Service-learning placement brings speech pathology intervention to Sunraysia school
A Dareton school, located in Far West New South Wales, received valuable support with their first two speech pathology placement students, thanks to the work of the Sunraysia Collaboration - a partnership between Monash Rural Health Mildura and the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health.
Fourth-year Bachelor of Speech Pathology students from Flinders University, Rebecca Mintern and Amelia Sharrad, were the first participants in this service-learning speech pathology placement under the Sunraysia Collaboration. Earlier this year, the pair completed a 9-week paediatric placement at Dareton Public School. They provided one-on-one services with students, focusing on individualised speech and language interventions, and delivered play-based sessions in the classroom to further develop play and social skills.
“We also had the great opportunity to deliver education to the staff and teachers at the school, regarding what we do as speech pathologist and how they can support children in the classroom around their speech and language development,” explained Rebecca.
Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction Lead at Dareton Public School, Debra Horton, said the speech pathology students were an invaluable addition to the school.
“We don’t have access to many services, particularly speech pathology services. Having two students come in and work with our school for a whole term had a huge impact on our students’ learning. Their expertise and skill have helped our school so much.”
Rebecca and Amelia felt warmly welcomed by the Dareton community and were well-supported throughout the placement experience. They both loved the hands-on nature of this placement and immersed in the school environment.
“A highlight for me was being in the school environment every day. This meant I was able to see how my students were doing and the impact that my work was having on their development in the classroom and out in the yard. Spending that quality time with them really showed me how much they can blossom and how much of an impact you can have as a speech pathologist in the future,” reflected Amelia.
The Sunraysia Collaboration provides innovative, service-learning placements that immerse students in communities within the Sunraysia region to assist with meeting the needs of these rural communities, as well as the learning objectives of the students and their university.
“I’m very grateful as it’s provided us with a service we wouldn’t have normally. I would encourage any school that has the opportunity to have speech students at their school to take it up. At Dareton, we have a unique context and we have also been able to give back to our students and give them experiences they may not have had before,” said Debra Horton.
Amelia and Rebecca encouraged allied health students considering a rural or remote placement to go for it and to “jump at every opportunity you’re given.”
If you’re a speech pathology student interested in a rural placement with the Sunraysia Collaboration, please contact:
Laura Tarrant - Allied Health Academic, Sunraysia Collaboration
E: Laura.Tarrant@health.nsw.gov.au