Choosing To Train As A Physiotherapist
By: JonathanBloodSmyth Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 Time: 8:26 PM
The requirement for larger numbers of physiotherapists is greater now than it has been for some time. Physiotherapy has been shown to be useful in an increasing number of medical conditions with the emphasis being on the prescription of exercise. There is a very wide range of physiotherapy interventions which cover the entire range of specialities in medicine from pregnancy to care of the elderly, intensive care unit to trauma and from acute strokes to managing patients' pain syndromes. The great scope of the profession permits practitioners to choose an area of specialty to concentrate on in their career.
The way we live now and the advances made in modern medicine have allowed the scope of physiotherapy to increase greatly and physiotherapists now work with obesity problems in adults and children, in cancer rehabilitation, in the rehabilitation of kidney dialysis patients and in both cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. The increasing opportunities for physiotherapy intervention in health systems should be reflected in the large numbers of training places and need for jobs with training rotations with the possibility of later specialisation.
Physiotherapy students take three year degree physiotherapy courses which are all now based in centres of higher education such as universities. As the competition is strong to achieve places the educational requirements at A level are high. This is the most common route of entry to physiotherapy courses in the UK, although there are a few fast-track M.Sc. courses taking two years for those applicants who have already completed a degree in a closely relevant area. They will have covered much of the basic science of physiology and exercise so must concentrate on getting the practice of physiotherapy correct, putting in the clinical hours and learning the techniques necessary.
Apart from getting the academic qualifications necessary to be accepted by a university there are several other aspects of a person's application which might help them become more likely to be successful in securing a place. Experience serving the public in any capacity might be advantageous, with working in a voluntary capacity or in health care a definite plus. Applicants need to show a variety of activities they are pursuing, with some innovation in terms of what they have arranged for themselves.
One of the most successful strategies for achieving a place in physiotherapy courses is to get a job as a physiotherapy assistant in a hospital. This allows direct experience of the work in the profession of physiotherapy and advice and consultation is always available from senior physiotherapists. Day to day work in close cooperation with different physiotherapists in different clinical areas allows a clear view of the profession of physiotherapy to be formed. This carries through in the attitude and confidence of the person and they can have a useful addition to their CV.
To make the best of the application process the applicant has to pay close attention to managing this and the interview. The customer, it has to be remembered, is the university and they are searching for people with rounded personalities who can both state what they want to achieve and give clear examples of what they have done already to get to their goal. If the panel cannot see a convincing history of achievement and training relevant to the application they may consider that the applicant has not fully considered what they are applying for.
NHS hospitals are the major employers of the largest number of physiotherapists, who work with patients with disability, disability and pain whilst many others work in private clinics mostly with musculoskeletal conditions. Sports injuries constitute a very small proportion of patients dealt with by physiotherapists so it makes sense not to concentrate on the desire to be a sports physiotherapist in the initial application stages as it has little relevance to most of physiotherapy.
The course will be very heavily slanted towards other conditions in mostly elderly people (the major customer group in healthcare) and if a student gets any experience of sports injuries they will be lucky. After qualification if may be several years in a rotational junior scheme before a physiotherapist can be ready for more senior work in an area of their choice.
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