Rose Biggins

Rose is an Occupational Therapist with 25 years of experience. Throughout her career, Rose has demonstrated excellent professional behaviours, ethical practice, time management and organisational skills. Rose has an exceptionally strong foundation of family centred care within high-quality clinical service provision. Rose collaborates closely with all members of the health care team, both within and external to the hospital. Rose has fulfilled the role of the Senior Clinician, Hand Therapy Stream Leader, managing and supervising this team since mid 2014. This has fostered the development of excellent communication and leadership skills within the multi-disciplinary health care environment. Additionally, Rose has provided a direct, ongoing and significant contribution to the senior leadership team within the Occupational Therapy department, working closely with the Manager and other senior staff. Rose has demonstrated a commitment to post-graduate qualifications from 2016 to 2019 undertaking the Master of Hand Therapy, involving development of evidence-based practice resources and integration of same into clinical services and teaching, and the successful completion of an independent research project and thesis as part of this qualification. For many years, Rose has fulfilled the role of and is currently the Coordinator of the Occupational Therapy student education programme across RCH, again requiring extensive relationships within and external to the organisation. Rose has demonstrated her commitment to the successful leadership, management and operations of the Occupational Therapy department through a co-manager role during six months of 2021 and acting independently in the role in a full time capacity for four months of 2022.

• Currently registered to practice as an Occupational Therapist - AHPRA (OCC0001726574)
• Accredited Hand Therapist, Australian Hand Therapy Association, 2018 - current
• Working with Children Check - renewed March 2019 (01766460-03)
• Current Victorian Driver’s Licence

2023

Contributing author, Peer reviewed journal article: Median Nerve Palsy in Paediatric Supracondylar Fractures Recovers Faster with Open than Closed Reduction (Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics).

Invited Speaker and Attendee: World Congenital Hand Symposium (Minnesota, USA).

Ongoing Member of Research Team / Committee - Australian Hand Difference Register (AHDR) -  a database of children born with a hand difference and/or arm difference, managed by researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Attendee: Australian Hand Therapy Association National Conference (Adelaide).

2022

Recipient: Allied Health Leadership Award, RCH.

Led National Paediatric Hand Therapy meeting to provide education of the AHDR.

Virtual attendee: IFSSH IFSHT FESSH Combined Congress (London).

2021

Invited to prepare and deliver a live webinar for Interplast (not for profit agency) – Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy – co presented with Nicole Alexander, Physiotherapist, and contributed to the RCH Education Hub Brachial Plexus E Learning Package with the Multidisciplinary team. 

Presenter: Australian Hand Therapy Association National Conference, Perth, awarded “best clinical paper”. Title: Nerve Palsies in children following Supracondylar fractures: Trends in motor and sensory recovery timeframes. 

2020

Co-convened the first National Paediatric Congenital Hand Collaborative meeting, in conjunction with Kath Dalton (OT) and David McCombe (UL surgeon), including presentation: "Pollicisation - Summary of clinician / patient reported outcomes in literature 2000-2020".

Presenter:  Asia Pacific Hand Surgery/Hand Therapy conference, Melbourne,  “Participation in home, school and community activities in children 11-17 years with Type II/IIIA Hypoplastic Thumb: A qualitative study", which was based on a 1 year independent research project (involving qualitative research and thematic analysis), as the final requirement for Master of Science in Hand Therapy. 

Invited to review, and edit and contribute to the RCH Emergency department Clinical Practice Guidelines for hand fractures, resource for the best practice early management of hand fractures via the RCH internet and intranet. 

Collaboration with RCH Plastic Surgery and Rehabilitation to develop guidelines and processes for managing children who have Cerebral Palsy undergoing complex upper limb surgery. 

2019

Completion of Final Year of Master of Science, Hand Therapy, Independent scholarship,  1 year research project and 15000 word thesis.

Participated and contributed to systems review of Occupational Therapy involvement in Plastics Surgery Dressings and Hand clinic. 

Project lead: “Measuring OT service outcomes” for hand therapy stream, which collected data over five months, to understand service demands of OT within the Plastic Surgery Dressings Clinic and implement changes to practice. 

Presenter: RCH OT External Education Event, a half day workshop for participants to gain skills and knowledge in hand assessment, splinting and hand therapy.