The Specialist Integrated Community Engagement (SpICE) program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has won praise from the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service (GAMS) and from a graduate who now works there.

CSU speech pathology graduate Ms Abby Blair says her work at GAMS has enriched her as a person, and as a clinician, more than she could have imagined.

"After a work experience practicum at GAMS I was lucky enough to gain a sole clinician position with the service as a new graduate," Ms Blair said.

"During the last nine months I have gained experience, skills and rapport with communities that have given me a deeper understanding that allows me to adapt my services to ensure they are culturally appropriate and sustainable."

Ms Lisa Penrith, practice manager at GAMS, said, "The SpICE program has shown that a great partnership does exist between our organisation and Charles Sturt University. The flexibility of the University to allow the students placements with our service has had a significant impact on the healthcare that we can provide to our communities."

Ms Blair grew up and attended school in Griffith, and developed a strong sense of community. Her work with GAMS has also provided her with the opportunity to work through many different organisations and communities in surrounding towns such as Hay, Carrathool, Lake Cargelligo, Murrin Bridge, Leeton, Darlington Point, Coleambally, and Yanco.

"During my time in these communities I have been able to provide a service that allows me to build rapport with community members and organisations in a way that allows the enhancement and enrichment of community knowledge and skills," Ms Blair said.

"After having moved away to study, it's nice to be in a role where I can give back to the community that supported me. Due to the nature of my workplace, I have been able to participate in community enhancement and development by being part of and helping to facilitate different community events. This has given me a greater understanding of working within an interagency model of service delivery, and I have built relationships through this.

"I have so many amazing colleagues who enable me to build relationships with members of the community through them, such as working with the Mums and Bubs team and attending their weekly Mothers' Group. These experiences have allowed me to develop skills which I didn't even know I needed as a speech therapist, but will only benefit me and the way I deliver services for the rest of my career."

Ms Blair said during her student work placement with GAMS she developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural competence.

"I feel this is a skill that all professionals need in order to be able to provide accessible, sustainable and appropriate services," she said. "The placement definitely has impacted on how I deliver services and interact with clients as a practicing speech therapist.

"I would definitely recommend work experience with an organisation like GAMS to other CSU students as it broadens your skill base in a way that a lot of other placements don't. I learnt a lot about working with communities and developing something that they feel they need, and will be sustainable and beneficial to them."

This is the third year of the SpICE program at GAMS, and Ms Penrith says the advantage of the SpICE program is that the students get to experience a different kind of work placement that encourages them to think about issues and try to come up with ideas that are not the norm.

"It gives them an understanding of issues that our communities face, and they can then develop strategies and resources that will have the greatest impact because they are specifically tailored to the clientele," she said.

"SpICE has also been a great chance for us to engage and employ the students once they have graduated. Even if it is only a stepping stone to where they want to be, it has enabled GAMS to provide a service to our communities that we would not have been able to recruit to.

"Last year we also hosted two CSU physiotherapy students in placements at the GAMS gym who worked closely with the GAMS clinical team. In the future we would like to engage audiology students, and psychology students. Once we have our dental clinic up and running it could be the opportunity to host dental student placements.

"I would also like to note the respect that the staff associated with the SpICE program have shown to our service both in a professional and cultural sense. The CSU students show a great deal of cultural respect when on placement also."