A national push to introduce paid placements for allied health students has gained strong backing from the psychology community, and for students like Elizabeth Alfonso from the Australian National University (ANU), the change could be life-altering.

Ms Alfonso, a Master of Professional Psychology student at the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology is required to complete 300 hours of unpaid placement in her final year of study.

With her week consumed by placement and coursework, Ms Alfonso has engaged in multiple casual jobs after hours and on weekends to supplement what she receives from a study allowance. She has a limited ability to make an income, adding to financial pressures. This concern has been ongoing, since she began her undergraduate degree in 2020.

She is also conscious of paying off her large HECS debt after graduation and a paid placement would help to relieve some of this pressure.

“Receiving paid placements would have made an incredible difference to my life as a student,” Ms Alfonso said. “I would have been able to save money towards moving out of home, felt more independent, and it would have lessened the burden on my family.”

Psychology is a field under increasing pressure to meet growing demand nationally, with the current workforce only meeting 35% of the Federal Government’s psychology workforce goal.

Ms Alfonso’s story is part of a broader concern across the psychology sector, where unpaid placements are increasingly recognised as a barrier to student wellbeing and workforce sustainability.

Early in July, Ms Alfonso joined Federal MPs David Pocock and Dr Monique Ryan at Parliament House to advocate for paid placements.

The proposed scheme would see paid placements introduced across all allied health professions.  The initiative has received strong support from the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi), a peak body representing all psychologists.

At ANU, students in the postgraduate Professional Psychology and Clinical Psychology programs undertake intensive training to prepare for careers in mental health with some psychology students required to undertake up to 1000 hours of unpaid work.