Meet the AMT Biosecurity Committee

AMT Blog has been afforded the privilege of meeting the AMT Biosecurity Committee, which formed to provide guidance, structure and a plan for AMT members to return to work, continue to work and risk assess during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I enter the well ventilated room clutching a family size packet of Arnott’s Assorted to sweeten the deal or loosen tongues. The committee members are doing some sort of dance. It’s reminiscent of Agadoo and I immediately know Dave Moore is responsible (later confirmed).

Once they’ve finished, the pocket rocket that is AMT CEO Rebecca Barnett spots me – or the pack of biscuits – and gets things under way.

Rebecca: At the end of April, when it became clear that Australia was making its way out of the crisis stage of the pandemic much faster than predicted, it was very bloody obvious that the massage therapy industry urgently needed a roadmap to navigate the COVID landscape. The AMT Board quickly approved the establishment of a dedicated committee. The committee had to work fast, intensely and hard but I knew that AMT members not only needed the support and guidance that AMT could provide but also that they had the dedication, care and skill to lead the industry response. The fact that so many AMT members ended up leading the response within allied health clinics was also a source of delight but not surprise. Not sure I have ever felt more pride in the leadership shown by members.

Hear, hear.

Answering the Call

When I saw the shoutout to join the Biosecurity Committee, I wasn’t sure whether it was right for me. I ask the Committee why they answered the call.

Subhadra Gerard: As it turns out, I am a member of the AMT Board, so when the Board decided to set up the Biosecurity Committee, it wasn’t so much a question of volunteering but more a question of who had the time and energy available to chair said committee.

Thanks for stepping up (or is that sitting down?), Subhadra. Have a Monte Carlo.

Rebecca: There was never a question in my mind about being involved.

Lesley Carter: Having been a Medical Research Librarian in a past career, I figured that I could help search out the information we would need. There is a saying that you should keep your friends close but your enemies closer – with COVID being the enemy, it felt important to learn all I could and be able to answer the hard questions.

Shar Bakken: I was newly graduated, wanted to network, felt that I had something to offer after my last business being in medical manufacturing and dealing with sterilisation, and political protocols; but I mainly wanted to be involved in the career I had chosen.

Dave Moore: I believed the profession needed a single source of direction and, as a Board member, it was important that I contributed to that direction.

Liz Sharkey: Out of sheer frustration due to the lack of direction and confusion coming from the bureaucracy. I realised pretty early on that if we didn’t do something ourselves then no one else was going to do it for us.

Sorry for not bringing Tim Tams, Liz. I’ll do better next time.

Greg Heard: It seemed like a good idea. I have a background in public health practice and research, public-sector research management, and scientific and medical editing, and I thought my contributions may be helpful. I also thought I would enjoy getting to know and work with other AMT members.

Greg spends another few minutes discussing the evils of Monte Carlo biscuits – “they look to me as though the baker had leftover offal and decided to inflict it on unsuspecting eaters of biscuits!”. Rebecca agrees, “They are an abomination.” It’s not enough to deter Subhadra, who is trading Dave a handful of Scotch Fingers for MCs.

Time, Time, Time

The time commitment required for this particular committee was intense during its first 4 months.

Subhadra: When the committee was in the thick of it for much of last year, I don’t really know how much time I was working on committee stuff. At times it felt like it was 24/7. I think that for a long time there, none of the committee members really switched off. There was so much happening. The level of misinformation, especially as it pertained to massage therapists (and certain perpetrators of aspects of that misinformation) was truly frightening.

Most agree it was around 10 hours per week initially.

Rebecca: It was many.

Some were in their element.

Lesley: When you get into research, the time just seems to evaporate!

Although the situation has settled down, Committee members still dedicate an hour or 2 each week to reading research, journal articles and news feeds.

AMT Biosecurity Committee resources are all publicly available for download here.

The Good Stuff

The Biosecurity Committee experienced a rollercoaster ride from its inception and undoubtedly there was a sharp learning curve. But was it all fun in those Zoom calls?

Rebecca: We didn’t always agree on every issue but we trusted and respected each other’s knowledge and perspective. Every single disagreement resulted in a better outcome. Civil disagreement is an incredibly useful thing that should be embraced.

Rebecca is quick to add that there were many pleasing and positive things to come from forming the Biosecurity Committee.

Rebecca: The wisdom of the group is not to be sneezed at.

I ask the Committee members to reflect on what they learnt thanks to being part of the Committee.

Lesley: We belong to a really talented community of therapists (and AMT Head Office) who love what they do and are happy to share their knowledge and skills. It was a privilege to work on the Committee.

Greg: People come to massage therapy (as practitioners and leaders) having walked many different paths – perhaps leaving the best ’til last(!) – and when you offer those people an opportunity to contribute their knowledge and experience to something vital and important for the benefit of their whole community, amazing things happen.

Liz: I’ve learnt two things – 1. that many hands make light work and 2. the incredible skills and life experiences that are in the pool of AMT members.

Dave: A sense of achievement in ensuring that AMT members and their clients had a consistent source of reliable information based on research. 

Shar: The best thing I have learnt is to trust in myself, that I do have something to offer, but also that even the powers that be are human. We can find common ground and we are all in this together. Higher education, experience and generation is still affected by human qualities (e.g. the word epidemiologist was incredibly intimidating to me).

Subhadra: I got to practice chairing zoom meetings on a regular basis!

The Real World

Does the experience of being on a committee flow back into the treatment room? For some, it brought home the reality of a working as a massage therapist in a pandemic:

Dave: When I saw what needed to be done to make my premises safe, I decided to retire.

