Becoming A Physiotherapist

Physiotherapists are in greater demand at present than they ever have been before in the modern management of health. There is increasing evidence of the efficacy of physiotherapy in a variety of pathologies and conditions, with exercise in the forefront. Physiotherapy has a very wide spectrum of specialties within it which mirrors the spread of the medical specialties concerned, from new born infants to geriatrics, critical care to fracture management and from multiple sclerosis to low back pain problems. This variety of possible career paths is a very positive aspect of what a physiotherapist can expect in their career.

The changes in modern living standards and the constant developments in modern medicine have accelerated the changes in physiotherapy as new areas of work have presented themselves, from working with overweight adults and children, promoting exercise in cancer units, setting up exercise programmes for kidney patients on dialysis and in rehabilitation programmes for those with cardiac and pulmonary disease. As these opportunities increase this should be feeding through to the number of training places available and the provision of junior training rotations and suitable senior places for specialisation.

Typically three year degree physiotherapy courses are the main route of entry for physiotherapy students, with physiotherapy schools often placed in schools of health sciences in universities and other higher education establishments. There is a lot of competition for physiotherapy courses so the demand means that high levels of academic qualifications are required. Another route for those who already possess a degree in a relevant and related field is to enter the so-called fast track M.Sc. degrees in physiotherapy as they have studied the anatomy, physiology and exercise required and only need to undertake the relevant number of supervised physiotherapy hours and learning physiotherapy techniques.

The academic qualifications required for entry into physiotherapy courses are not the only criteria worth considering as there are many other aspects which could increase the likelihood of a successful application. Volunteering to serve the public or being employed in such a capacity can be helpful, whilst working in a health care related job would be even more relevant. If applicants can show that they have made conscious choices and individual creativity in their activities they are more likely to be considered.

Physiotherapy departments employ assistants to work in a variety of areas and getting a job as one of these can be very beneficial in the application process. These jobs mean that the individual gets relevant hands-on experience and the support and guidance of senior physiotherapy staff. The ability to work in several clinical areas with the specialist physiotherapists allows a realistic view of physiotherapy practice to be formed. This increased the confidence and professionalism of the candidates and gives them a useful record in their CV.

The application and any interview for the place need to be carefully done if they are to maximise the chances of being accepted. The university in this case is the customer and they will be looking for a rounded individual who has a clear view of where they want to go and can back it up with evidence of what they have already been doing. If there is no clear record of what the person has been doing which fits with the application then the short listing panel may well decide that the person is not committed to the course of training.

Most physiotherapists work in NHS hospitals with a wide variety of patients with illnesses, pain and disability and others work privately with musculoskeletal conditions. Only a very small number work with sports people and sports injuries and it is wise not to emphasise that in the application. Since 99% of more of physiotherapy is not related to sports at all, a concentration on the desire to pursue a career in sports physiotherapy might make a panel doubt a person’s commitment.

Most health conditions which present to physiotherapists in normal practice are nothing to do with sports and are predominantly the health problems of elderly people who present the great majority of consultations. It will be some years before a physiotherapist can normally concentrate on the treatment of sports injuries as most physiotherapists go through a rotational system over the first few years.

Jonathan Blood Smyth, editor of the Physiotherapy Site, writes articles about Physiotherapy, back pain, orthopaedic conditions, neck pain, injury management and physiotherapists in Leicester. Jonathan is a superintendant physiotherapist at an NHS hospital in the South-West of the UK.