For the past four months, Purple House has had the pleasure of hosting Liz, a Master of Social Work student from Charles Darwin University (CDU), as she completes her final placement. While CDU usually allocates placements, Liz specifically requested Purple House, and for good reason.
“I really wanted to do my placement at Purple House because it’s community led, values driven, and patient focused,” she says. “After being here, I can honestly say all of those things are true – and they do it so well.”
Liz describes Purple House as deeply connected to community needs:
“They truly listen to what patients want and deliver on that. It’s inspiring to work for an organisation that not only says these things but lives them every day. The advocacy Purple House does in collaboration with community members is admirable, expanding their remote dialysis units on a needs basis and establishing the medicare item number to fund this remote dialysis”
She highlights the inclusive culture and commitment to growth:
“It’s such an inclusive workplace. There’s so much upskilling for staff, and I’ve been lucky to join professional development opportunities, training days, and even bush trips.”
One highlight for Liz was a bush trip to Kintore: “We celebrated 21 years of dialysis on Country. The pride and joy in the community were so strong and everyone shared their knowledge and stories with us.”
When asked about her favourite part of the placement, Liz said: “Meeting everyone, getting to know the patients, and experiencing the generosity of patients, directors, and staff in sharing their knowledge.”
Liz’s time at Purple House has been a journey of learning, connection, and inspiration. When asked if she would recommend it to other students she said:
“I definitely recommend Purple House as a placement opportunity to future students, it is a supportive, inclusive, and generous organisation that can offer a unique learning experience across Central Australia. You will meet amazing people with a wide range of knowledge and practice wisdom. My advice would be to remain open minded and follow the Purple House muck in way and you will have an unforgettable experience.”
Thankyou Liz for joining us as part of the Purple House family <3