Health and Wellbeing tutor Vijay Pillay is a valued staff member at NZSE, known for her seamless blend of cultural practices and insights in her teaching. We speak to Vijay about how her professional experiences have shaped her teaching, misconceptions around healthcare, and what students can expect out of their health and wellbeing classes at NZSE.
What’s your background in health?
“I’m a qualified physiotherapist from Fiji, and I immigrated to New Zealand in 2001 to study diversional therapy. I have experience working as a diversional therapist, as an acting manager for a rest home, and as head of department in diversional therapy. Then I came to NZSE School of Health in 2020 to be a tutor.”
Tell us about a professional highlight in your teaching career.
“I have been awarded several academic awards for my tutoring. These achievements have given me more incentive and more passion to teach and create, and to look for ways that I can encourage my students to gain qualifications.
“In 2023, I won the Le Moana Mua Award for Pacific educators! This recognition of my teaching and my students’ achievement has encouraged me and highlighted how I can further improve as a teacher.”
What can students do after graduation?
“My graduates commonly work in aged care as senior caregivers in New Zealand and Australia. There are further opportunities outside of aged care too – they can become paramedics, they can do physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and many other professions. Even if they wanted to go into pharmacy, they can transfer from NZSE’s Health and Wellbeing programmes and into our pharmacy programmes.”
What is one misconception about healthcare?
“One misconception is that caregiving is all about showering and toileting, which is just not true! Sure, it is a part of the daily chores, but healthcare is not entirely showering and toileting. It can be diversional therapy, it could be that you are a senior caregiver and just do medication rounds. You could be a mentor, or a coach for junior caregivers. There is such a multitude of tasks one can do in healthcare.”
Which style of teaching connects with you?
“I like to use the Fonofale model, which is a Pasifika holistic view of health and wellbeing. Part of this is providing morning teas, which teach the students how to connect with multidisciplinary teams – rather than just working as an isolated person.
“I also believe it to be very important that students have an understanding of the many cultures that make up New Zealand. When students come from other countries, they’re not necessarily aware, so it is our job as tutors to introduce them to different practices, celebrations, languages, and behaviours.”
