In regional Australia, especially in rural and remote communities, disparities in access to healthcare lead to health challenges and health inequity. 

This can be seen across the board, from GPs and physiotherapists providing primary care to specialist medical services and community health initiatives. 

In 2023, regional, rural and remote Australia was home to around 7.3 million people—more than 27 per cent of the total population (National Rural Health Alliance 2025). 

But the distribution of the healthcare workforce doesn’t match the geographical distribution of the population; small rural towns and remote or very remote communities have significantly lower access to health professionals (AIHW 2024). 

In the APA’s 2023 Workforce Census (APA 2024), about seven in 10 members were based in metropolitan areas and three in 10 worked in regional centres or rural towns. 

Only one per cent worked in remote communities. For the physiotherapists who live and work rurally, however, Australia’s regions and remote locations are the best places to be. 

Some of these physiotherapists grew up in the country and never left; others came for a visit and ended up staying. 

For all of them, rural work means leveraging every opportunity to provide their patients with the best possible care. 

Barriers and opportunities 

A number of barriers have been identified that discourage or prevent physiotherapists from making the move to rural practice, despite one in three physiotherapists surveyed in the Workforce Census saying they were willing to work rurally (APA 2024). 

The majority of respondents cited distance from family and friends as a key barrier (62 per cent), while leaving social networks (33 per cent) and the financial commitment that might be required to move to a regional area (29 per cent) were also important. 

Other factors include leaving professional networks and a lack of professional support and development opportunities. 

Nick Jones MACP is the chair of the APA’s Rural Advisory Committee and a physiotherapist who has lived and worked in Darwin for over 20 years. 

Originally from country Victoria, Nick understands the challenges well. 

He’s not surprised that two of the key factors preventing physiotherapists from working rurally revolve around family and social networks. 

‘It’s still the biggest reason. We’ve made so much progress with this—we can communicate over video so much better than we used to—but people still crave that personal interaction, being in the same place at the same time with people. 

'It’s really difficult to overcome, aside from trying to make your workplace as friendly, inviting and engaging as possible so that people almost feel like they’re joining a family,’ Nick says. 

Physiotherapists who live in rural communities stress the need for newcomers to make community connections sooner rather than later—for example, by getting involved with local sporting teams as a player or supporter or by socialising with colleagues. 

Anne-Marie Dunnet APAM, a physiotherapist in the south-west of Western Australia, says effort is needed to get out and get known. 

‘We don’t all have pubs or a club you can go to. You’ve got to find a friend and go to a coffee shop. 

'Meeting people in these smaller communities can be daunting and I’ve certainly seen an awful lot of physios leave because they just couldn’t fit into that community. 

‘If you’ve never played footy before and the community has a footy team, then go and have a crack. 

'Put yourself out there—that’s the way to make friends. It can be very lonely if you’re on your own all the time.’ 

Addressing the financial costs of moving is another step that a practice or health service can take to help potential employees make the leap. 

While housing can be cheaper regionally, popular regional holiday locations as well as small communities may lack affordable housing or even available housing. 

Long distances between towns can make commuting between work and home or different workplaces costly too. 

‘We want them to feel that they can afford to make a move to a regional, rural or remote place and that once there, there will be sufficient income generation for them to survive and prosper and also have the ability to travel back to see family,’ Nick says. 

This is an important consideration for people who live in rural and remote parts of Australia, where the cost of travelling to visit family and friends or for professional development can be high, not just financially but in terms of time. 

‘You need to be adaptable about those sorts of factors and offer extra leave—whether it’s additional unpaid leave or an extra bit of paid leave or recognition for the work they’ve done so you can give them more paid leave for it,’ Nick says. 

‘Often it’s not just a weekend thing to pop back to see family; by the time you’ve factored in travel, it becomes a three- or four- or five-day journey.’ 

As well as attracting people to work in rural Australia, there’s the matter of keeping them. 

Nick estimates that the majority of people he hires to work at his practice in Darwin will stay for a couple of years before moving on. 

‘We have a subset of the community that is transient— younger people who have come to explore the culture and uniqueness of the Top End or with a partner who has been relocated for their work. 

Many are not yet committed to mortgages and a family of their own. 

This is their chance to travel and see parts of Australia that they may not get the chance to see for another 15 to 20 years.’ 

Moving to somewhere like Darwin, Western Australia’s northern regions, Far North Queensland, rural Tasmania or outback Australia also attracts a particular type of person, usually someone with a sense of adventure and a love of the outdoors. 

