The impact of lived experience on Simon's passion for the Allied Health sector

While Simon was recovering from his leg amputation in 2022, he decided that he wanted to give back to the people who helped rehabilitate him.

He reflected on being in a pretty dark place after the amputation. He said the allied health and physio team at Golf Links Road Rehabilitation Centre in Frankston made all the difference.

Simon spent his early career years in hospitality, plastics, and then driving a forklift. Health was never really on the radar.

After his amputation, he had time to think about what was next in his life. He got a first-hand view of what life could be like as an allied health assistant, describing it as a truly noble profession. He knew he wanted to help others and get involved in the sector. He then enrolled in the Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance course at our Frankston campus.

What surprised Simon the most was how broad the allied health profession is. It includes supporting physios, working in rehabs, in exercise physiology and in podiatry as an assistant in either a public or private setting. This means that the options for a career after completing his course are so broad.

Nothing has stopped Simon on his personal journey. From golfing to the gym and tackling snowboarding, he approaches everything head-on, just like he has with this course.

"If you are a people-person or a caring person and enjoy learning, my advice is to just do the course.  It’s really rewarding and common sense. The teachers have been wonderful. They all still work in industry, so they really know what they are talking about," says Simon.