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After graduating in 1986, Kay worked in Sydney for several years, in the area of paediatrics, before taking up a position as departmental head and paediatric physiotherapist in Young.

Her particular areas of interest are paediatrics, and working with patients with chronic and complex conditions. She also has a keen interest in preparing physiotherapy undergraduates for work in the paediatric and disability fields.

She is a rural practitioner by choice and experience.

Positions and Roles  

• Lecturer in Physiotherapy
• Clinical Coordinator 1st and 2nd years

Teaching

Kay has lectured at CSU since 2010. She has experience in developing and teaching subjects using a Problem Based Learning approach, in which learning is achieved through the process of working through a problem to reach an understanding or resolution of that problem. Kay has been involved in the design and conduct of workplace learning experiences for students in the field of paediatric physiotherapy, again based on the PBL approach to learning.

Subject Delivery

• PHS100 Introduction to Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• PHS250 Evolving Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• PHS300 Integrated Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• PHS302 Neurology and Paediatric Physiotherapy Practice
• PHS401 Physiotherapy Clinical Practice Competency

Innovations in Teaching

Key areas of focus in innovations in teaching are on a) increasing the incorporation of technology into PBL subjects in order to increase authenticity of learning, b) improving alignment between learning objectives, assessment tasks and learning activities and c) incorporating interprofessional perspectives into PBL cases.

Research and Publications

• Preparedness for physiotherapy practice: Has integrated problem based learning made a difference for graduands?
• Future research direction: student preparation for workplace learning experiences, with particular reference to paediatric physiotherapy.

Community Engagement

Kay's approach to P & CE is to forge as strong links as she can with the physiotherapy community, to ensure teaching is relevant and based in the current context, as well as taking into account new research. Her goal is to be an interface between university and rural physiotherapy worlds, consistently updated on what is current and feasible in rural practice so that we can address and consider those issues when developing our course.  This approach includes: being a  clinical educator in the community; being closely networked with the other physiotherapists in her particular area of practice; and providing workshops to physiotherapists and clinical educators.

Kay is  developing a collaborative relationship with a university and physiotherapists in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to provide professional support and engagement around paediatric physiotherapy.

Memberships and Affilations

• Australian Physiotherapy Association
• Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators
• Technical Aid for the Disabled 
• Chair for the Paediatric Physiotherapy Network, Central West Region
• Committee member Australian Physiotherapy Association Central West regional group
• CSU representative on NSW/ACT Clinical Coordinators Group.