A decade of Impact

What began as a need for a change in 2015 has become a decade of supporting our customers, career progression and professional support for Speech Pathologist, Jess Dickinson.

Jess, who is now Clinical Operations Manager based at Rocky Bay’s Duncraig hub, began her career working in hospitals across metro and regional Western Australia, as well as a two-year stint at a hospital in Singapore. Her role often saw her based on medical assessment units.

‘It was a different type of pressure, you don’t really get to know the patients you’re working with, and you don’t get much time with them. The role involved lots of triage and discharge planning,’ says Jess.

When looking for a new challenge as a Speech Pathologist, Jess chose Rocky Bay to build her career with as not only did it offer the community setting she desired, but her first positive impressions stuck with her.

‘I really liked the staff that interviewed me. I chose Rocky Bay based on this, as well the opportunity to work with customers in a community setting. I wanted to do something different based on the fact I enjoyed working with outpatients in hospitals…you get to know the people. While it’s still busy (at Rocky Bay) you have the time to build a relationship with customers.

‘I’ve stayed because of the opportunities that have been available to me and being supported to go for them.’

It wasn’t long before Jess was given more responsibility with project work, before moving into a position that required an experienced therapist in her clinical area (which focused on swallowing impairments). She completed Rocky Bay’s Emerging Leaders program in 2017, which she says really supported her when she was promoted – first to Senior Speech Pathologist in 2018 and later being offered the Team Leader role.

It was a few years later in 2022 that Jess took maternity leave to raise her daughter.

The flexibility and support Rocky Bay offered on her return allowed Jess to continue in the same role – now titled Clinical Operations Manager – three days per week. Rocky Bay was open to Jess job sharing with the therapist who covered her full-time role whilst on maternity leave, with that therapist being able to continue full-time work themselves between Duncraig and Cottesloe hubs. Jess did the occasional extra day and was then supported to undertake four days per week in her busy role.

‘I manage the therapy team and the day-to-day operations. This includes on-boarding new customers, waitlist management, assigning customers to therapists, ensuring our therapists meet their key performance indicators, and planning.

‘I also do a lot of continuous service improvement for the therapy division and thinking ahead on how we can expand business and improve the quality of services we offer.’

Her role also includes stakeholder engagement, supporting any opportunities like training, future referrals, and building Rocky Bay’s brand.

‘I like supporting clinicians in terms of their career development…supporting them to feel like they are their best self, finding opportunities for growth and doing what I can to offer that opportunity. I want to make sure everyone is happy in their role, and that we’re being as efficient as we can.’

Jess has supported many therapists at Rocky Bay who have since moved into senior or managerial roles, undertaking project work or taking the lead in building stakeholder relationships, giving them the confidence they need to take on more responsibility.

Jess’ advice for someone beginning their carer in allied health is based on her own past experience as a new graduate.

‘It’s a marathon, not a race. We (allied health professionals) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be high achievers, wanting to be able to do everything at a high standard from day dot. Focus on the basics, building relationships, and working on your foundation skills without putting so much pressure on yourself early on.’

Click here to find out more about Rocky Bay’s Speech Pathology services.