It's Notts Just Physio
Welcome to the 'It's Notts Just Physio' podcast, your go-to pod for an insider's perspective on the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham! Specifically tailored for students, this podcast aims to bridge the gap between you and the dedicated staff who make up our vibrant academic community.
Join us as we dive into insightful conversations with faculty members, uncovering their stories, expertise, and valuable insights that go beyond the classroom. From exam tips to navigating academic challenges, we're here to provide you with the resources you need to thrive in your academic journey.
But that's not all! As our podcast family grows, so does our commitment to bringing you a diverse range of perspectives. We're excited to feature input from fellow students, welcome external speakers who bring fresh insights, and engage with professional bodies within the university.
So, whether you're a student looking to connect with your faculty or seeking essential resources for exam periods, 'It's Notts Just Physio' is here to support and inspire you. Tune in, get to know your academic community, and let's embark on this educational journey together.
It's Notts Just Physio
Education Placement Takeover - Lily, Emma and Els
This episode is the second installment of our Education Placement Takeover and features physiotherapy students Lily Kerrison, Emma Bowen, and Els Eaves as they explore a range of physiotherapy placement topics. They share insights into their education placement experiences at the University of Nottingham, discuss how previous placements have shaped their learning, offer top tips for thriving on placement, and highlight the importance of holistic healthcare within a multidisciplinary team.
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Welcome back to It's Not Just Physio, I'm Lily. I'm Emma.
SPEAKER_01:I'm Els and we're going to talk a little bit more about our placement experience and how we've found that educational placement so far. So personally, I've really enjoyed it. It's been completely different to the other placements we've had. We've had so many different opportunities of teaching, lesson plans, working with all the staff and working on our projects.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's been a great insight into all the planning and preparation that goes behind sessions. And I honestly will never take any of our lectures for granted because now I know how it feels to work so hard and try to tweak and organise all the practicals and small groups sessions so yeah it's been like an amazing experience
SPEAKER_00:I think it was also great to see that what we experienced in first and second year and also getting to learn all the students and seeing how you guys are finding it even starting the year again and just even coming to a completely new different place and then seeing how that works for you and I know that some of you have been asking about the clubs as well
SPEAKER_01:yeah the first and second years for me have personally made this a really good experience they're so keen they're so engaged and they've really actually appreciated us and not taken us for granted and we got told this at the start that they'd ask us more questions than us lecturers I definitely feel that's been the vibe and I've been really happy to give like info especially on the placements for the upcoming year twos that are a bit nervous
SPEAKER_02:yeah I feel like they feel a little bit more comfortable with us as we're a little bit more relatable we've just had those experiences we've just gone through it so it was nice that they felt like they could reach out to us and we've always been I'd say quite supportive through the whole five weeks and just said guys if you have any questions and still now if anyone does have any questions like please don't hesitate to come and have a chat with us we're not scary and we're happy to help because you know we've been through it we have some like experiences that lecturers and older people whether I should say that or not don't have because the you know career has changed a lot so it's just like you know we're the point of call for you guys And
SPEAKER_00:also just speaking about like exams and how best to revise obviously because we just done it last year like we're able to be that again more relatable as Emma said.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah and quite a lot of the exams are still the same which is quite nice like continuity whereas for us the first year is now in a different curriculum so it was quite exciting to see what they have available that we don't or we didn't have at the time but no it was really insightful.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah it's nice to see how they're sort of like all the staff are taking on feedback and and changing it. And, you know, they really care about how us as students feel. And, you know, you can see how actively progressive it is in updating and keeping sort of our needs at the, you know, at the, what's the word I'm thinking of? The forefront. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Can you remember your first day on placement? I can remember it when we were in David Ross with the first years and that afternoon it was their first proper practical session
SPEAKER_02:and they were so nervous and then to see them now yeah and now we've got to know them all you know and yeah that feels like
SPEAKER_00:ages ago and I think it's also a good point to note that they've grown so much in confidence and even the knowledge is so important for them and they're just on it there's times I forgot they were first years they
SPEAKER_01:know so much I kind of just forget got that oh your brand needs all of this
SPEAKER_02:yeah they grasp everything so quickly and you know it's been great actually just to see that and you know they're all so confident and it's a great cohort
SPEAKER_00:oh 100% I think they're also quite welcoming to us because obviously we're coming in as third years it might be a bit like scary and I know that some of us also felt awkward going into them and just dispersing like getting within the groups but they were so welcoming that it's what you want and I'm sure that nice
