?
Judy Chesney (21:33):
you love so much about this?
No, I don't think so.
I don't think so.
What do you love?
so much about it?
No, I don't think so.
I don't think so.
What do you love so much aboutit?
I think it's the variety.
I think it's just theincredible variety of things.
Even you know, it might be arural hospital in one place and
a rural hospital in anotherplace, but they're totally
different.
How so they're totallydifferent?
Well, just even the people inthe township are different.
(21:58):
You know, like, for instance,mildura, you'd get a lot of
people who were having alcoholwithdrawals.
It's a very big winemakingcountry, so you'd get people who
were suffering fromalcohol-related neurological
diseases or strokes.
So it was an affluent communitywhere people do those kind of
(22:22):
things.
Or else you'd go into anotherplace, like Catherine, and that
would be with people withvascular diseases and
malnutrition and things likethat.
So it was very vastly different.
The sort of communities and thepresentations that you have to
help with, you know, and a richcommunity, you know they might
(22:43):
have access to all your walkingframes and your aids and your
wheelchairs and your services,where another community doesn't
have any of that or might waitweeks for that.
So there's a lot of challenges,you know, in different
communities and in differenthospitals.
The sort of challenges you knowin different communities and in
different hospitals, the sortof people that you see, and even
you know, the cultures in thehospital can be different as
(23:05):
well, you know.
So yeah, just very different,very different.
Lots of variety.
Sam Miklos (23:13):
What would you say is the greatest challenge that
you've seen, I guess, in termsof working as a physio in these
communities?
Like you know, if there'sphysios listening who are
(23:39):
interested in this kind of work.
Judy Chesney (23:40):
What's something that they should know that's
maybe a little bit difficult orthat you maybe didn't expect
would be challenging from aclinical or professional
perspective.
I think remote communities,particularly even Indigenous
communities, suffer from lack ofresources, and that might mean
that anything from just yourphysical resources like
(24:01):
wheelchairs and things like thatbut even you can't get home
modifications done, or elsemaintenance of equipment is very
difficult, or you might nothave what you need.
You might not even have theother staff members that you
need.
You might be the onlyphysiotherapist there, but they
(24:22):
haven't got a speech pathologistand they don't have a dietician
, they don't have anoccupational therapist, or
there's no nursing staff thatcan go out and help someone in
their home their home, you knowso.
(24:43):
So it's that kind of um thatkind of difficulty in terms of a
professional thing is that you,you have to be ready to kind of
, you know, go well, I haven'tgot what I need so what can I?
Do with what I've got.
Kate Coomber (24:53):
Yeah, so that's really the challenge, yeah, and
aside from, perhaps you know,extra funding and things like
that, what do you think we cando to help bridge that gap of
outcomes?
Good question, well, it's a bigone, isn't it?
Judy Chesney (25:25):
and I think there's no I think governments
all over the world have beentrying to do that.
They either throw money at itor throw resources at it, or
make a new department,everything, everything else.
I think the thing, as I saidoften, you can't get the staff
there.
So getting staff in a place inthe first place is the first
(25:49):
thing, and then those staff canstart to identify the things
that they need, where thefunding should be spent.
So if you can get professionalsto take positions in rural and
they're committed to the ruralcommunity, then they can
actually start to go.
You know what we need is morecommunity nurses, or what we
(26:10):
need is, you know, four-wheeldrive wheelchairs, or what we
need is, you know, ramps so thatthey can actually.
Or what we need is, you know,ramps so that they can actually.
Or what we need is, you know, avehicle that will bring the
people in from the communities,you know, so they can actually
start to identify how they candeliver their services better.
You know.
Kate Coomber (26:29):
This information is so helpful to people and I
think it sounds like we reallyneed the right people in these
communities who have thatmindset, who have that level of
understanding, to really havethat impact which I think, just
sharing your stories today isreally going to help that.
Judy Chesney (26:46):
And I think the other thing and this is
something that I learned in EastTimor when I was there is that
you have to have people who areprepared to listen to the
community about what they need,because often you can go in
there as a professional and gowell, I can see that what you
(27:08):
need is a new house, you know,with all the access, but that
may not be the priority forthose people.
You know they might have adifferent priority, you know.
Maybe they just want new shoesor food in their bellies or
something else you know.
So I think it's getting thatconversation going with the
(27:29):
community and the people thatlive there and the people that
know them to actually startidentifying the things that are
priorities for the community,yeah, and that real holistic
approach.
Yeah.
Kate Coomber (27:41):
Every episode, we're donating $500 to a charity
of our guest choice, judy,where is that going for you
today?
Judy Chesney (27:50):
I'm not sure that this qualifies for what you say,
but I would nominate the StGeorge Triathlon Club.
So, St George is a littlecommunity of about 3,000 people
and the triathlon club is run byvolunteers and they do amazing
(28:12):
things.
You know they do a whole eventwhere people from miles around
come to the event and it's allyou know.
And people from the communityput on, you know, sausage
sizzles and there's littleprizes for kids on their bikes
and each Sunday they also runevents and things to where the
(28:32):
kids get involved, where thekids get involved.
So they've really got a goodfocus on bringing activity and
sport and involvement to thatvery small community.
You know they do bike ridesthrough the week and the doctors
get involved and there's prizesfor, you know, teams.
(28:55):
I think two of the doctors'teams won this last event that
they run, you know, so they'rejust.
It would be wonderful.
Because you know I said to themoh, you're putting out medals
and things.
You know I said, oh, no, wedon't have enough money for
medals.
You know, and I just think youknow, to keep these people
interested in being able to keepthat focus on community
(29:19):
activity and it's so importantfor health and wellbeing and
mental health and everythingelse.
That would be a real bonus tothem.
Sam Miklos (29:26):
yeah, that's a great choice, judy.
I think you know what you'vespoken to.
There is, you know it's soabout keeping the focus on the
community, and you know you'veshone a light on a number of
communities that you've worked,worked in, and I think if we've
got physiotherapists that listento this episode, I'm sure there
would be many that would beinspired to come into these
communities and, at the end ofthe day, that's what we need,
(29:47):
right?
That's the first step thatyou've pointed out is, if we
could just get more healthcareprofessionals to to take a leap
into a different community andmaybe go back there a couple of
times and get that continuity,it'll just start to make a
difference.
Judy Chesney (29:59):
Well, it's amazing how many people who start off
doing a locum end up as apermanent resident.
Sam Miklos (30:05):
This is exactly right, you know.
Judy Chesney (30:09):
so yeah, it does happen.
Sam Miklos (30:11):
And that's the end goal right, getting you know the
right people in the rightplaces.
So thank you so much for yourtime today.
We've so enjoyed hearing aboutyour journey and, yeah, enjoy
your time down in the ski fields.
That sounds fabulous.
I'm trying not to break a leg.
Yeah, I was going to say juststay safe and enjoy it.
Stay safe, I will.
I will Thank you so much, judy.
(30:31):
Thanks, judy, okay, thank youBye.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to share, rate andreview.
This allows us to reach morepeople and share more incredible
stories.
Click the follow or subscribebutton to ensure you never miss
an episode.
Thank you.
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