Senior Physiotherapist - Spine Clinics

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• Fixed-Term, Part Time Grade 3 Senior Clinician – Advanced Practice Physiotherapy Positions up to (0.6EFT)
• Flexible appointment across Orthopaedic Spine / Neurosurgery / Physiotherapy Outpatients  

Austin Health is the major provider of tertiary health services, health professional education and research across three campuses in the north-east of Melbourne and state-wide.  We have a highly engaged, diverse and collaborative workforce that is unified by our purpose, which is to help people live healthy and fulfilled lives. 

About the department

The Physiotherapy Department comprises approximately 112 EFT staff at the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre. Clinical A physiotherapy clinical service is provided seven days per week, 12 hours per day to acute and aged care inpatient areas as well as outpatient and community services.  There is a seven-day primary care service for musculoskeletal injuries in the Emergency Department.  

The Physiotherapy Outpatients service provides care at the Health and Rehabilitation Centre (HRC), this includes individual assessment / treatment and a variety of evidence-based group treatment sessions in both our gym and aquatic treatment areas. The service has strong partnerships across Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery and the Emergency Department at Austin Health, including several imbedded Advanced Physiotherapy Practice positions.

Both Austin Neurosurgery and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery have dedicated Spinal Surgery teams that manages a wide variety of spinal presentations including trauma, radiculopathy and complex spinal cases. The head of the Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Unit is Mr Gerald Quan, an Australian and International Fellowship-trained consultant orthopaedic surgeon specializing exclusively in spinal surgery. Mr Gus Gonzalvo is the current directly of Neurosurgery.   

About the role

This role requires you to assess spinal presentations referred to Neurosurgery / Orthopaedic Spine and triaged for the Advanced Physiotherapy Practice (APP) pathways, collaborate with the Neurosurgery / Orthopaedic Spine teams to arrange investigations and assist clinical decision making in the management of spinal presentations, and assess and treat patients referred to the Physiotherapy Outpatients Department.

A regular day will see you:

• Appropriately assess patients streamed to the APP pathway of both the Neurosurgery (Radiculopathy) and Orthopaedic Spine Outpatient Clinics 
• Communicate assessment findings, management plans and patient outcomes with referring doctors and other health professionals involved in the patients care  
• Facilitate timely patient access to either Neurosurgery or Orthopaedic Consultants when surgical consideration may be indicated 
• Support and direct patients assessed as not requiring surgery to suitable, evidence-based spinal pain interventions 
• Undertake comprehensive physiotherapy assessment and consultation regarding complex clinical care relevant to Outpatient Physiotherapy.

Within the Physiotherapy Outpatient Department you will work in a supportive and progressive team environment. with highly skilled and experienced colleagues. Most senior staff have post-graduate musculoskeletal qualifications and hold an Advanced Physiotherapy Practice (APP) position at Austin within a musculoskeletal / orthopaedic speciality area. Regular professional development and exposure to a comprehensive range of APP clinics is a feature of our service.

Within both the Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Units you will work with a team of highly experienced registrars and surgeons, including fellowship-trained consultant surgeons specialising exclusively in spinal surgery. Our APP clinics and the physiotherapists working within these spinal services are highly respected and integral members of these high performing teams.

About you

You will be someone who has excellent communication skills, with a strong commitment to excellence in patient care and teamwork. You’ll bring energy and drive to your work and have a keen interest in developing your skillset.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring with you:

• Significant musculoskeletal physiotherapy experience in the assessment and management of spinal conditions in an outpatient setting 
• Post Graduate qualifications in Masters in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (or equivalent) 
• Excellent communication, organisation and problem-solving skills 
• Commitment to physiotherapy professional development, life-long training and education

Our benefits

Working at Austin Health means enjoying a strong sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work every day.  Our people also receive a variety of rewarding benefits, including:

• Greater take-home pay through generous salary packaging benefits, for living expenses, meals and holiday accommodation
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounts on fitness memberships and health insurance, and a comprehensive wellbeing program
• Mentoring and career development opportunities
• Onsite childcare, easy access via public transport, car parking and end of journey facilities for cyclists

Work with us!

We are committed to cultural safety and health equity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People. We celebrate, value, and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures, bodies, and abilities. We welcome and support applications from talented people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, people with disability, neurodiverse people, LGBTQIA+ and people of all ages and cultures.

If you feel this role is right for you, we encourage your early application. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place prior to the closing date. This means we reserve the right to close a job ad prior to the advertised closing date.

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check and if required, a Working With Children Check. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, you are welcome to reach out to the hiring manager: Mark Hindson, Physiotherapist G4, Mark.HINDSON@austin.org.au

Interested in finding out more about this opportunity? Read the  position description for further details.

Application closing date: Friday 29 August 2025