Meet Jane Mousley, KINNECT's 'Newcomer of the Year' for 2021

Jane Mousley has achieved an awful lot in a short time at KINNECT. She learned the ropes as a WR Consultant, completed a three-month secondment at a Queensland Mine, and picked up the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ accolade in the inaugural K-Day Awards.

Here she reflects on her first amazing year in Workplace Rehab and all she’s learned. 

Jane Mousley is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant.

Dipping my toe into Workplace Rehabilitation

I joined KINNECT in November 2020 after spending time in private clinical practice as an AEP. My goal was really to expand my skillset and progress my career. I must admit, I didn’t really know much about Workplace Rehab at all, but during my job search it seemed like a good match for me. 

After 9 months settling in and learning the ropes as a consultant, a secondment opportunity at Glencore in Mt Isa came out of left field. 

I’d done ‘regional’ stints before, helping out in our offices in Townsville and Gladstone, but never as far away as Mt Isa. For me, it was a change to apply my skills and knowledge in a totally different setting.  It was three months, working Monday – Friday, coming home for each weekend, so a great opportunity to dip my toes into a real remote role. 

A different world

My first days on site were interesting. My team was diverse – some were locals and others were from all around Australia, but I could help feeling the distinctive outsider with my normal office clothes and city chat. Finding my feet was a challenge, but once I settled into the day-to-day, and threw on my boots and jeans, I became part of the team in no time.  Like most mining environments, the workforce was heavily male-dominated. I also quickly began to understand the different pastimes the guys were into like hunting, fishing and and four-wheel driving. 

Jane spent three months on a secondment to Glencore’s Mount Isa Mine.

The setting itself made the work interesting too. Glencore’s Mount Isa Mine is comprised of a copper, lead, and zinc operations and I was working as an in-house injury advisor.  The injuries I saw daily were distinctly different to what I would normally get at KINNECT. We’d have people coming to see us with anything from a minor graze, to chemical burns, to being trapped underground.   

Working with Glencore’s in-house Doctors was excellent. Everyone I saw came through one or two doctors which meant we had a closer working relationship and could really optimise the support we were giving because we were involved from the very beginning.  

In addition to the injury management, my team managed all the medicals for mine employees, and advised the business the status of their current injuries, rehabilitation progress, and anything they need to know about the health of their staff to assist with business decisions. The three months at Glencore went by quickly and after learning an awful lot, I returned to KINNECTs Brisbane clinic with a much broader view on workplace rehab. I feel more resilient in my role now the experience I’ve had has bought a different perspective to how I look at files. 

A typical day in the office 

Describing a typical day/week in workplace rehab is a bit like going around the world in one week. As consultants, we end up in the strange and sometimes surprising places. To give you an example of how varied this can be, last week I had a few days at a corn farm, spent time in an aged care facility, a medical device manufacturer and at a day care centre.  The key is to expect the unexpected.  

I usually get into work at 8am and have a look at what is on the agenda for the day. As a person, I like to be very prepared. But you also need to be able to adapt, quickly, and to be able to think on your feet. A flexible mindset definitely helps as things change all the time. I tend to plan ahead and have a good idea about what is upcoming, but I’ll check in with my colleagues and prioritise what needs to be done that day. We have lots of appointments, so I tend to manage my caseload between appointments.  

Some days I’m in the office, sometimes I’m at home, but managing our files and meeting people face to face is much more common.  We also visit people’s homes quite frequently too which is also particularly interesting! 

What I love about Workplace Rehabilitation and KINNECT 

“The work that you do as a Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant directly influences the outcome that an injured person has. Helping people during their toughest times is so rewarding. The injuries that a person is experiencing can be life-altering and be completely unexpected, often leaving people lost as to how to move forward. I get to help get them back on track and get back to life. Jobs don’t get much more fulfilling than that.”  

When I applied for the role at KINNECT, I felt strongly that this was a business that valued their people and their professional development. That’s certainly been the case for me. 

The icing on the cake

The first year in any new job is so challenging. Our quality expectations at KINNECT are high, but this ensures we deliver excellence to all stakeholders, all the time. This past year was a steep learning curve and being recognised as ‘Newcomer of the Year’ really is the icing on the cake. 

I’m looking forward to the year ahead. This new perspective and skills I’ve learned give me this ability to do even better in my role. This means higher level, more complex claims, working on files with different insurers. I’m really excited about what the future holds.  

Want to take your career to the next level? Check out the opportunities to join the KINNECT Team.