Others felt a surge of confidence.

Lesley: Being on the Committee has helped me be more confident in my answers to clients and to be able to give the reasons behind what we do. Having the answers for other therapists who have contacted me has also been invaluable.

Or to have a new focus.

Liz: I have way more focus on ventilation and the risks associated with being in a confined space with another individual for a prolonged period of time and breathing recycled germ soup…

Ah, the ventilation guru!

Subhadra: I have a deeper appreciation of my need to know about the health status of my clients, especially as many are of an older age and at more risk of the impacts of COVID.

Shar: Being on the committee has allowed my clinical knowhow to be utilised within my own practise where I perhaps had not realised a potential for it. I have integrated QA, procedures and embraced the practicality of document tracking, research and sharing knowledge. It has given me the confidence to pursue this career whilst adhering to health regulations and keeping myself and others safe.

Brilliant, Shar. Learning all this at the start of a massage career is a bonus.

Greg: Before we went into lockdown in Canberra, my work mix consisted of massage in my home-based clinic, mobile massage in workplaces and private homes, and massage in a multi-practitioner massage-only practice elsewhere in Canberra. I resumed working in the multi-practitioner setting in August 2020; I have not resumed working in my home-based clinic (and don’t intend to resume) or in mobile settings (and probably won’t). The pandemic and the Committee’s agenda – to provide guidelines for AMT members to work safely and ensure the safety of their clients – focused my attention on all aspects of being a massage therapist, running a personal service business and working in someone else’s business. I assessed my home-based practice as being untenable, based on ‘pollution of space’ and the mobile work environments as being largely outside my control. The one area in which I felt I had influence – and used it to very good effect – was in the multi-practitioner setting; when AMT documents were released, I emailed them to both the owner-director (also a practising therapist) and the practice manager. The overall result has been improvements in all aspects of practice related to the health and safety of therapists and clients.

Wow, Greg, that’s fantastic. Great to see clinic owners and managers who care about their staff and their work environment. Here, have a custardy flan with fresh fruit on top. You and your clinic have earned it.

BREAKING: AMT will soon be asking for volunteers for a new committee

Why you should volunteer for an AMT Committee too

I thought I had nothing to contribute to a committee and didn’t consider volunteering for the Biosecurity Committee. I doubt I was alone. There is a chorus of “JUST DO IT” when I ask the committee if they’d encourage other AMT members to volunteer for a future committee. It feels like a tick of approval.

But what if we still have some doubts?

Lesley: Don’t be afraid to share your skills. Massage therapists really are a friendly, supportive group. We all have something that we can contribute.

Shar: It is amazing the people you zoom-meet, and the things you can learn from being involved – even just about yourself. Volunteering means giving the time that you have available and not being pressured to give more than you can. I would definitely encourage anyone to become a member of an AMT committee, if only to share your own unique gifts and inspirations.

Dave: It gives you a great sense of satisfaction and pride making a positive contribution to your profession.

Liz: Trust that you have something to offer. Be prepared to be on a very steep learning curve but also be prepared to learn an incredible amount along the way. So many therapists from other associations have been incredibly let down by their association’s lack of engagement during COVID. I got to be part of a team that were industry leaders during this pandemic. The benefits of working as part of a team were huge.

Subhadra: If a therapist has any relevant knowledge and/or skills regarding a project, or if only simply a strong interest in said project, then I wholeheartedly encourage them to put their hand up and join the crew. It’s very rewarding to be helping make something you love (i.e. massage/AMT) better and stronger.

Rebecca: It warms your cockles to work with clever, competent people.

The journey was worth it

Shar: I often felt out of my depth within the committee but was amazed at how welcoming and non-judgemental the other members were. Certainly an inspiring bunch and I am very grateful to have been involved.

Subhadra: I think the Biosecurity Committee did a wonderful job providing AMT members with essential information via risk assessment tools and various fact sheets etc.

Liz: The incredible, industry leading work and support that the Biosecurity Committee offered to all Australian massage therapists (not just AMT members) makes me proud.

Greg: It was my privilege to work with, and get to know a little better, some of my fellow therapists and members of the AMT team, consummate professionals all.

Lesley: At times I felt that I was not contributing enough compared to some other hardworking members but, if nothing else, it has given me a healthy respect for the team at Head Office, who have worked so hard to lead us through the maze of confusing COVID information from various state health departments.

Colin Rossie: Being on the committee was like being a river.

Everyone turns to him. It’s possible that eating all the Orange Slices has affected him. He dusts a crumb from his chin and continues.

Colin: No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

Perhaps that’s true of the journey of not only the Biosecurity Committee but massage therapists generally in response to COVID-19. No therapist is the same as we were at the beginning of the pandemic, and how we approach our treatments and treatment rooms are ever changing. Our massages and massage therapy may look the same but we are different. We owe a debt of gratitude to these 8 committee members and the AMT Board who established the Biosecurity Committee. Without them, many of us would have floundered.

Fin

Leaving the committee to their special dance, I take the almost empty pack of biscuits – Malt’O’Milks are untouched – and head off. Subhadra calls me back.

Subhadra: I need to make special mention of the huge volume of work done by Liz Sharkey and Rebecca Barnett. The lion’s share of the Biosecurity Committee’s output was delivered by these two amazing women.

And from all of us massage therapists to all members of the AMT Biosecurity Committee: THANK YOU!

*AMT’s blog is not sponsored by Arnott’s. We simply have a fine appreciation for biscuits in all their many shapes (haha, pun unintended) and flavours.

** Apologies to Heraclitus.