Grace Schofield was recognised as TCHHS’s allied health Rookie of the Year. Photo: Supplied.
She may be new to town, but Northern Peninsula Area and Torres Strait occupational therapist Grace Schofield is no stranger to child development.
Bringing with her six years of experience as an occupational therapist in Mackay, she said she had loved learning about health in a remote community since starting at Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) in January 2024.
Ms Schofield was named Rookie of the Year at first TCHHS allied health awards late last month for her work with the new NDIS early childhood team.
“It was definitely exciting, but I think it was one of those things where I feel like I’ve just been doing my job,” she said.
“It’s a little bit unique for health to be teaming up with NDIS and that sort of thing, so it was nice to have that acknowledgement of what we’re doing is going well and our program is getting out there.”
In the past 10 months, Ms Schofield said remote work had taught her to become a more flexible and resourceful healthcare provider.
“I think I’ve really learned to be more flexible, in the sense of, there’s not always the resources available, and you’ve got to think outside of the box and get creative,” she said.
“We’re very lucky working in that early childhood space where play is a big contributing factor to development – whether it’s their communication or motor skills or social skills, you can incorporate a lot of that into play, and you don’t need a lot of things to be able to play well.
“It’s been really cool to have those conversations with families and learn about what play looks like for kids up north – it’s completely different in a rural or remote town, because the kids have different experiences.”
In her second year, Ms Schofield said she hoped to continue her work with children and educating parents.
“Communities have been really open to having support for their children and family, and I think that’s something that’s a bit overdue,” she said.
“Hopefully, in the future, we can do some more education sessions around specific developmental topics that the community has questions about.”
