Physiotherapy within Allied Health at North Canberra Hospital provides services to a range of clients in the Emergency Department, acute inpatient and specialised outpatient settings. Our physiotherapists work closely with patients, carers, referrers, other health professionals and multidisciplinary teams to achieve safe, high quality patient care.

Clinical supervision and professional development is provided through team structures, supervision support, competency-based assessments and professional development opportunities.

The senior inpatient physiotherapist position has a key role in delivering high quality, patient centred care through operational management of the acute inpatient physiotherapy team. This includes clinical leadership and application of governance systems to provide exceptional service delivery and development and assist in the coordination of student placements within the service. The successful applicant will work collaboratively with the physiotherapy management team, senior clinicians and key stakeholders to align service initiatives and strategies with contemporary healthcare priorities.

1. Provide clinical expertise and practice across a range of inpatient clinical areas, including, but not limited to, Mental Health clinical areas.
2. Manage and supervise the physiotherapy inpatient team.
3. Provide general supervision to team members in area of responsibility.
4. Coordinates and supports student placements and programs that enhance the clinical placement experience.
5. Accept and demonstrate responsibility for leading service improvement activities, and/or change, professional development, quality improvement and/or research, within area of supervision.
6. Participate in supervision, credentialing, continuous professional development and performance management.
7. Represents the service/organisation with contribution to meetings, working groups or committees to support organisation processes and initiatives.
8. Work collaboratively and support the functions of the senior management team.
9. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.
10. Communicate effectively with patients and carers, other health carers and internal and external stakeholders to plan, deliver and evaluate clinical services.

• Strong leadership and supervision skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Effective organisation skills and high level of motivation.
• Problem solving and negotiation skills, using evidence, professional judgement and risk evaluation in complex situations.
• Self-awareness and demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and professional development.
• Integration of research, education and training, and leadership into practices and processes.
• Adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change and provide services responsiveness.

Specific requirements include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Tertiary Qualification in Physiotherapy (or equivalent).
• Registered or eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification or training in health leadership and management.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Specific requirements include but are not limited to the following.

Essential

• Minimum 5 years’ experience working professionally in Physiotherapy.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in the acute care setting.
• Fulfil the responsibilities of this role in alignment to the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Desirable

• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience with staff and students.
• Clinical skills/experience in areas of responsibility (acute inpatients) is highly desirable.

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven extensive experience in providing high standard of physiotherapy service across a variety of acute care settings and the ability to promote and demonstrate best practice through the integration of evidence into clinical practice.
2. Demonstrated ability to lead, supervise, resource and manage a team of staff and students to deliver high quality inpatient physiotherapy services.
3. High level communication and teamwork skills, including the demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external service providers and stakeholders.
4. Demonstrated knowledge of clinical governance with commitment to and experience in leading quality improvement and/or research, service and performance evaluation.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.

Administrative	Frequency
Telephone use	Occasionally
General computer use	Frequently
Extensive keying/data entry	Occasionally
Graphical/analytical based	Occasionally
Sitting at a desk	Frequently
Standing for long periods	Frequently

Psychosocial demands	Frequency
Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations	Occasionally
Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness	Occasionally
Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries	Occasionally
Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers	Never
Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide	Never

Physical demands	Frequency
Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit)	Occasionally
Working outdoors	Never

Manual handling	Frequency
Lifting 0 - 9kg	Frequently
Lifting 10 - 15kg	Occasionally
Lifting 16kg+	Never
Climbing	Never
Running	Never
Reaching	Occasionally
Kneeling	Occasionally
Foot and leg movement	Frequently
Hand, arm and grasping movements	Frequently
Bending/squatting	Occasionally
Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting	Occasionally
Push/pull	Occasionally
Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time	Occasionally

Travel	Frequency
Frequent travel – multiple work sites	Never
Frequent travel – driving	Never

Specific hazards	Frequency
Working at heights	Never
Exposure to extreme temperatures	Never
Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift	Never
Confined spaces	Never
Excessive noise	Never
Low lighting	Never
Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological.	Never
Slippery or uneven surfaces	Occasionally