‘You need people who are adaptable and have a fairly open mind because quite often those regional and rural spaces are pretty different from what you’re going to see in the bigger cities,’ Nick says. 

The Workforce Census looked at support factors that could encourage physiotherapists to move to and stay in a rural workplace. 

Around half of the physiotherapists surveyed said that financial support to assist with relocation and higher remuneration would support them to work rurally. 

Among the other factors cited were professional support and mentoring as well as training to develop a rural-specific skill set and career progression opportunities. 

Reducing HELP fees in exchange for working in a rural location—which isn’t currently available to physiotherapists or other allied health professionals, although GPs and nurses can get it—was also of interest, especially to foundation-level physiotherapists, and is something the APA is encouraging the federal government to consider. 

Streamlined professional development pathways that utilise existing content, nuanced to the rural and remote physiotherapist, are a key pillar in improving recruitment and retention in these environments. 

While physiotherapists are eligible to complete the Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway developed by rural service organisation Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (here), there exists an opportunity for the APA to develop its own Rural Generalist Pathway, something the Rural Advisory Committee is strongly focused on. 

‘That’s probably one of the biggest projects we are working on with the APA,’ says Nick, who estimates that it will be a couple of years before a pilot program is ready. 

It’s overdue recognition that rural and remote physiotherapists are likely to welcome. 

Many of them spend a lot of time upskilling in a diverse range of physiotherapy areas so they can handle whatever comes into the clinic. 

Hospital-based physiotherapists will often work across all areas, wherever they are needed— from neurology to cardiorespiratory, paediatrics and disability. 

In private practice, it’s not uncommon to cover musculoskeletal, sports, women’s and men’s health, pain management, disability and rehabilitation. 

Alethe Trengove APAM, a physiotherapist in Katherine in the Northern Territory, says, ‘I would definitely consider myself a rural generalist, although I do have specialties— hand therapy and women’s health. 

'Being self-employed, working rurally and remotely, I felt that money and time were better spent upskilling myself with courses and professional development than choosing one specialty and pursuing titling.’ 

Access to online training in recent years has made a huge difference to rural and remote physiotherapists. 

‘For me to do a weekend course, when I was first starting out, meant easily $1000 in airfares plus the cost of the course and the cost of accommodation. 

'And up until recently, there wasn’t a lot of funding to do that. 

'The course might have been $300 and I might have paid $2500 to do it,’ says Diane Lukasiewich MACP, a physiotherapist in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. 

The APA is looking at better ways to deliver its professional development opportunities. 

It offers some virtual seminars and online training courses but many of its courses still require in-person attendance, often in a major city. 

‘That’s certainly a high priority for the rural advisory group. 

'We’re exploring how people in regional and rural Australia can access content more easily and in a way that’s appetising to them,’ Nick says. 

‘Recently we were discussing the possibility of live streaming lectures and courses so people can access them while they’re happening. 

'Then the next phase is snippet-based content—15-to-20-minute recordings that people can jump onto to quickly get some crucial information without sitting through hours of content.’

Improving healthcare equity

Australia needs to move towards a more equitable healthcare system, where people have access to physiotherapy services regardless of whether they live in a city with several physiotherapy clinics in every suburb or a small rural town a day’s drive from the nearest regional centre.

‘When people aren’t able to be treated close to home, the impact is well documented. 

'To me it’s a privilege to treat people in their local community and have them stay where they have support and their family and friends can visit them,’ says Anne-Marie. 

But for many Australians living in remote towns and communities, accessing healthcare services without travelling to a bigger town or centre is not currently possible. 

Having practised in the remote town of Exmouth in Western Australia, Anne-Marie has firsthand experience of working in communities with a lack of healthcare services. 

‘I had a patient there who was going for a new job requiring pre-employment assessments and she was going to have to be away from her young family for four days—a flight down to Perth to do the medical, the pre-employment physio assessments, a hearing test and more and then a flight back. 

'It was going to cost the company a lot of money.’ 

Sensing an opportunity, Anne-Marie and a business partner started a practice offering pre-employment assessments for local employers, including the nearby US military bases, and other healthcare services for the community. 

‘I got my hearing assessment tickets and drug and alcohol testing tickets so we could do it all in Exmouth,’ she says. 

‘We had doctors visiting, including orthopaedic surgeons. 

'We had a psychologist and an audiologist. 

'It was a five-hour drive to the nearest town to get hearing aids, for example, so it meant that the older people in the community could stay home and get everything done without the long drive to Carnarvon.’ 

