Sunshine Coast, known for its stunning landscapes and serene atmosphere, has been grappling with a shortage of therapists in recent years. However, a glimpse of hope has emerged in the form of new working conditions that are proving to be a game-changer in addressing this pressing issue. This article explains how these innovative changes are having a significant impact on therapist shortages and ultimately enhancing the well-being of the community.

The four most common types of therapy offered in Sunshine Coast are listed below;

Occupational Therapy

Psychology and Counselling

Speech Pathology

Positive behavior support

Reasons for shortage of Therapists in Sunshine Coast

It is evident that, during the past few years, there has been a shortage of therapists in Sunshine Coast. The reasons behind this shortage are yet to be discovered. Some of the main reasons behind the shortage of therapists are listed below;

Geographical Location:

The Sunshine Coast's remote location may put off some therapists from relocating due to limited access to urban amenities and professional networking opportunities. It is much evident that sunshine coast has been witnessing a severe housing crisis that is affecting every person in their community. All demographic groups are impacted, including senior citizens, young families, and young individuals in the workforce. Young people were unable to return because they could not find cheap homes, and many locals were being forced off the Coast. An extraordinary number of people, many of whom have been in this area for a long time, became homeless.

Higher cost of living:

The Sunshine Coast's cost of living may be greater than in other areas, which may reduce its appeal to therapists, particularly those with families.

The below-mentioned description gives out a general idea of the cost of living for one person as well as for a family of four.

Cost of Living in Sunshine Coast

Total with Rent One person - $1934 - Family of 4 - $4291

Without Rent One person - $739 - Family of 4 - $2270

Rent & Utilities One person - $1194 - Family of 4 - $2021

Food One person - $541 - Family of 4 - $1387

Transport One person - $76.2 - Family of 4 - $204

Monthly salary after Tax - $4972

Quality of Life - 86

Population - 284k

Sunshine Coast is one of the most expensive cities in the world, basically in the top 18%, ranking 1668^th out of 9294 globally and 13^th out of 64 in Australia. The average living cost in Sunshine Coast is $1934.

Healthcare burnout:

One of the main reasons for the shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector, particularly therapists, has been the reality of burnout in the business, especially during the pandemic. Burnout can result from high demand and high levels of stress, forcing therapists to leave the field or look for employment elsewhere.

In what ways did the shortage of therapists affect the community of Sunshine Coast?

It is clearly shown that the shortage of therapists had severely affected the community before the implementation of working conditions. The difficulty of finding a therapist within the community was a big task for the ones those who really needed it.

An article on ABC News states that a young youth was in difficulty in finding proper health services for mental illness and drug addiction which resulted in taking off his girlfriends and elder brothers’ lives.  Further, it clearly mentioned that it was the poor who suffered the most. They had to travel 3 hours to a public center to access free rehabilitation in Gold Coast and later found out that the highest number of health centers that could help them were private. Surprisingly but the only private hospital that was available in that region did not include a mental health ward. Therefore, people who were undergoing mental health emergencies had to travel to Nambour which was around 45 minutes away, looking out for the nearest public hospital that had a mental health ward. This hasn’t been a problem for the wealthiest residents but for the other young people who were unable to afford local services or attend other affordable services within the region.

This main issue suggests that the limitations of therapists are becoming the reason for the lack of access to mental health for the people who really need them.

New Working conditions implemented to reduce shortage of therapists

Due to these reasons, Sunshine Coast has then started implementing new working conditions to overcome these challenges. Thereby, the below mentioned working conditions have helped reduce this major issue in Sunshine Coast;

Improved wellbeing of employees:

The new working conditions place a higher priority on therapists' well-being, which is important for new therapists who are more prone to burnout. This can be done by taking steps like giving staff enough breaks, encouraging a healthy work-life balance, and providing mental health support. These employee benefits are directly mentioned on Job descriptions as shown on Seek.com in the aim of captivating candidates in Sunshine coast.

Flexible Hours; Therapists now can select their convenient times to start and end therapy. They could work long hours on some days so that they can have shorter hours or will be able to even take a day off. Some therapists opt to work for 10-hour days in order to enjoy a weekly three-day weekend. Therapists have more flexibility and independence over their work hours with flexible scheduling.

