Description

Clinical Educator, Occupational Therapy performs the important function of supporting and supervising our students to develop their clinical skills while delivering a supervised clinical service to patients.

Part-Time, Continuing (.60FTE - 3 days per week, Multiple Positions available) 

Melbourne (Bundoora) location 

Classification: Level B - Base salary from $118,530 (pro rata) + 17% superannuation

Position Context

The School of Allied Health, Human Services & Sport (SAHHSS) is a leading provider of training for a range of allied health professional disciplines in Victoria.  An integral part of the practical learning in the disciplines of Speech Pathology, Podiatry, and Orthoptics involves student-led internal clinics delivered in dedicated facilities on the Bundoora campus of La Trobe University.  The school is also establishing an Occupational Therapy clinic, scheduled to commence in 2026, with additional allied health disciplines expected to join the on-campus clinic framework from 2027 onward.  The primary purpose of the Schools Clinics is to deliver high quality clinical service to the community while fostering a supportive learning environment that enables students to progressively develop their competencies.

Reporting to the Clinical Education Lead, Occupational Therapy, the Clinical Educator, Occupational Therapy performs the important function of supporting and supervising our students to develop their clinical skills while delivering a supervised clinical service to patients. Clinical Educators are expected to be experienced clinicians who can supervise the provision of clinical services while overseeing a range of students interacting with patients.

Position Purpose

A Level B Clinical Educator is expected to engage in supervision of students participating in clinical placement subjects, in the context of our student-led clinics operated on campus. They are also expected to engage in training and professional development activities to maintain their clinical practice registration in their discipline, and to participate in the assessment of students in their attainment of relevant clinical skills.

Requirements

Duties at this level will include:

• Applying theoretical and clinical knowledge in provision of quality clinical services in Occupational Therapy by demonstrating evidence-based knowledge, clinical reasoning and competencies, to lead and enhance patient care.
• Utilising high level communication and negotiation skills with patients and their families, other health professionals, referrers, and students to facilitate cooperation, positive relationships and effective service delivery.
• Liaising with academic staff to ensure students’ clinical experiences are designed to enable students to demonstrate the attainment of clinical skills in line with the learning outcomes of clinical placement subjects.
• Providing supervision and guidance to students on clinical placement to ensure high-quality clinical learning experiences that support the development of required competencies, while also delivering direct client care, as required, to maintain continuity of client care during periods where students have other course requirements (e.g., examinations).
• Providing constructive, fair and timely feedback on clinical skills development to students.
• Liaising effectively with the Clinical Education Lead, Occupational Therapy, other Clinical Educators and clinic staff to facilitate the effective mentoring of placement students.
• Undertaking other duties and administrative functions commensurate with the classification and scope of the position as required by the Clinical Education Lead, Head/Deputy Head of Clinical Education, or Dean.

Essential Criteria

Skills and knowledge required for the position

• A qualification in Occupational Therapy that is recognised by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia, with current registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority.
• Minimum of three (3) years post-qualification experience as an Occupational Therapist with proven ability to provide evidence-based assessment and intervention for children to support functional development, participation, and independence in daily activities.
• Proven ability to provide effective supervision of students.
• Demonstrated ability to be effective in teaching clinical skills in face-to-face, blended and/or online modes.
• Demonstrated high level oral and written communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively, collaboratively and productively with staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Highly developed interpersonal, analytical, time management and problem-solving skills, supported by excellent written and oral communication skills.  

Desirable Criteria:

Skills and knowledge desirable for the position

• Demonstrated experience in applying evidence-based assessment and intervention for children with developmental, sensory processing, and motor coordination challenges.
• Proven ability to deliver child- and family-centred practice, including goal setting, intervention planning, and collaboration with caregivers and educators.
• Demonstrated ability to support children’s participation across home, school, and community environments through functional, occupation-based interventions.

Capabilities required to be successful in the position 

• Ability to demonstrate self-awareness, see things from another person’s perspective and actively seek out and act on feedback to improve knowledge, skills and behaviour.
• Ability to work collaboratively, recognise the value of diversity and model accountability, connectedness, innovation and care.
• Ability to think creatively, explore new ideas and respectfully challenge existing practices in order to improve current ways of working.
• Ability to implement improvements to local processes.

Essential Compliance Requirements 

To hold this La Trobe University position the occupant must:

• be a registered practitioner with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• hold, or be willing to undertake and pass, a Victorian Working With Children Check and police check and meet vaccination requirements.
• hold a current Victorian driver’s license. Take personal accountability to comply with all University policies, procedures and legislative or regulatory obligations, including but not limited to TEQSA and the Higher Education Threshold Standards. 

Other Information

The position description is indicative of the initial expectation of the role and subject to changes to University goals and priorities, activities or focus of the job.

How to apply

Applications can be made through the La Trobe University online portal.

Why La Trobe:

Develop your career at an innovative, global university where you’ll collaborate with community and industry to create impact. 

Enjoy working on our inspiring and stunning campuses – the perfect hub for industry, students and academics 

Help transform the lives of students, partners and communities now and in the future

This is more than just a job. Working at La Trobe offers opportunities to demonstrate excellence and transform lives. 

Here, you’ll join exceptional people, partners and communities, who power our operations with ambition and purpose. 

Our success can be attributed to its strong sense of community. We have a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion and social justice; we are committed to providing a workplace where all staff feel valued, respected and supported to achieve their full potential. We strive to build a workplace where all employees of diverse backgrounds, abilities, experiences, sexuality, gender, religion and age are welcome, valued, respected and one thatis representative of our community. We demonstrate our cultural qualities by holding ourselves accountable andcreating a culture of trust and innovation while genuinely caring for one another.