Senior aquatic physiotherapist and outpatient clinical educator, Ryan Fitz-Henry is highly regarded for his passion for learning. His contagious enthusiasm for professional development inspires all who work with him to learn, grow and innovate.
Recognised for his expertise by both Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and NSW Ambulance, for whom he supports paramedic education, Ryan’s reputation for creating positive learning environments that empower and promote continuous learning has seen him awarded as a finalist at the NSW Health Excellence in Allied Health Awards.
Ryan, who works at Nepean Hospital’s Outpatient Physiotherapy Department, is a finalist in the category of Allied Health Educator of the year.
Alongside contributing as an educator within allied health at the Local Health District and providing musculoskeletal physiotherapy education to NSW Ambulance paramedics, Ryan also leads an education program for students from five universities. His program is frequently cited by students as being one of the best they’ve attended.
“I am always pleased at the positive response I get from students following a placement with us, and this always motivates me to further develop and improve upon what we provide for students,” says Ryan.
“One of the most rewarding things about my job is seeing students seek to come back and work at Nepean Hospital as new graduate physiotherapists.”
“We get to see them continue to develop upon those foundations they learned as a student and progress to implementing them independently as a clinician,” Ryan says.
Ryan’s commitment to lifelong learning fuels his passion for best practice by keeping up to date with the most recent evidence and encourages his students and colleagues to do the same. His infectious enthusiasm sets his students up for a lifetime of professional learning and adaptability, incorporating emerging evidence into their practice.
Reflecting on his nomination for Allied Health Educator of the year, Ryan says, “2022 was a particularly challenging year as I set myself a range of quality improvement goals to expand our scope for outpatient education. To see this nomination was an unexpected outcome but getting such recognition for this work is very fulfilling.”
Winners of the NSW Health Excellence in Allied Health Awards will be announced on 23 February 2023.