Job sharing; Some therapists choose to split a full-time position between two of them in a job-sharing arrangement. Each therapist works sporadically, perhaps three days per week, which promotes greater work-life balance because there are four days off each week. Job sharing offers the same stability of a permanent work, but with more flexibility and part-time hours. Additionally, it enables therapists to get experience in a position they might not otherwise be able to take on full-time.

Work Remotely; In recent days, a lot of therapists can choose to work remotely, either full- or part-time basis. They can hold sessions over the phone or via video, and they can complete additional tasks like taking notes, billing, and continuing education anywhere they like. Therapists who work remotely have more freedom and control over their working environment and schedule. As a result, therapists can spend more time with their families, have a better work-life balance, and cut down on commute hours.

Competitive salaries and benefits:

In order to recruit and retain therapists, it is essential to offer competitive compensation. It makes it more appealing for therapists to work on the Sunshine Coast by ensuring that they are adequately compensated for their own knowledge and experience.

Based on the searched results, it is proven that an average salary for a therapist is $71.15 per hour while a mental health clinician gets around $100,000 to $125,000 per year.

Appreciation and Recognition:

The influence of real expressions of appreciation and recognition on therapists is reinforced and they feel appreciated. Regularly express appreciation and constructive criticism, publicly honor exceptional work, and foster an environment where contributions are valued. Words of encouragement, prizes, and small acts of gratitude are quite effective.

This will attract and keep great people for years by fostering the correct environment and culture. By concentrating on therapists' well-being, needs, and growth, seniors can foster loyalty by demonstrating that they care about them. The advantages of a stable, engaged staff and lower turnover far outweigh the costs. Win-win situation.

Investing in continuing education and professional development:

Offering therapists chances for professional development through mentorship, professional development, and educational incentives will encourage them to stick with their practices. Assist therapists in advancing their skills and qualifications by offering them opportunity to take on additional responsibility and professional advancement pathways.

Continuing education and professional development are keys to reducing the shortage of therapists in Sunshine Coast. It is evident that the lack of education and growth has been one turning point to why therapists were reluctant to work within the region. Therefore, with the investment of education and professional growth, therapist would like to settle themselves again to enjoy these benefits.

These above detailed points are some of the new working conditions that were implied to reduce the limitation of therapists in Sunshine Coast.

Housing and homeless action plan 2023 – Sunshine Coast

The "housing crisis" in Sunshine Coast is mostly caused by a decline in house affordability. The expenses connected with housing demand and supply, including the financial and social costs, that may limit a household's capacity to buy or rent a home are referred to as housing affordability. This term also refers to the costs associated with creating housing for the market.

Improved housing and homelessness help must be delivered successfully, and this depends on industry, government, and the community working together in an integrated manner. This action plan outlines the cooperation and integration required to produce the results needed to support the Sunshine Coast community.

Have these implementations brought a change to therapists’ lives?

The article on Sunshine Coast News mentions that more women are being drawn back into the workforce through the flexible new working circumstances in the allied health sector. This shows that some therapists in the area may have had a better work-life balance as a result of the changed working conditions.

Moreover, Burnout, stress, and a lack of job satisfaction are caused by unreasonable caseloads and mountains of paperwork. With the implementations made, therapists would feel free to work at their own pace when providing services to all locals and surrounding communities as there will be more therapists willing to work in Sunshine Coast.

Increments of wages and pay rates have made therapists more stable to have a proper comfortable living while serving the community of Sunshine Coast. This drives therapists to willingly settle in Sunshine Coast solving the shortage of therapists the region had.

Therapists now feel valued, respected, and supported, which enables them to stay in their roles for the long term.

In general, when there are a smaller number of negative factors that make therapists reconsider in settling in any state or country, the probability of therapists settling in that state or country is high. This change of mentality can only be achieved through the alteration of new working conditions. Not only therapists, but all employees in general, love to enjoy benefits. Implementing a high number of working conditions attracts the eye of many therapists both locally and internationally. This strategy did make it easier to reduce the shortage Sunshine Coast previously had to face. It has surely made the community a better place to live with easy access to therapy sessions. Everyone residing in Sunshine Coast is now able to live a happy, stress-free life.

If you wish to know more information or attain jobs in the field of Occupational Therapists,  reach out and visit our Medfuture website.