Sadly, Anne-Marie’s Exmouth business is currently on hold due to a lack of suitable clinic space in the town. 

In addition to running a telehealth-based pain and fatigue management practice based out of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Sophie Shephard MACP is completing a PhD at Charles Sturt University on current pain management research and policy—in particular, a social critique of the ‘metro-normative’ approach taken in pain management. 

‘We tend to judge how things “should be” based on city models. 

'Rural areas are compared to the city and often seen as less than or lacking,’ she explains. 

Sophie says that models of practice that work in urban areas, such as the multidisciplinary team approach, don’t transfer well to a rural setting, where trained clinicians and the required infrastructure are not always available. 

She says we should instead be looking at different ways to do things. 

‘We need to empower rural communities to explore different models and support the evolution of models that are fit for purpose.’ 

She also points out that always considering rural and regional areas a bit backwards, less progressive or less sophisticated doesn’t help. 

‘Collectively, it creates a barrier to health professionals wanting to go out there and explore the possibilities,’ she says. 

‘Often there’s a very tight-knit, close community in rural areas. 

'If you show up genuinely wanting to become part of that community, you’ll be welcomed.

'There’s a strong spirit of collaboration in health settings, particularly with other local professionals. 

'It’s rewarding to have those close connections and the opportunity to practise in creative and innovative ways—there’s so much room to develop skills that you wouldn’t otherwise have.’ 

Universities play a role in developing the rural workforce. 

There are now a number of universities with a regional focus in allied health—Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Victoria’s Federation University and La Trobe University, and the Northern Territory’s Charles Darwin University among them. 

Many more universities encourage students to do at least one rural placement but places and financial support are limited.

Research identifies three major themes 

Last year, physiotherapy students from the University of Melbourne completed a research project investigating workforce sustainability for physiotherapists in rural Victoria. 

Dr Ryan McGrath APAM, an academic from La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne, was the primary supervisor of the study, which involved 15 interviews with physiotherapists, employers and managers from the Hume region. 

Published in Physiotherapy earlier this year (McAlister et al 2025; here), the results identified three key influences: a chronically stressed and tired workforce; limited clinical development opportunities, which the researchers termed a ‘concrete clinical ceiling’; and being under-recognised and undervalued. 

Findings that the workforce was chronically stressed and tired weren’t surprising to the researchers, especially in the post-COVID-19 period. 

Ryan says the stress of working through the pandemic led a number of physiotherapists in the Hume region to step back from full-time work, either taking on parttime roles or retiring altogether. 

‘This has led to a shift in the make-up of the physiotherapy workforce in this region. 

'It’s now a younger workforce, with needs in terms of professional development, mentorship and supervision. 

'And you’ve lost some of that senior clinical leadership,’ he says. 

The age of the workforce also plays strongly into the second theme, the ‘concrete clinical ceiling’. 

Essentially, there are not enough positions available at more senior levels of practice in regional healthcare services. 

This leaves physiotherapists stranded in lower grades or forces them to move into non-clinical roles (mainly management and education) to keep their career progressing. 

The final theme reflects many physiotherapists’ experiences of feeling that their work is not recognised by the health system, their colleagues or even the community. 

The authors note that rural physiotherapists and other allied health professionals feel that they are not adequately recognised and supported in the same way that doctors and nurses are, with career development, career pathways and financial support.

Top End physio 

Fifteen years ago, Emily Jordan APAM drove from Melbourne to the Northern Territory for a year of adventure. 

She’s still there, now running her own private practice, with 14 staff members and a thriving roster of clients in Darwin and across the Territory. 

Initially working in private practice and as a sports physiotherapist with clubs like the Tiwi Bombers Football Club and the Territory Stingers women’s hockey team, Emily started her own business in 2021. 

Emily Jordan

‘I had young children so a mobile business made sense and then an old colleague was looking for work so she jumped on board and it grew that way,’ Emily says. 

Emily’s practice, Outreach Physiotherapy, focuses on paediatric, rehabilitation and neurological conditions and is a provider for the NDIS. 

Outreach is a big part of the business and physiotherapists regularly fly out to visit remote Aboriginal communities. 

‘The travel logistics are a whole other realm— developing all those systems has been enjoyable and interesting. 

'We try to team up with other providers that might have a speech therapist or an occupational therapist,’ Emily says. 

It’s not without its challenges. 

Floods can stop a team from travelling to a community or keep them there for longer than anticipated. 

Sorry business and other events in the community can also delay a visit. 