SPEAKER_02:environment yeah and I think over the five weeks we have like learned a lot from them as well and like they've helped our learning and you know also learning how to teach people is like quite a difficult skill and it only comes with experience that you just have to have a go and see what works best for you I would honestly recommend this placement to anyone you know it's been really
SPEAKER_01:the key learning point I remember is when we were teaching we ran our first ever year one full day in David Ross and the morning group got through all the content but it wasn't very efficient our timings are a bit out the window quite sorry guys yeah sorry if you're in that group it was a little bit chaotic but then in the afternoon the comparison we took on the feedback and like it was run really smoothly and like I was so proud of us as like a little group because like we just turned it it wasn't bad in the morning but it somehow made it even better
SPEAKER_02:yeah yeah it's nice having the chance to have another go at the same session because in a lot of the practicals you have three stations so the first for when you just have a go see what works the second one's really good and then the third one tends to you know you forget what you already said yeah and you've got to make sure everyone's like learning the same thing so you try and keep that continuity but yeah it is hard and also just to keep morale up by the last session because it's a long three hours
SPEAKER_01:definitely I
SPEAKER_00:think a good point to note about choosing to do this placement if you if you're normally by yourself for placements this is a really good one to work as a team and seeing how you like build that team dynamic and how again as Elle said how you can switch it around and how it makes it better for everyone else but also it's not technically your typical clinical placement but it's such a good one to learn for especially like when you when you're qualified and when you guys have students this is sort of what you need to go through and like how you're going to lead them and like teach them as well as they go along
SPEAKER_01:yeah it's really good to like use each other's strengths as well because within the six of us loads of us have different strengths different qualities and we've also identified that and we kind of go okay this person's good at leading this so this person's good at leading this this person's good at having all the plans sorted and you all help each other you all do it together but having those people identified because what you might not know is that also during this placement we do projects so you've got to manage your workload of teaching creating lesson plans talking to other staff and doing projects as well so it's quite important to be able to keep on top of that and use each other's strengths for it
SPEAKER_02:yeah there's a lot of components to this placement but it's nice to be sort of thrown in a deep end and you know being in a position that you have to organize your time so well um it really makes you sort of think on your feet and adapt to any situation that you have um which are all skills that you can take forward and we'll take forward into our future careers
SPEAKER_01:yeah what skill do you think you'll take forward from this one
SPEAKER_02:so many um leadership being with them i think like that's the big one isn't it and it's really important just for general life but also um the career you know you've got to be able to be a leader and put yourself forward and not be scared to um you know have a go and if you get things wrong that's okay like that's how you learn you only learn by making mistakes obviously make sure everyone's safe and everything's okay but like that is really the only way you learn and you have to be okay with that
SPEAKER_01:yeah i think one big thing that i'm taking from this placement is kind of with the projects we've briefly talked about and our dissertation and kind of the overlap of skills being able to manage a project meet timelines project prioritise work, organise yourself. Lily, Jack and Lucy's project was quite similar to a dissertation.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it was quite a lot of focus groups and getting them questionnaires sorted and like thematic analysis. Don't worry about that yet. Yeah, well, I know that you're one. Lots and lots of research in yours
SPEAKER_01:as well. Whereas mine, Emma's and Ashira's, we worked with Swim England and we were reviewing health fact sheets and kind of doing new evidence, accessibility criteria, all sorts of things to kind of improve and adapt them and these health sheets will then go back to the original authors be approved and re-sent out again and they reach such a wide population of people there's I think 300,000 people access them every year so it's a really important resource and it's great to have the experience of working with a national governing body of a sport
SPEAKER_02:yeah it's been a great experience and just super important you know it's absolutely important that all data and fact sheets that are publicised need to be updated and checked and reviewed because everything's always changing and you know decisions and drivers for change are made from this data so it's got to be up to date and accurate and relevant so it's been really important and insightful piece of work to do that and it does coincide with our dissertations which has been really useful um and yeah just a great privilege to work with such an amazing organization i
SPEAKER_00:think it was great personally to see like how yours impacted the public so much and like how it will carry on to impact it yeah just
SPEAKER_01:so many sorry there's so many different um conditions there's so many different aspects because what we didn't say earlier is like it's for both healthcare professionals and the general public but both projects have such a big impact one project has an impact on kind of the curriculum of the whole course and what's happening one with the national governing body but i think personally both of our projects have allowed us to network with so many people um and it's really important when we're starting kind of the future of our careers to have that support system have that network it's been a great opportunity absolutely I think
