From graduate to confident practitioner: How KINNECT's program set me up for career success

The field of workplace rehabilitation is complex and often receives little attention in university programs. Success, therefore, depends on receiving exceptional on-the-job training, mentoring and support. KINNECT has committed to fulfilling these needs for our graduates and those new to the field through a structured 12-month program.

The Workplace Rehabilitation Success Program begins as soon as a new graduate or new-to-industry recruit starts with KINNECT. It has been developed in-house to enable participants to gain essential knowledge and skills, forge valuable professional relationships, and lay the foundation for their long-term success.

We spoke to Rebecca Heterick, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant from North Brisbane, about her experiences in the program and its impact on her practice and career.

What drew you to your area?

In my twenties, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I bartended at night and travelled. I lived in Canada for a few years, and one of my regulars at the bar where I worked was a physiotherapist. Chatting to him about what he does sparked my interest in the allied health world.

Exercise also helped me on my own mental health journey, so I wanted to learn more about why it helped, why it’s not being promoted as it should be and what else it can help with. That led me from physiotherapy towards the exercise physiology path.

What made you consider KINNECT for a graduate position?

While I was studying, I worked in Coffs Harbour as the WorkCover Coordinator for an allied health company, ensuring the therapists completed their paperwork. I found that I was drawn to helping people with their workplace injuries and navigating the complex WorkCover system. I also helped the physiotherapists understand the process.

It’s (WorkCover) not a perfect system by any means, but the fact that we have it in place means that people who are injured at work can get treatment without being out of pocket, and it is a good system when done correctly.

That experience led me to explore workplace rehabilitation when I graduated.

How were you supported when you joined us?

I completed the new graduate (now Workplace Rehabilitation Success) program led by Janna Riordan, plus I had weekly file reviews and a weekly check-in with my Team Manager, Sarah. I had just moved up to Queensland, which was a big transition. At the start, I was struggling as a new grad to understand it all, and she was really supportive.

Team Managers are always assessing our workload and whether we need to pull back or add more cases. As we learn about the different branches of this world, we get more work that’s tailored to what we’re interested in. I felt really supported in that side of things.

I was also able to talk to Janna, even though she wasn’t on my team. It was good to have an external person to talk to for the first 6 to 12 months while I was still finding out what my team environment was like and working out interpersonal relationships. I reached out a couple of times as I needed to talk to someone who wasn’t involved in what I was doing.

What were the most important things you took from the Workplace Rehabilitation Success Program?

The biggest part was the Learning and Development (L&D) sessions we did, which highlighted all the bones of the job and how to do it. It also showed me how many people are in the same situation. I had other new starters in my clinic, but I can see how people working in North Queensland might feel isolated when everyone else in their small team has been there for a few years. It was really good to have that community of new starters, so that when someone asks a question, other people can see they aren’t the only ones who need that information.

“There are also so many different brains in the same place, so you can share information. For example, strategies that I came up with for my calendar really helped other people, and their strategies for talking to GPs helped me.”

What was the most fulfilling case you’ve had so far?

I had a tricky first case, but I had lots of support throughout the whole process. It took a really long time, and it felt really good at the end because the worker was almost in tears when she got back to work. She was ecstatic because she thought she was in so much pain she didn’t think she’d get back to work.

Most people I deal with want to be back to work, and they’re just so grateful to have a plan to help them get back there. Obviously, there are some clients that don’t, but I really like helping the ones who genuinely want to return to work and are so grateful to have you in the picture and helping liaise with everyone.

What are your career goals?

At the moment, I am very happy here at KINNECT. I really enjoy the diversity of working on both workplace rehabilitation cases and projects. In the short term, I want to learn more about the different types of projects we do, particularly job dictionaries and the risk analysis – those bigger projects that take a little bit more to learn about.

Long-term, I want to help colleagues, whether by mentoring someone or creating systems that help new people when they start. I really like checking in on my workers, so I’d like to extend that to my teammates and create helpful resources for them. I could see myself happily mentoring other KINNECTers alongside my other work.

What would you say to other people about to start their career as an exercise physiologist?

Choose an occupational health provider who offers more than just workplace rehabilitation. The reason I chose KINNECT is the variety of work we do, such as project work and pre-employment medicals, which I do one day a week.

Workplace rehabilitation can be draining, especially if you’ve got a lot of complex cases – you’ve got to be on top of your own boundaries and your own energy flow. If you’re doing the right thing by yourself and you’re at a company that actually cares and offers a bit of diversity, it’s much easier.

I really enjoy this sort of work for multiple reasons, but a big reason is the flexibility. I’m able to set my start and finish times and handle my own scheduling. For example, I can do all the phone calls in the morning if that works best for me. That’s incredibly rare in other places.

At KINNECT, we don’t believe in throwing people in the deep end. We equip our graduates with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to excel from day one.

If you’re finishing an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in psychology, rehabilitation counselling, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or exercise physiology and are considering a career in workplace rehabilitation, apply now.