My first 6 months working here at Sunbury Physiotherapy have been an excellent introduction into life as a physiotherapist. The transition from a student physiotherapist to graduate physiotherapist was made smoothly with the support of everyone at Sunbury Physiotherapy. If I had the ability to go back, these are the tips I would tell myself as a student:

 

1. Finding a supportive workplace is key.

• I receive weekly scheduled mentoring with the ability to tailor it to both case-based and hands-on learning. I love how I have the opportunity to observe and liaise with physiotherapists with special interest areas such as sports physiotherapy, pelvic floor, vestibular, concussion dance and TMJ. All team members are extremely welcoming and are happy to help out when required. Culture at Sunbury Physiotherapy is essential with our core values being live above the line, love what you do, daring greatly, care to make a difference and look out for each other.

• I love how we all participate in social and team building activities to ensure good connections with all in the workplace. Our most recent activity was a paint and sip which was very fun!

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2. Never be afraid to ask questions and no question is a silly question.

• Here at Sunbury Physiotherapy, I love that all clinicians are able to answer any questions I have if the time is suitable outside of my scheduled mentoring. When starting a new job, there is lots of new information to learn, but with the 100-day induction program, it is made easy and have ample opportunities to ask questions.

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3. Do not be afraid to learn otherwise you will not grow.

• The physiotherapy career comes with lifelong learning. Simple things this may involve is listening to a podcast weekly such as Physio Edge or Physio Explained. Subscribe to learning platforms such as Physio Network where they share masterclasses and practicals.

• Look for courses that you are interested in - research what you would learn in them and book them in early so you can go! I was able to attend Part A of Lyn Watson’s shoulder course - which had so much information, but it did build my shoulder assessment and treatment skills up to a level I never thought I could achieve. Ensure the place you work at has a good professional development allowance meaning you have more opportunities to grow and learn from specialists in the areas you are interested in. For me, this allowed me to complete my Clinical Pilates training through Universal Practice allowing me to run the group Physiolates sessions here at Sunbury Physiotherapy.

• I love the fortnightly inservices I attend are run either by one of the physiotherapists that work at Sunbury Physiotherapy or by someone externally sourced by our team. All senior physiotherapists attend and it is inspiring to see that they continue to up skill themselves.

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4. Ask for feedback and constructive criticism.

• At the end of the day, you will not know everything and that is ok. Asking senior colleagues where you can improve and what you are doing well so you can tailor your growth is essential. Working with your mentors to set a goal set and find ways on how you can achieve what you need to so you are striving to be the best physiotherapist you can be. Try what you learn and discuss is key otherwise you will not grow.

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5. Ensure you have adequate rest and do something you enjoy.

• Work/life balance is key. Ensure you switch off at the end of the day and schedule in time to do things that bring you joy e.g., catching up with friends or going to a workout class. Here, that is key and we have flexible work hours to accommodate for this.

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Overall, the key thing to note is that you choose a workplace that is going to support you to become the best physiotherapist you can be as it will make a big difference in how you start your career!