‘We build good relationships with our clients. 

'We’ll call them a week out and then two days out to see if anything has changed. 

'Then if any of the clients are coming in for respite, we will offer to see them here in the clinic,’ says Emily. 

Emily says the lack of equipment and the frequent lack of occupational therapists means that physiotherapists often have to problem-solve, especially when it comes to sourcing and fitting equipment for remote patients. 

All of her physiotherapists undergo extensive training to make sure they are providing culturally safe and sensitive care to their patients. 

Emily has found the assistance of the Northern Territory Primary Health Network (here), which supports both public and private health professionals with their recruitment, relocation, professional development and practice management, to be invaluable. 

‘It’s challenging but it is interesting work and very rewarding. 

'And I love the laid-back lifestyle here; there’s a great work-life balance and everyone is really welcoming,’ says Emily. 

‘You won’t get bored or burnt out. 

'Every day is quite different— it’s not the day-to-day mundane that the metro jobs may have. 

'You can’t beat that.’

Connection and adventure 

Born in the northern Victorian border town of Cobram, Alethe Trengove APAM knew for a long time that she wanted to become a physiotherapist. 

‘I was very sporty as a kid and I thought physiotherapists were magic because they knew how to diagnose and treat injuries. 

'I always wanted to work in health and love to help people,’ says Alethe. 

Following study at the University of Sydney, Alethe moved back to Victoria, where she completed her grad year at a Colac clinic, job sharing with another graduate physiotherapist across private practice and a public hospital. 

Two years later, Alethe moved to another private practice in Geelong, enjoying a similar arrangement while engaging in her passion for triathlons. 

Alethe Trengove

Her next move would be one of the biggest steps of her life and career. 

‘I had this idea about working in the outback,’ says Alethe. 

‘I applied for a job on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory, moved there and absolutely loved it. 

'I still had a plan to travel overseas for work and did a stint in a private practice in Tokyo before moving back to Geelong to work for my old boss, then to Townsville in Queensland and on to Katherine in the Northern Territory, where I’ve been for the past 13 years.’ 

Working in a rural setting exposes you to an extremely wide and varied case load. 

‘In Townsville, if someone came in for hand therapy, I could send them down the road to a hand clinic. 

'But in Katherine, the nearest hand clinic is 350 kilometres away in Darwin. 

'As a rural generalist, I might see someone with a brain injury or incontinence or someone who’s cut a tendon in their hand, then do a paediatric assessment, all in the one day,’ says Alethe. 

Thanks to technology, geographical isolation doesn’t have to mean forgoing the chance to upskill. 

‘These days, with online courses and professional development, as well as a willingness to learn and to seek out professionals who can help you improve as a physio, being in a non-urban area shouldn’t be a barrier for learning,’ says Alethe. 

‘A young physio who might be looking to specialise but is unsure about what to focus on can dabble in many different areas as a rural generalist. 

'If anyone is hesitant about working in a small town like Katherine, I say, “Please ring me or send me an email and I’ll tell you what it’s really like.” 

'It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and I absolutely love it here.’

Mining for opportunity 

A Townsville native, Brooke Perry studied physiotherapy at James Cook University and was attracted to the flexibility and wide-ranging skills necessary for a generalist physio. 

Brooke’s last placement, in the Ingham Health Service hospital about an hour north of Townsville, helped shape the direction of her career. 

‘I got exposure to inpatients, outpatients, paediatric assessments—all kinds of things,’ says Brooke. 

‘For my new grad year I saw Mareeba Hospital pop up first and just applied for it. 

'I did that for a year and a half and then went to a Cairns hospital for tertiary and got good acute skills. 

'Then I did district relief at a lot of other country hospitals and realised how much I love rural work.’ 

Brooke Perry

It was at this stage that a job in Mount Isa became available and Brooke decided to ‘give it a crack’. 

She was supported with accommodation for her first 18 months in the town, which helped a great deal. 

She is now the senior member of the team, supported by a women’s health senior physio and five junior physios. 

‘As an example of my schedule, I have been to the emergency department to do a vestibular assessment on a dizzy patient, then to the paediatric respiratory clinic for a bronchiectasis patient for airway clearance and also facilitating a telehealth clinic with QEII Hospital in Brisbane for the screening of orthopaedic referrals. 

'So I would say I’m definitely a generalist and never sitting still.’ 

Living in Mount Isa required some adjustment but came with many benefits. 

