Our partnerships and collaborative projects

When you become a clinical partner, you can gain valuable experience, engage in ground-breaking research and help transform future healthcare.

Macquarie's Department of Health Sciences has established a variety of strong clinical partnerships and research collaborations.

Partnerships

Our inclusive, cross-disciplinary approach means that we welcome new opportunities to engage with our profession and the wider community. We are committed to offering innovative programs that are backed by strong connections across other disciplines, faculties and industries. These relationships help us:

  • give students and researchers access to advancements and improvements for the 21st-century healthcare system
  • promote better health behaviours in the industry
  • make disease and injury prevention and treatment more publicly accessible.

Some of our partners include:

  • GWS Giants FC
  • Health Networks Australia
  • Optus
  • Prince of Wales Hospital
  • The Children’s Hospital.

The Health and Wellbeing Collaboration (HAWC) program

HAWC is a clinical placement that is an integral and innovative approach to educating our future healthcare workforce. Our volunteers, or HAWCs, allow our students to visit them periodically.

The program aims to:

  • impart a person-centred approach to healthcare which is best taught through experiencing healthcare from different perspectives
  • provide an opportunity to observe healthcare in action and follow people and their progress as they navigate their own healthcare
  • ensure a deeper learning experience by integrating theoretical training with real people, in the early stages of student education.

Make a contribution to the education of our future healthcare workers by volunteering with the Department of Health Sciences. Anyone can be a HAWC – we need people of all ages.

  • You'll contribute to the education of future healthcare workers.
  • Assessments of your or your child’s mobility, balance or other activities by students can provide you with valuable information.
  • Students can provide assistance to families by being involved in daily activities such as home exercise programs and interacting with the children during playtime and mealtime.

Students will observe and practice foundation skills, as they learn them in the classroom. Students may:

  • talk to you about your or your child’s health condition
  • observe and analyse movement as they interact with you while you/your child go through your usual daily routines
  • undertake a basic assessment of you/your child
  • measure activity levels and response to exercise
  • track health indicators, health incidents and events
  • attend and observe medical/physiotherapy appointments, assist with home exercise programs, and interact with children during playtime, mealtime, etc.

For paediatric HAWCs, the students will also ask your permission to take a short video of your child performing an activity, skill or part of an assessment.

This video forms part of the student’s assessment for this unit and allows their tutors to see how well they engage, communicate and interact with the child and/or family members.

Treatment for my existing or new illnesses

You/your child will not receive physiotherapy treatment. However, the students may be involved in the implementation of existing interventions.

The HAWC program assists students in the development of their physiotherapy skills. They will remain under the supervision of physiotherapy staff at Macquarie University at all times.

If you are interested in joining our program as a volunteer, you will need to complete an Expression of Interest form to become a:

Students will contact you to arrange a suitable time and place for your initial interview with you and/or your child. Initial contact will be:

  • mid to late March (adult and paediatrics)
  • late August (adult).

Appointments with our students will not be intrusive or a burden – it is completely up to you to decide when you are available. Ideally, you will be available approximately once every three to four weeks for students to visit and interact with you.

Withdrawing from the program

You are free to withdraw from the HAWC program at any time. Please contact the HAWC coordinator immediately to discuss your concerns.

If you do not want to disclose personal information about yourself, your family and/or your child then that is your right. However, if you choose to provide a brief medical and social history, your students will be better able to complete an assessment and be better able to provide advice and assistance.

Students are trained in privacy, confidentiality and professional behaviour prior to commencing the HAWC program so you can be assured that your information will be treated appropriately.

What happens to my personal details?

All personal details provided by you/your child will remain confidential. Any and all information will be used only by our students as educational material and if shared in a group or discussion, all identifying information will be removed.

Privacy policy

The Discipline of Physiotherapy at Macquarie University respects you and your child’s right to privacy and is committed to protecting the privacy of information we hold about you. Personal information supplied to us is only used in education-related activities. Information resulting from interactions with your students may also be used within the Discipline of Physiotherapy. In this case, all information identifying you will be removed. Students will have been trained in privacy and confidentiality requirements prior to attending appointments.

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