4gr started working with Matthew in 2018. Matthew was working at Coles but wanted to study and find a job where he was helping people.
Matthew enrolled in a Cert III in early childhood education and care at the Gordon in 2019. A dedicated 4gr mentor provided hands-on support to assist Matthew on keeping on top of assessments and provided support to Matthew and the child care centre staff while he completed his placement. It was soon discovered that while Matthew enjoyed certain aspects of the job, he did not find that this career path was the right fit for him.
Matthew and his mentor went back to the drawing board and worked through what he loved about the childcare role and where he thought he would like to try next. With an obvious passion for caring for people and wanting to help, 4gr’s mentor assisted Matthew in enrolling into a Cert III in Health Services Assistance at Victoria University in 2020 to become a Patient Services Assistant (PSA) in a hospital. PSAs are responsible for a variety of tasks including cleaning on the wards, cleaning beds when a patient is discharged, and transporting of a patient throughout the hospital. 4gr supported Matthew stay on track with his assessments and worked with Victoria University to ensure Matthew had reasonable adjustments made in his assessments and placement opportunities.
4gr and Victoria University worked together to gain Matthew a placement at Northern Hospital in Epping. He completed a two-week placement with the hands-on support of his 4gr mentor. Northern Hospital were so happy with Matthew that they featured him in their media content for the hospital newsletter. At the end of Matthews’s placement, Northern Hospital immediately offered Matthew a role, as his work ethic and can-do attitude were outstanding. Unfortunately, Matthew had to turn down the role as he lives in Geelong and the commute was too difficult to manage. 4gr approached University Hospital in Geelong and brokered a role for Matthew as a casual PSA in July 2021. 4gr spent time with the Barwon Health team to best understand Matthews’s needs and what level of support he required. 4gr assisted Matthew and University hospital with the onboarding process and provided support to make workplace adjustments to ensure Matthew could fulfil his duties.
Covid was a very challenging time for everyone but working in a hospital and being part of the COVID-19 vaccination centre hub at the old ford factory was hectic. Matthew took the ever-changing environment in his stride. He managed to wear full PPE and work on the COVID-19 wards with a continued smile and caring nature. The staff around him always looked forward to Matthew being on shift.
Mathew’s dedication to patient care and his committed approach within a hospital environment was recognised, and he is now a permanent part-time employee with Barwon Health. His new position as a Patient Service Assistant Level 2 (PS25) marks an important milestone in his career, and he is excited to contribute to the healthcare industry in this meaningful way.
Congratulations, Matthew, we are so proud of you.
