Life as a Physio Prac Student

Not only do I work hard behind the desk at Inspired Physiotherapy, but I also study physio, and am currently in my third year: which means my first big girl practical work experience.

I recently finished 2 x 5 week back-to-back pracs at two entirely different physiotherapy practices, one in a private practice and one in heart and lung disease rehab.

Being a prac student means long hours of unpaid work, being on your feet all day and often the first taste of what full-time work will be like. I was lucky to have two fabulous educators that were very open to questions and gave me a lot of freedom to practice and develop my skills.

Prac is an opportunity to experience shadowing physios and (tentatively) take on your own patients, challenge your memory bank with complicated cases and case studies, but mainly see in the physical form all the things we learn in hours slaving over textbooks.

I had some “ah ha!” moments of seeing treatments actually work, some “oh no!” moments (I’m still very sorry to the man that fell in the consult where I was meant to be teaching him how to prevent falls), but generally had an absolute ball, and learned a massive amount in the process.

While the 10 weeks was both physically and emotionally draining, the smiles, thank yous and gratitude expressed by the patients and seeing them make improvements, no matter how tiny, made it all worth it. Thank you to anyone that lets students assess/treat/speak with you, you don’t know how appreciated it is!

Jess Bannerman, Receptionist (and prac student!)