‘When I first drove in—I don’t know if you’ve seen any pictures of Mount Isa but you’re literally living in a mine—I thought, “Have I made a mistake?”’ says Brooke. 

‘But I found that making friends out here is actually easier than in a metro area; everyone is just so friendly and super inclusive.’ 

Mount Isa’s remoteness can create challenges in terms of lack of access to resources and professional development, which is why a strong work culture is so important. 

‘My employer is very encouraging with professional development and supports us to do courses in Brisbane and Townsville so I feel like I still have lots of opportunities to learn.’ 

Brooke’s advice to anyone thinking about working in a rural setting is to put yourself out there and give it a go. 

‘It is what you make of it. 

'I’m only four years out of uni but I’ve had heaps of opportunities for career progression so working rurally is definitely worth considering.’ 

Finding a niche 

For physiotherapists who do their training at a regional university, working regionally is not such a big jump, says Sophie Shephard MACP, who was born in tiny New South Wales town Temora and studied physiotherapy at Charles Sturt University in Albury-Wodonga, commuting from Wagga Wagga in her final year. 

While she had her share of placements in metro hospitals and larger regional hubs, she chose to stay in the familiar environment of Wagga Wagga. 

‘I finished and got a job working at a private practice in Wagga and I’ve been here ever since, although my role has changed,’ Sophie says. 

Sophie is a rarity in regional Australia as a physiotherapist with a niche practice—she is an APA Titled Pain Physiotherapist and provides pain management services both locally and to clients across Australia. 

Sophie Shephard

‘When I graduated, I started working in a general musculoskeletal and sports clinic. 

'I realised very early on that I had an interest in persistent pain management and while Wagga’s a pretty large regional area, we don’t have a public pain service. 

'There’s no pain clinic or anything like that here. 

'As soon as I began to move into that space, suddenly everyone was referring to me because I was the only person doing it. 

'It really allowed me to accelerate my journey.’ 

Ultimately, Sophie left the general private practice to set up her own practice focused on pain and fatigue conditions including chronic fatigue, long COVID and hypermobility disorders. 

At one point her waiting list was eight months long—as a sole practitioner, she was unable to keep up with the demand and found it difficult to hire another pain physiotherapist to work with her. 

She has since pivoted the clinic to telehealth and has hired a pain physiotherapist based in Queensland. 

Along the way, Sophie has developed close working relationships with other local health professionals, including the practice she started at, providing them with the specialist pain management services they need and referring clients back to them for services she can’t provide. 

‘If you have an interest in a particular area of practice, regional and rural centres can be a fantastic place to go because you are so needed. 

'If referrers in the community learn that you are there and willing to help, you can develop those relationships quite quickly and be well supported in the community to do the things that you’re passionate about.’

Jack of all trades 

Anne-Marie Dunnet APAM is the very definition of a rural generalist. 

In the 20-plus years that she’s been practising physiotherapy, she’s done almost everything. 

‘I work in inpatients and outpatients. I do paediatrics, ICU and ED. 

'The only area that I don’t work in is pelvic health. Otherwise, I do everything from antenatal to strokes, geriatrics and inpatient rehab,’ Anne-Marie says. 

Anne-Marie Dunnet

She has worked in regional Western Australia throughout her career and is currently a casual for a hospital system in the south-west of the state. 

She does regular shifts at hospitals ranging from a tiny, 12-bed hospital in Donnybrook to a larger hub at Collie and occasionally works at the main hospital in Busselton. 

As a casual, she has a lot of flexibility and that outweighs the long commutes to work. 

‘I plug holes because we are so short-staffed.’ 

In addition to her hospital work, Anne-Marie has her own practice, making home visits to clients, and some years ago she started a practice to provide occupational health and physiotherapy services in the small town of Exmouth, gateway to the Pilbara. 

Due to a lack of leasable property in the town, that business is currently on hiatus. 

She also pops up to Perth regularly to do weekend shifts in the ICU at one of the city’s major tertiary hospitals. 

‘I did an ICU placement at Royal Perth Hospital during the Bali bombings and that sparked my passion for ICU. 

'They are definitely happy to have me there and when they don’t have ICU shifts they put me in the emergency department for the same reason—I’ve done a lot of different areas of physio. 

'I’m a master of absolutely none of them but I do have some experience in most.’ 

While she acknowledges the barriers to working regionally, Anne-Marie greatly values the opportunity to treat people in their local community, where they have the support of their family and friends. 

Her advice for physiotherapists interested in working regionally is to give it a go. 