SPEAKER_00:it's great like yeah I think also one thing I'll take away from this placement is probably confidence and like believing in yourself and I think that's such a big thing to bring along for all placements because I know at the start like you're quite anxious and then you have to get rid of that first week you get to learn people you get to like learn the team and that that anxiety sort of just eases eases away
SPEAKER_02:yeah you're just so out of your comfort zone and that is so important for like you know personal growth and like just building confidence and becoming comfortable with feeling uncomfortable in certain situations you know like we've all had experience teaching small groups and then speaking in front of bigger groups which is always daunting for anyone like there's no doubt about it but once you've done it once it's a lot easier the second time and you know I don't think that goes at that goes without saying you know it's not easy but we've all done it um I can say I think we can all say we find it easier now I could feel more comfortable
SPEAKER_01:definitely more confident if I have to present something on other placements I don't know about you but on every placement I've had so far I've had a presentation and a project piece so I think it's really important to kind of build those skills and have transferable actions for it
SPEAKER_02:yeah no one likes presenting but unfortunately it's something that we all have to do and the more you do it the you know easier it comes and the better you get um so yeah
SPEAKER_01:yeah what were your past placements before this one
SPEAKER_02:so my first one which was my favorite up till now apart from this one of course was on a acute stroke unit in Lincoln so me and one of my friends Rosie lived out um we had a Airbnb together which was quite nice it was like a little holiday in a way um but that was amazing it was just like to see the variety of um stroke cases you know different ages complete different presented conditions and I was on a really small ward there was about 30 people and I saw the same patients pretty much each day for five weeks so built an amazing rapport with them and I just loved it I found it so rewarding and just like an amazing experience and then after that I was in community and that was a little bit slower but still really good saw a lot of neuro again so I feel like I've got a love for neuro rehab just because I've had a lot of experience in it and then after that I was that day David Ross Sports Clinic unfortunately I had my summer placement when all the students had gone home so there was no one there pretty much I saw about three patients the whole time which wasn't great but I did a lot of hydrotherapy which was neuro again so that was really good what about you Lily?
SPEAKER_00:So I've had David Ross Sports Clinic while I was doing sports pods so I was with the uni of football team so that was really good but obviously it was like pitch side so sometimes there was quite a lot of injuries and then sometimes there was minimal So like your learning could vary. Then I was in Derby for orthopaedics, which I absolutely loved. There was quite a lot of dementia patients as well. So it's just also trying to build that rapport with them and sometimes trying to convince them to get out of bed, have a little walk. And then I had multiple sclerosis in Leicester, which we had quite a big team as well. And they were like a little community. So it was really cute and like getting to know them as well. And then one of the patients is now, in the SGDs. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, really? My favourite patients.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's so cool. You might have to pop in for that one then. Oh, I'm going to have to. See me again. What did you have else?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, my first placement was a bit unique and it was a research project. So I was quite apprehensive that I'd come back after placement and everyone else would have so many more clinical skills than I would. But that wasn't the case. Everyone just had like loads of skills in one niche area. But no, I was doing a research project on climate change and how the NHS could adapt to be more sustainable so it's quite interesting very different and but I also got to shadow a few physios while I was there so it was a bit half and half my second one was in a complex care home and it was very responero heavy my first day was a bit well I had to leave the room at one point I was not expecting to see like tracheostomy deep suctioning in a very warm room full of PPE but I got used to it I did it by myself by the end like I was able to actually like suction the patients it was an experience but it was also quite nice to have the neuro side of it as well and kind of what you do for like paralyzed patients and then my third one last year was in Chesterfield and it was MSK outpatients and I'm quite glad I had it as like a little roundup but it was a massive team like it was like a carousel of patients in and out in and out it was very intense but I think having it in summer when there was less of a social life in Nottingham made it easier because it's a long trek there and back anyway and it's a lot of prep work and on that one I had to do like a presentation all in my own time so it got a bit intense but we got through it
SPEAKER_02:yeah and it's nice that we've all had such different experiences because we can all you know we all know little bits about a lot kind of thing um you know which is nice so we can all share those experiences and um you know some people have had more experience in neuro or rest and then we can sort of help each other and teach each other and for some of the teachings for year twos there's been people who have been able to help like you did the sectioning one didn't you ask yeah like you've done that so Have you done any suctioning? No. No, I haven't either yet. I'm waiting. Yeah. Let's go really enjoy it. I
SPEAKER_01:love
SPEAKER_02:it. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, that's like a
SPEAKER_01:vacuum. You put a catheter and it kind of like sticks out like a vacuum. It's
SPEAKER_02:the sputum we're talking about, by the way. So on rest placements, that's going to become your best friend, I think.
