Recruitment Begins at the Undergraduate Level

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Recruitment Begins at the Undergraduate Level

• Allison Hilbig,
• B App Sc (Physio), Grad Dip CBE
• Deputy Manager of Physiotherapy
• Quality Manager of Allied Health,
• Angliss Hospital, Eastern Health, Victoria

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Angliss Hospital

• 230 bed hospital located in the outer east of
  Melbourne at the base of the Dandenong Ranges

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Angliss Hospital

• Community hospital offering maternity,
  emergency, medical, surgical, and rehabilitation
  services.

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The Student Program

• In 1989 3 students from third year were placed
  at the Angliss
• In 2004 over 70 students placed at the Angliss
  from all year levels
• Angliss Hospital is the largest provider of
  undergraduate physiotherapy student placements
  for La Trobe University.

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The Student Program

• Have also taken students from
• Melbourne University
• Curtin University (Western Australia)
• Karolinska Institute (Sweden)

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Background Angliss Physio

• Currently have 55 qualified Physiotherapists
  including full time, part time and casual staff

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Background Angliss Physio

• Of these 55 staff, 8 are new graduates who have
  been providing locum and weekend/ public holiday
  cover.

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Background Angliss Physio

• Of our current staff
• 71 attended the Angliss as students

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Background Angliss Physio

• Of our current staff
• 17 external unknown applicants

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Background Angliss Physio

• Of our current staff
• 7 friends of existing staff
• 5 merge with another health facility

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Background Angliss Physio

• The Unknown/External Applicant Staff live within
  5-20 minutes of the hospital.
• However, of the staff who have been former
  students, or are friends of current staff, travel
  distance ranges from 5 minutes to as much as 1
  hour.

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Background Angliss Physio

• Therefore the physios who have already known the
  Angliss and formed a relationship with the staff
  are prepared to travel up to three times further
  than those who applied unknown.

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Background Angliss Physio

• Since the employment of the first former student
  in 1991, the Angliss has employed more than 100
  former students in full time, part time and
  casual positions.

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Former Students Now Staff

• Some of these staff lived an hour away on
  commencement but have now purchased homes and
  settled within the local area.

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Birth at the Angliss

• Former Womens Health students have chosen to
  give birth in our hospital

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Birth at the Angliss

• Some are staff
• Other former womens health students travel
  beyond their own local hospital to give birth at
  the Angliss

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Former Students Now Staff

• Just over half of the former students now staff
  commenced at the Angliss as new graduates.

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Former Students Now Staff

• Others commenced as new graduates in other
  facilities and later sought employment at the
  Angliss.
• Some worked at another facility for most of their
  hours whilst doing some casual work at the
  Angliss until a permanent position became
  available.

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Advantages for the Angliss

• Recruitment process begins during the placement.
  We can learn about skills, work ethic, rapport
  with patients and ability to get along with
  staff.

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Advantages for the Angliss

• New staff already understand the Angliss culture.
  
• Respect the current staff and processes.

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Advantages for the Angliss

• Familiar with hospital practices smooth
  transition into the job.

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Advantages for the Angliss

• Physiotherapists come seeking employment.
• - staff are
• committed,
• enthusiastic and
• loyal to the
• organisation.

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Just to Clarify

• Do we have an open employment policy? Yes!
• Do we employ new graduates from other
  universities? Yes!
• Do we employ physios with
• no connection to the Angliss?
• Yes!

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Just to Clarify

• Few physios seek employment at the Angliss unless
  they live locally or have previously had an
  undergraduate placement with us.

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Why we need to recruit at an undergraduate level

• The Angliss is more than 30km from the Melbourne
  CBD.

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Why we need to recruit

• No ICU, no orthopaedic, neurology or
  cardiothoracic surgery.
• Difficult to compete with the big inner city
  hospitals with the brand name.

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Why we need to recruit

• Our biggest assets
• - our people and our culture

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How we recruit

• By providing a high quality student placement
  program.
• Our mission statement for our student program is
  To provide an environment conducive to optimal
  learning.

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How we recruit

• In a more relaxed and friendly environment our
  students can excel.

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Outcomes

• Full levels of staffing for most of the year
• Patient care not compromised
• Discharges not delayed
• Waiting lists kept to minimal levels
• Avoids burnout of staff
• High morale, low turnover of staff

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Outcomes

• Provided locum and permanent staff to Healesville
  Hospital and Yarra Valley Community Health
  Service

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Outcomes

• Financial benefits
• Saved costs on advertising (saving of more than
  1200 per position)
• University payments received
• (15,000 to 20,000 per year for whole program)
  

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Outcomes

• Larger brand name hospital recently contacted
  for more information on our student program to
  use the Angliss model to benchmark against.

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Clearly, the most effective recruitment strategy
for the Physiotherapy Department of the Angliss
Hospital in the past decade has been the
development of its undergraduate student
placement program.
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• As a result, other Allied Health disciplines
  are now looking at developing and extending their
  undergraduate clinical placement programs.

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Our Student Program

• Students are incorporated as part of the staff
  team during their placement and recognised as
  such by all aspects of the organisation

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Our Student Program

• Students are referred to by name including
  timetables and documents
• not as student 1 or student 2.

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Our Student Program

• Students are given access to all staff areas and
  share resources.
• Students are not excluded from joining staff at
  morning/afternoon tea or lunch.
• Students are invited to any special functions
  held within work hours during their placement.

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Our Student Program

• In the last week of placement all students and
  their supervisors have lunch together at the
  local pub a tradition that noone wants to give
  up!

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Our Student Program

• Supervisors complete the Quality Supervision
  Course at La Trobe Uni.
• Annual supervision workshops are held in-house
• All students complete
• an evaluation form to
• ensure our high standard
• is maintained

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Our Student Program

• Student Coordinator who does not directly assess
  or supervise any of the students
• Weekly professional tutes taken by Student
  Coordinator which include an opportunity for all
  students to report on the placement so far and
  discuss any possible concerns or issues.

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When Staff Take Leave

• When we have staff shortages or supervisors on
  annual leave we make do as best we can and
  continue to run our planned student program.

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When Staff Take Leave

• This may provide opportunities for junior staff
  to step up into senior roles.

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When Staff Take Leave

• We often have students who have had previous
  placements cancelled and the feedback is always
  negative about that particular organisation.

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Tips for a Successful Program

• Treat your students like any other member of your
  team at all times and in all ways.

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Tips for a Successful Program

• Look after your supervisors thank them for
  doing a great job.

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Tips for a Successful Program

• Two students can be easier to manage than one
  two students can manage the workload of one
  qualified therapist.

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Tips for a Successful Program

• Have a Student Coordinator who likes students,
  and have supervisors who like to teach!
• Seek feedback from students
• and modify your program
• as needed.

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Finally

• It is a competitive marketplace for health
  professionals.
• When taking students we are also being
  interviewed by these prospective employees.
• We need to sell our best
• qualities.

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Finally

• And remember reputation
• does get around!

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For further information

• Allison Hilbig
• [phone]
• allison.hilbig_at_angliss.org.au