‘If they’ve got support—if they’ve got housing and transport options and they know they’re not stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing—I think people are mostly up for the adventure. 

'It’s a bit scary to start with but if we can support them through that initial phase, then I reckon we’ll probably have most of them for life.’ 

Big voices for small numbers 

Growing up in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Diane Lukasiewich MACP gained her physiotherapy qualifications there before moving to a town of 7000 people in the mountains and then an even smaller town on Vancouver Island. 

‘As a student, I got to do a lot of rural and regional placements in Canada, which helped me to understand how much the country has to offer a young professional,’ says Diane. 

A desire to achieve a master’s degree in musculoskeletal physiotherapy led Diane to the University of Western Australia on the other side of the planet. 

‘After finishing, I travelled to Kalgoorlie to stay with some friends for Christmas, which is where I met my husband and eventually made the decision to stay.’ 

Diane Lukasiewich

Diane is an APA Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist but working in a rural area means also being a generalist. 

‘In Canada I had exposure doing occupational physio for corporations, helping them reduce workplace injuries. 

'After buying my business in Kalgoorlie in 2007, I contracted out to KCGM, owner of one of the largest goldmines, and to BHP to help shape some of their injury prevention and functional capacity evaluations.’ 

Diane has noticed a shift towards recognising not only the struggles in regional Australia but also the strengths. 

‘We are strong advocates and have big voices for very small numbers. 

'I think Australia needs to do better at recognising the value in allied health and needs to fund it as vigorously as it funds medical. 

'If regional areas have a highly capable and skilled allied health community, everybody benefits.’ 

Diane is unequivocal in her advice to any physio wanting to gain some experience outside of the big cities. 

‘Do it. You won’t regret it. 

'The experiences you’ll have in rural Australia will set you up for life, regardless of where you end up. 

'It’s very special when somebody comes up to you in the street five years later and tells you how much you helped them to live their best life.’ 

There are many ways for clinic owners to assist their new staff with adjustment to country life. 

‘Lifestyle allowances like gym memberships are important,’ says Diane. 

‘I also subsidise accommodation for my team and provide paid training every fortnight and in-service training from orthopaedic surgeons and specialist physios. 

'Maintaining an awesome team culture helps you to effect meaningful change in the region.’ 

Student choices 

Maddison McAlister APAM and Vivianne Phung APAM are recent graduates of the Doctor of Physiotherapy program at the University of Melbourne. 

Along with three fellow students and researchers from the university, they co-authored a study (here) under the supervision of Dr Ryan McGrath APAM, exploring the barriers to and facilitators of recruitment and retention in rural Victoria. 

Vivianne Phung

All five co-author students completed a rural placement as part of their university training. 

Notably, three of them (including Vivianne) have accepted rural or regional positions for their first roles after graduation. 

Maddison provided a lived example of why many early-career physiotherapists remain in metropolitan Melbourne. 

Despite being open to rural work, having applied to many rural hospitals and private practices, Maddison chose to start her career in the largest neurological private practice in Melbourne. 

She says, ‘Ultimately, I chose to start my career [in this metropolitan neurological private practice] as I knew it would provide me with excellent supervision, with room to grow as a neurological physiotherapist, in addition to career progression. 

'Specialising in a field as a new graduate physiotherapist makes me feel valued as I help provide a critical service to our community, all while living with my family.’ 

Maddison’s story highlights the critical challenge that graduates face when they are open to working rurally but personal and professional factors pull them away from rural and back to metropolitan jobs. 

Similar to Maddison, Vivianne also interviewed widely, at both metropolitan and regional and rural hospitals. 

Maddison McAlister

In contrast, she made the decision to move away from home and accepted a regional rotational physiotherapist position at a public health service that made her feel needed and valued. 

Having worked six months in her current role, she says, ‘I didn’t know anyone before I came here but everyone is so welcoming and supportive. 

'I feel that I have grown so much [professionally and personally] and I am glad I came.’ 

Particularly, she enjoys the challenge and development of generalist clinical skills, not bound to a specific clinical area, offered when working regionally. 

Vivianne’s story provides a perspective on some key considerations that may attract graduates to working regionally or rurally. 

Maddison’s and Vivianne’s stories highlight the nuance in rural recruitment. 

Although both had similar rural healthcare exposure and were open to rural work, they pursued different career paths, which influenced whether they stayed in Melbourne or relocated rurally. 

Despite the geographical and workplace differences, their decisions ultimately revealed a need for strong professional development and a sense of community and value in their role.

• References