Goulburn Valley Health physiotherapist Matthew Calleri has been announced as the recipient of the inaugural GV Health allied health scholarship.
The scholarship, funded by the Goulburn Murray Credit Union and the GV Health Foundation, is valued at $5000 and aims to assist allied health professionals at GV Health undertake postgraduate study and further their skills.
“It’s massive for me, and it’ll then allow me to do my masters,” Mr Calleri said.
Mr Calleri will study a postgraduate in muscular-skeletal physiotherapy part-time, which will allow him to take on additional responsibilities in GV Health’s emergency department.
“At the moment I work in emergency as a secondary contact, so I need to work under a doctor,” he said.
“This qualification would allow me to be a primary contact practitioner.
“Which means once the patients come in, they’re triaged and then I can pull them from the waiting room and I can assess, manage and treat the condition myself rather than needing a doctor.
“This frees up doctors as they won’t be seeing as many people with muscular-skeletal conditions.”
GV Health chief allied health officer Sally Belcher said the scholarship presented a fantastic opportunity for staff at the health service.
“A scholarship like this means our staff have the opportunity to further their studies and equip themselves with the skills to further their career,” she said.
“But it’s also a fantastic thing for our community as it means people who present to our emergency department will receive better access to quality care.”
GMCU chief executive Melissa Ralph said the scholarship was one way the credit union could give back to the community.
“It’s very important to us to support our community. While banking is one of the services our community needs, we are a part of this community and therefore it’s important we contribute to keep the community strong,” she said.
“And services such as health care are critical to that.”
GV Health Foundation director Carla Dixon acknowledged the work of former director Carmel Johnson in establishing the scholarship program and the generosity of the donors.
“The GV Health Foundation scholarship program supports the GV Health workforce to develop innovative service systems and models of care aligned with improving community wellbeing through high-quality health services, outstanding care and learning,” she said.
“To have local donations supporting local people is a fantastic thing, and it provides opportunities for growth within our community.
“The outcomes and impact this scholarship will deliver for GV Health are measurable and mean better care for people in the community.”