Life as a physiotherapy student
My name is Paul and I am a 3rd year physiotherapy student studying at London Southbank University (LSBU).
I have so far completed three placements: MSK, Respiratory, and Burns Unit. I am currently completing a leadership placement at Bart’s Health. I decided to study again as a mature student after working as an electrician for many years. My love for anatomy and helping others contributed to my decision to return to study physiotherapy. The experience has been challenging but very rewarding. If anybody is reading this and considering entering an AHP profession, I can whole heartedly recommend pursuing your dreams.
My partner studied while I was working and obtained her dream job, now it’s my turn! Although my previous career had nothing to do with healthcare, there are some similarities between the two. For example, the problem-solving element as well as the drive to critically manage caseloads feature in both. However, I see the most important crossover from the two professions being the continued learning and the constant strive to improve yourself.
The physiotherapy course pushes you to think about yourself and how you work as part of a team. You must learn how to interact with the MDT while on placement and with your peers in university. Going into studying I have always considered myself to be a good team player, I am pliable, and enjoy close personal relationships within a working environment. The course has highlighted certain areas of strengths in myself which I hadn’t noticed before.
My name is Hayley and I am also a 3rd year physiotherapy student at LSBU.
Experiencing student life in Covid-19 has definitely been interesting. Placements during Covid-19 have come with highs and lows, from getting to complete a placement in the community neuro team and achieving my goals to pass, to not getting a second placement last year due to the physiotherapy placement shortfall. There were often fears that as students we may not get to the end of our degrees that we have worked so hard for. On the other hand, Covid-19 has introduced a new way of working which has allowed us to still participate in getting our placement experiences, hours and ultimately pursuing our careers as future AHP’s.
Throughout my academic life, I have always found that due to my learning style I focus and learn more when physically taking part in a task. I find that being in the lecture hall with the entire cohort allows for a sense of interaction with peers and allows you to stay tuned into the main objectives. Of course, the lecture hall turned into online classes soon into the pandemic. I found that there were advantages to online university that I wouldn’t have been able to experience if Covid-19 hadn’t of happened, for example pre-recorded lectures allow us to watch the lecture at any point. However, self-discipline is important as it is easy to get distracted, and a lecture that could have taken a few hours of the morning could often end up taking up the whole day.
I do believe that after all this, it has helped me confirm that becoming a physiotherapist is the right choice for my career. It has helped highlight a lot of the traits required to be a part of a team and things I hold closely to my personal values. It’s important to visualise yourself and your own personal qualities and fit them into the profession.
Our time studying has seen many changes due to the pandemic. Starting the course and meeting new aspiring physiotherapists from all different ages and backgrounds has been a pleasure, and we have made friends for life. The pandemic starting in our first year studying to be healthcare professionals has meant we have had to be adaptable and resilient. The fear of the unknown both in attending clinical settings and working on Covid wards, having placements cancelled and worrying about if we will progress in our degree has been challenging. However, it has confirmed for us both that we are on the right career path and we are looking forward to joining the workforce at the end of this year.