Physiotherapy placement confirms career choice for Sport and Exercise Science student

The goal of my BSc degree is to create a path to an MSc degree in Physiotherapy. Although I had little experience in the Physiotherapy field when I first began Sport and Exercise Science, I have had a keen interest in injury rehabilitation ever since I sustained a stress fracture in the lumbar section of my spine, which limited my movement and ability to play my sport when I was younger. A Physiotherapist helped me in my recovery process by prescribing core strengthening exercises which allowed me to return to playing cricket, which is why I am hopeful to go down the same career path to help others return to their original fitness after sustaining any kind of injury.

During my second year on my course I completed 120 hours on a placement at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI). With help from the Leeds Beckett placement team I got in touch with a service manager from the Royal Voluntary Service, who had an On-ward Strength, Balance and Mobility team placed on an orthopaedic trauma patient ward. After a brief interview on why I wanted to volunteer, I was booked on for a two-day qualification course provided by the NHS called Move it or Lose it, where I learned how to prescribe on-ward exercises, chair-based exercises for falls risk patients, and other ways you can prevent the deterioration of a persons physical state during a prolonged hospital stay.

After my placement ended, I continued to volunteer at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) for a further six months. Meeting the patients and understanding their different needs provided a real reality check of the career I was choosing to go into. Over the six months I worked closely with the Physiotherapy team to help assist exercise sessions with individuals and groups of orthopaedic trauma patients, which I believe has given me the necessary experience to move onto the MSc in Physiotherapy.