Nicola studied BSc Sports and Exercise Therapy, graduating in 2017. She is now the founder and director of The Sports Therapy Clinic - Morley. In this blog, she tells us what she enjoyed about her course at Leeds Beckett and how it's helped her achieve her amazing career in health.

Course: BSc (Hons) Sports and Exercise Therapy

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you've been doing since you graduated.

I graduated from Leeds Beckett in 2017 after studying Sports and Exercise Therapy (SET), and now I'm the founder and director of The Sports Therapy Clinic - Morley.

With a history of competing in high level sport and a long list of injuries, completing a degree relevant to sports and injuries seemed the obvious choice. The three-year course was challenging, but life changing.

My highlights include playing university football in year one, getting stuck into various placements in year two and focussing on my dissertation in year three.

One thing led to another and with limited opportunities in my local area to get a job with the qualification I'd worked so hard for, for three years, a problem led to a solution and my business - formally known as CliNic Sports Therapy - was born.

Another few years down the line of learning, making mistakes (and generally winging it), with drive and passion, I now have a great supportive team around me. This includes two other Leeds Beckett Sports and Exercise Therapy graduates, and an on-site counsellor and hypnotherapist.

Tell us a bit more about your current role and why it's amazing.

I've built The Sports Therapy Clinic - Morley to mould around my life. It works for me, rather than me working for it.

We enjoy what we do because as a team we don't over work - we have a nice work life balance. We've put systems and procedures in place, so the business now runs itself. We have clear expectations of each other, we have each other's back, and we always put clients and patients first.

We're passionate about helping people and that's the fundamental part of our role, we do what it takes to help, we stay in our lane and scope of practice. We try to specifically see those with sports injuries, whether that be a new or long-term injury. We try to help our patients get into, get back into or stay in some sort of fitness regime.

First and foremost, I'm a Sports Therapist, but founding this business, I've also become: a website designer, a graphic designer, a receptionist, HR, the marketer, the bookings and finances manager; whatever hat the business requires me to wear that day.

When you begin self-employment, this is how it is, but as we grow the team, we can and are sharing these responsibilities. Would I change it? Absolutely not. I've learnt so many things from these roles. I'm not particularly awesome at any one of them, but I can do a job, as they say.

As a Sports Therapist, I listen, assess, treat, rehab and programme according to patients' needs. This changes every day, with every individual. Some people come with more challenges than others, but ultimately, the bigger the challenge the bigger the reward when it pays off.

How did your course at Leeds Beckett help you get to where you are today?

For me the SET course (pardon the pun) sets you up for life in health care. It teaches, informs and helps you to get a taster of all the possibilities you can explore once you graduate.

The course doesn't teach you everything because it can't. There's way too much content to learn for a lifelong career. But it does condense everything you need to get you off the ground as a therapist.

For some, this can be an issue as you may expect the degree to take you down a very specific route, but for me, it was the best thing. You could go into working in sport, with a team, club or individual, you could go down the research route, you could go into working privately in a clinic, or even in the NHS. Throughout university you'll learn what you want to do with your career, but more importantly what you don't want to do.

You'll probably finish your degree still questioning your integrity and capabilities as a therapist, but this is life and sometimes you may think you need more qualifications to feel validated. In my opinion, you've done the theory (unless you want to do more), so now try and get yourself into the world of work and continue learning there. Bonus points if you can find a mentor.

It'll take years to feel like you know all there is to know as a therapist, so don't worry about it. Experience and learning takes time and three years isn't long enough. On this course, you’ll learn to be safe, to get hands-on and to understand research.

Nearly eight years down the line I can reflect and appreciate what our SET course taught me. I don't realise it so much, but daily and hourly I'm implementing things I've learnt from university with no question about it. Now it's more second nature than having to think about it too hard, but that's practice, time and experience.

What support or opportunities did you receive at Leeds Beckett that have helped shaped your career?

SET had so many opportunities for you to get involved in as a student, it's all up to you whether you want to take it. Say yes to everything, whatever it takes, do it. Placements, volunteer work, extra tutor help, being a student rep, anything. Grab it, engage in it and utilise it, it'll pay off.

Here is where you'll build relationships and a reputation. I attended marathons to provide massage, I helped as a research assistant for a published paper, did pitch-side work, worked in semi-pro football and professional rugby league, and shadowed therapists in private health care. As I took these opportunities I engaged and asked questions to everyone I encountered and picked their brains with genuine curiosity.

Can you tell us about a project, piece of work or experience from university that you're proud of?

The great thing about the SET course is the need for you to get placement hours to register with the governing body - The Society of Sports Therapists (SST). While LBU will provide you with lots of opportunities, you are encouraged to source opportunities yourself, which is something I did.

Sourcing my own placements helped me strengthen my email and communication skills and landed me my first role. Your placement provider will likely have limited expectations of you, so if you show how keen you are to learn, engage and show off your soft skills as a human this opens many doors.

I loved my time working with Wakefield Wildcats as much as I loved helping at the Great North Run. I loved the season at amateur football club Harrogate Railway as much as I loved being at Newcastle United's training ground completing testing for a PhD. It's all humbling and I'm grateful for each experience.

What would you say to someone considering studying your course?

SET was a great course and if I could choose my time and path again knowing what I know now, I’d probably still choose the same course again.

Things have changed since I graduated, but the fundamentals are still the same. The degree and governing body are bettering year-on-year and we can't want for anything less.

If you're expecting an easy ride and it all to be done for you, you'll be disappointed. However, if you get stuck in, you'll reap the rewards.

Not every day will be easy, you won't want to go to lectures and study and research every day, but it all matters and each thing you do is a piece towards the very big jigsaw you're putting together as a Sports Therapist.

What's next for you?

I'll continue to run and grow The Sports Therapy Clinic - Morley, looking to expand and open new locations in a few years' time.

We're looking to invest in some top-notch testing kit to continue supporting our findings with patients. We'll continue to build relationships with other health care professionals and clinics.

I'll continue learning as a therapist. It never ends and I may look to go into some running coaching. I'll continue to say yes to opportunities and explore options to do and learn more, you never know what doors can and will open.

Some therapists travel the world and work with the most elite. Currently I work in Morley with willing and amateur runners. They're lovely people and have supported and trusted my business from day one. But maybe one day one of them will invite me across the world to attend as their personal therapist while they run to achieve the illustrious gold medal - anything's possible.