My Experience as a Student Physiotherapist at Freedom in Movement Physiotherapy

Hi everyone,

My name is Sarah, and I am a second-year physiotherapy student from the University of Toronto in my last week of my final internship of the two-year MScPT program. I have been completing my last 6-week clinical internship at Freedom in Movement Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre, and over my time here and my other placements, have learned several lessons that I want to share. Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in physiotherapy. However, in my third year of my undergraduate degree when it came time to start thinking about applying to physio school, I found myself filled with a lot of self-doubt and uncertainty about whether I could get into the very competitive master’s program. The reason I mention this is because I am now experiencing similar feelings as I complete the program and enter my career as a physiotherapist. I am feeling excited and hopeful, but also am experiencing self-doubt about my ability to be a competent clinician. With that being said, I want to share some lessons I have learned throughout my education and journey in becoming a physiotherapist that have helped me gain confidence as a I start my career.  

Lesson 1: Embrace Uncertainty

 

Physiotherapy is complex. We not only deal with the physical human body made up of hundreds of muscles and bones, but we also deal with people, and people are made up of so much more than just muscles and bones. Everyone we see has their own unique personality, thoughts and feelings, social experiences, life traumas, pain perceptions and everyday obstacles to healing. Therefore, it is important to be comfortable with the fact that we may not always know the right answer and may need to deal with uncertainty when treating a patient. An important skill for a physiotherapist to have is the ability to connect with people. We try to understand all these complex parts of each individual patient to better understand their pain experience and work together to help them feel better. But every now and again we will be faced with a scenario or a question from a patient or family member or even fellow team member that we just do not know the answer to. And that is okay! We put a lot of pressure on ourselves as health care professionals to have all the answers and be an endless pit of knowledge and resources for our patients. And while this is part of our job, we are not going to know everything. But what we can do when we embrace uncertainty, is use it as an opportunity to learn, reflect, grow, and fill in knowledge gaps. Because this will only make us into better therapists in the long run.

 

Lesson 2: Collaboration is Key

Similarly, to lesson one, since we may not always know the right answer, that doesn’t mean that someone on our team can’t jump in and help. Physiotherapists are so lucky to often be in a position where they are surrounded by a team of other skilled health care professionals. This is why it is so important to learn about the roles of your team members and utilize their unique skills when appropriate. Together everyone can accomplish more, and I found this placement unique in that I was able to collaborate with the kinesiologist often to better distribute patient care and utilize others’ unique skillsets. Kinesiologists are exercise and movement specialists, and so it was hugely beneficial to me to be able to hand patients off to the kinesiologist for review of their exercise programs. It was also helpful to me to learn more about exercise prescription principles and see how another exercise specialist went about cueing and describing different exercises. While there may be overlap in our different roles, it is still of benefit to work with another professional in shared patient care. I find this to be the case as well with other resources and services being offered out of your workplace. At Freedom in Movement, I found it helpful to also have a massage therapist and naturopath working out of the clinic. This made it easy to refer my patients on when I recognized a need for another type of therapy or service. I feel grateful to work in a profession that emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, because without it, I would not be able to help my patients to my full potential and achieve optimal outcomes that my patients deserve.

 

Lesson 3: Empathy is Everything

 

Although physiotherapy is very much so focused on assessing and treating the physical body, therapists also need to have good communication skills and the ability to express empathy in order to build rapport and form connections with patients. Our patients will not be able to get the most out of therapy if they do not feel supported in their care. This is why we as therapists need to empathize with a patient’s pain experience and make them feel comfortable each and every time they come to see us. We need to actively listen to their concerns, show them we understand their perspective and validate their thoughts and feelings in order to create a treatment program that will work for them and their unique lifestyle. Often times, patients come to see us feeling anxious, vulnerable or hesitant. It is our job as physios to help make patients feel comfortable and empowered in their rehab journey. Some strategies I use to show empathy when delivering care include:

 

·         Starting the appointment with eye contact to establish a connection with your patient and show them you are focused on them and what they have to say.

 

·         Letting your patient know you are listening by paraphrasing what you hear.

 

·         Being aware of your body language. For example, sitting down to show you have time for them.

 

·         Showing an interest in your patient and being curious about them and what they have to say. Ask clarifying questions, ask them about their life outside of their physical condition or injury.

 

·         Taking note of things that humanize your patient, such as activities they like to do with their kids, the fact that they are taking care of a sick parent, or that they just did a big move. Understanding someone’s life better will allow you to express empathy towards them because you see more of the whole picture.

 

Despite these important lessons I have learned as a student, there have also been several challenges faced along the way. The first one is having to adapt to new clinical environments and forming your own practice under the instruction of an experienced therapist. During physiotherapy school we go through five very different 6-week clinical internships. While some may be more aligned with our goals and values and in the area of practice we want to start our career, others can be difficult and maybe not entirely what we signed up for. It can also be challenging to form your own practice and values as a clinician when working under an experienced clinical instructor. But, we as physiotherapists need to be adaptable in our everyday life because people and pain are unpredictable. With this in mind, I think it is important to always enter each opportunity with an open mind and an eagerness to learn. Placements are a great opportunity to try new things and learn what works for you. So believing in the skills and knowledge you have is the first step to gaining confidence in a new clinical environment and forming your own practice.

Finally, the biggest challenge I have faced in this internship is dealing with patient’s perspectives of my competence when they hear that I am a “student” physiotherapist. When patients are asked for their consent in my involvement in their treatment I often hear “Is she good?” or “Does she know what she is doing?” This can be very discouraging as a student because your confidence level is already low and you feel vulnerable in your position. But despite not having as many years of practice under my belt, there are several benefits to being treated by a student. Students are often more eager and focused on the task at hand because they finally get to put their skills to the test with a real patient. Students also are constantly being evaluated so they want to put their best foot forward when treating patients. And most importantly, students have a just been taught the most recent and up to date evidence for treatment, meaning they are delivering care that works. With all that in mind, I feel lucky to be a student and to have faced these challenges and learned these lessons because it has only forced me to reflect and grow into a better well-rounded physiotherapist. With all of this knowledge and experience, I finally feel confident and ready to start my career and be the best physiotherapist I can be! Thank you for reading and for being a part of the journey for me!