As you may already know, Griffith Health Clinics offer premium health services to members of the public as well as students and staff of Griffith University.
We operate a suite of health clinics in the areas of Dentistry and Oral Health, Psychology, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, Exercise Physiology and Nutrition (aka Dietetics) and Social Work.
From time to time we’re asked a common question:
What’s the difference between your ‘student’ and ‘professional (aka fully-qualified)’ health clinics?
It’s a fair question and one that we feel needs to be cleared up! Let’s start with…
1, Student health clinics
Our Student Health Clinics have been set-up to provide senior students and post-graduate qualified students with environments where they can gain hands-on experience in their chosen field while under the supervision of highly experienced and fully qualified practitioners. The clinics provide students with the opportunity to increase their clinical skills and apply the theoretical and pre-clinical knowledge they’ve learned in their junior years. This interactive approach enables them to hone their skills and helps shape them into the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Students learn invaluable lessons and gain experience
For similar reasons why you wouldn’t want a pilot flying an aeroplane without a certain number of hours’ experience under their belt, the same applies with developing and provisionally qualified health professionals.
All health degrees have a certain number of student-client ‘contact hours’ that are required in order for a student to complete their degree and become a fully-qualified practitioner. Griffith Health Clinics gives students the chance to meet these requirements and helps them to develop the fundamental skills required to be successful health practitioners.
Why should I visit a student health clinic?
There’s a variety of reasons why members of the public as well as students and staff of Griffith University should consider treatment at one of our student health clinics.
While old stigmas can be hard to shake, the reality of visiting a student clinic is vastly different from what most people perceive:
- Before treatment even commences, your case will be individually assessed by highly experienced supervisors who will determine if you are even eligible to be treated by a student. If your needs are deemed to be more complex in nature, students will not be allowed to perform treatment on you and you will be referred to one of our fully-qualified (aka ‘professional’) practitioners.
- Not your idea of a student – for cases accepted for treatment in student clinics, the treatment you receive will be performed by senior students or post-graduate qualified students, who have had many years of study and research in their fields and most likely already have a considerable number of contact hours under their belt.
- Under strict supervision – these students are not just performing treatment by themselves – your treatment will be performed under the strict supervision and guidance of highly experienced and fully-qualified practitioners who are leaders in their respective fields.
- Twice the attention – an added benefit of having a supervisor review your case is that you receive the attention and expertise of two people. So while you may be treated by a student, your case may be reviewed by a Professor or industry leading practitioner, not something you would ever experience in everyday private practice.
- Latest technology and practices – we’ve invested heavily in our health clinics and they are equipped with the latest technologies, making them truly world-class. You will have access to technology that is simply not available outside of Universities and research laboratories.
- Leaders in research – we are at the forefront of health research and as a result we are able to provide you with the latest treatment techniques and practices.
- Affordable health and care for all – we are proud to offer affordable health services to members of the public as well as discounted services to students and staff of Griffith University. We don’t believe that access to premium health services should be restricted to only those who can afford it.
- Over 1,000 appointments each week – we are trusted by over 1,000 people who visit our clinics each week, and provide health services to over 60,000 people annually. We take great pride in providing premium services to all, which is in line with our vision of providing better health outcomes for our local communities.
- No referrals required – unlike many other healthcare providers, there are no barriers to being seen at one of our student clinics and referrals are not required from GPs. Simply call us on 1800 188 295 and you will be given the next available appointment.
2, Professional (or fully-qualified) health clinics
While we are proud of our student clinics and the service they provide our local communities, we understand that visiting a student clinic may not be for everybody or that there are certain times when the treatment required is for more complex problems. This is why we also offer our Professional Health Clinics.
While students are just as ‘professional’ as our experienced practitioners, put simply our Professional Health Clinics means that the services provided are run by fully-qualified and highly experienced practitioners who have completed their studies, gone on to specialise in a chosen field, and have a considerable number of years’ experience. Our professional practitioners have a vast range of experience from all aspects of health care and are often at the forefront of their specialities. In many cases our senior academics and Professors offer their services in our Professional Health Clinics.
Experience the difference
There are very few places in Queensland that has such a high concentration of experts in their field as you would experience in our Professional Health Clinics. You may be able to be treated by an internationally renowned Professor or a researcher at the forefront of their field who can apply the latest evidence to your treatment. As our practitioners are all under the one roof, we’re able to provide cross-referrals between our clinics where necessary and provide you with a holistic approach to your health and rehabilitation.
Unrivalled facilities, technology, networks and collaboration
We’ve invested over $150 million dollars in the facilities that house our health clinics and the high-end technology is world-class. Our vast clinical experience, combined with decades of developing local and international networks and collaborations with partners such as hospitals and other universities, enables us to access the latest research, trials and evidence-based practices.
We hope to see you in our clinics soon!
Thanks for reading, and we hope that this has given you an insight into the variety of services our clinics offer as well as the experience you would have when you visit us. Whether you are treated in our Student or Professional Health Clinics, you will receive personalised, high-quality treatment from dedicated and empathetic individuals who truly want to give you the best possible health outcomes.
For bookings or to find out more
If you’d like to find out more about any of our health clinics or would like to make an appointment, please call 1800 188 295 or visit https://www.griffith.edu.au/health/clinics
