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Speech Pathologist making an impact in Mildura

Sarah Palmer is a Speech Pathologist based in her hometown of Mildura. She provides outreach services to schools and kindergartens around Mildura and Robinvale, which prompted her to take up an RWAV Health Workforce Scholarship Program grant to attend the Language, Learning and Literacy Conference in Perth. With the knowledge she’s gained about language and literacy difficulties in regional and rural communities, Sarah has been able to enhance her skills and share the knowledge within the local school networks. Hear more from Sarah about how she utilised this upskilling opportunity.

What has your journey in rural health been like so far? How did you came to work at BG Speech Pathology?

I grew up in the small town of Mildura, where I also began my rural health studies in speech pathology. I then relocated to Bendigo to finish my degree but I knew after graduating from university I wanted to return to Mildura to work. As a new graduate in 2017, I was hired at BG Speech Pathology and have been working there ever since.

You are a recipient of the Health Workforce Scholarship Program. How did you use the scholarship?

I used the Health Workforce Scholarship to travel to Perth to attend the Language, Learning and Literacy Conference. I learnt a wealth of knowledge and was able to speak with many different clinicians about the language and literacy difficulties in regional and rural communities. It also provided me with opportunities to make professional contacts, to provide mentoring and to give advice.

How have the skills you’ve learned through the upskilling opportunity impact the health outcomes of your community?

The skills I learnt from the conference has given me more knowledge on how I can help impact the language and learning goals for children in schools and kindergarten.

I provide outreach services to schools and kindergartens around Mildura and Robinvale. In the kindergartens we provide assessment and therapy for the Indigenous children who attend the different centres in Mildura. This program funding is to ensure children are ready for school. In the school setting I provide assessments and small group therapy. I also provide upskilling for teachers and teacher aides to complete programs with students when I am away. I will be sharing the knowledge from the conference within the local school networks so that the impact of improved literacy will be greater within the region. 

How did you find the process of applying for the grant? Would you recommend it to other rural health professionals?

I would highly recommend other rural health professionals to apply for this grant. The grant was easy to fill out and it provides clinicians with opportunities they would not have otherwise. Without this grant I would not have been able to attend this conference, it was a wonderful opportunity to upskill outside of Mildura and gain more knowledge on certain topics.

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If you are interested in pursuing further studies to upskill as Sarah did, consider applying for a grant. RWAV offers grants and scholarships to allied health professionals working in rural and regional Victoria. Find out more here. If you are interested in working in rural Victoria, see current vacancies on the RWAV website or contact our Recruitment team to learn more: screeningAHN@rwav.com.au.

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health administered by RWAV in Victoria.

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United Kingdom and Australia, including CFO, GM Finance & IT, Commercial
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RN, GradDip(Health Promotion), PRINCE2, Mini MBA

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Kate’s extensive experience working with all levels of government, the community and stakeholders across the sector have provided her with insights into the challenges rural communities and health professionals face. Kate has led the design and delivery of many innovative and strategic health promotion and grants programs, supporting better access to health services, health information and activities across communities. Whilst at RWAV, Kate has led the transformation of the RWAV grants program, enhanced the administration of a number of programs and developed the RWAV allied health portfolio. She has also led the development of the RWAV research program of activities.

Having worked at RWAV since 2020, Kate will continue positively influencing the rural healthcare workforce and access to services.

Social Work (BA Hons), DipSW

With a background in social work and a proven record in recruitment, project management, and business development, Jo brings strategic leadership and a wealth of experience in driving positive outcomes within the health, human services, and State Government sectors.

Jo specialises in managing health professional recruitment and outreach programs, including the More Doctors for Rural Australia and 3GA programs. Her focus is on implementing innovative workforce strategies and clinical governance to bolster RWAV’s mission of enhancing healthcare accessibility in rural and regional Victoria.

Having previously excelled at RWAV, Jo spearheaded successful internal change initiatives while fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders. Her efforts consistently align with RWAV’s strategic direction, ensuring a cohesive approach to driving impactful change.

Beyond her professional expertise, Jo’s passion lies in uniting communities and championing positive transformations in rural healthcare in Victoria.

Martin is a governance professional and lawyer with experience in private practice and in-house legal roles. He has been a company secretary for public and private sector organisations across a range of industries including VicTrack, Regis Healthcare Limited and Dairy Australia Limited. He holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia (GIA) and is a fellow of the GIA.

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Andrea has significant experience in leading teams across culture, capability, diversity, equity, leadership, organisational development and learning programs as well as core human resources partnering.

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BCom, MPP, EdD, DipEd, Claritas/CFA Investment Certificate, MAICD

Rosemary has had a varied career as an academic teaching economics, public policy and industrial relations, and as a consultant, advocate, health union official and as a director. She brings strong governance and strategic skills to the Board, as well as knowledge and depth of experience in health policy, economics and investment.
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BSci(Hons), DipLang, MD, FRACGP, FACRRM, DRANZCOG(Adv), GAICD

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BAppSci, GradDipBus, MBus, GAICD, FIML

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BA (Hons), BEc, Grad Dip Bus, MBA, FGIA, FAICD

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RWAV special responsibilities:
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BMBS, MBA, FRACP, FRACMA, FAICD

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LLB, BSc, MMgt (Strategic Foresight), GAICD

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RWAV special responsibilities:
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BMed, MMedSci, FRACGP, FARGP, FACRRM, DipPractDerm, DipMedHyp, DipFP, DipBusAdmin, GAICD

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Lauren Cordwell

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BHlthSci(Hons) MPH PostGradDipMgt GAICD AFCHSM

Lauren Cordwell is the Chief Executive Officer at RWAV. Lauren has been an integral part of the RWAV team since 2018, demonstrating a remarkable strategic vision to improve access to health care in rural Victoria. As an experienced senior executive and health policy analyst, she is committed to finding practical solutions to address the challenges preventing communities in rural Australia from accessing affordable and safe healthcare. For over 20 years, Lauren has designed and implemented innovative programs with communities, health professionals and government agencies that continue to have a lasting benefit. Many of these programs relate to primary healthcare, general practice, workforce, First People’s health and community engagement. 

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