SPEAKER_01:Only if there's nothing else you can do.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. Actually, I did see one patient being suctioned and he was saying thank you at the same time. time bless him my patient said that
SPEAKER_01:yeah
SPEAKER_02:like with the with the thing down his throat and i was like oh bless you you know you don't don't worry about saying thank you right now
SPEAKER_01:yeah i think my overall experience from placement is that they're all so different and you kind of especially in your last week you feel like you're part of the team you have like sometimes your own patients you're doing your own thing you're like i'm just working a normal week
SPEAKER_02:yeah
SPEAKER_01:and even this placement i felt that on the last week we so for those that don't know we planned all the year one lessons as like the monday sessions on the last two weeks
SPEAKER_03:you
SPEAKER_01:and we basically were like okay we're leading them we're doing all of this obviously with the support of the team and I kind of felt like oh we're just being left to it we're trusted like we're just cracking on with it
SPEAKER_00:but I think also that's a really good point to pick up on that it didn't feel like we planned like we planned it but then when you were doing it it wasn't like oh this is what we've actually done and I think it was such a good experience just to also get it out there again working together as a team working to our strengths and what we're planning and I think that's such a good experience and then also we'd done the year two's prep for placement lecture yes
SPEAKER_01:that was quite intimidating
SPEAKER_00:yeah yeah
SPEAKER_01:because it was the first one in an actual lecture theatre whereas the rest we'd all done in like the sports halls or like practical rooms so all of a sudden having like 60 of you staring down at us from tiered seating although we probably didn't show it it was a bit nerve-wracking at times
SPEAKER_02:yeah yeah I think they wanted to give us or the lecturers wanted to give us like an experience and talking to a large group of people so we were like okay let's just do and it was actually fine wasn't it
SPEAKER_03:it
SPEAKER_02:was really nice to answer the questions at the end I thought you know they were like anonymous questions and there were some really important ones that came up which people may not have asked otherwise
SPEAKER_01:yeah or if people had asked they hadn't been shared the answer to the whole cohort yeah what was your biggest tip for the year twos for starting placement
SPEAKER_02:I think mine was like just don't worry about you know I mean obviously first placement is really daunting and the first week's a bit funny you're just trying to find your feet and you're settling into the team and you're really tired because you're absorbing all this new information but just don't worry about expecting them to you know give you the full reins on the first week because they will ease you into it um your educators i mean and they're not going to expect you to know everything and do everything um you know they'll leave it up to you when you feel comfortable they can guide you and just say look we'll do this one together and then for me it was like okay you watch me for the first week and then we'll do it together and then you have a go and i'll still be here and and then after each patient i saw i was like okay how did that go and then they were like okay this was good maybe do this next time and then you literally just learn from that experience like placement is so valuable.
SPEAKER_00:What's your biggest tip Lily? My top tip is quite a boring one but if you're driving do the drive there first like same with any transport just because at least then on your first day you're not leaving two hours early when you don't need to and just you know where you're going yeah exactly because I know that with Derby I drove there first then we stopped in town got a little Nando's and then went back but then it was just that sort of easy easing and also knowing where you're actually going because the wards are so confusing
SPEAKER_01:yeah it's not just getting to the car park is it it's making sure you know whereabouts in the hospital you go in and you are allowed in the hospital even though you're not there for an appointment like don't be scared to go in have a nose just walk around absolutely my biggest tip is that everyone going on placement should bring a notebook with them and in that notebook you should create one or two little cheat sheets so if you're doing msk or neuro write down your myotomes write down kind of your subjective headings write down a few things don't over prepare but show willingness show that when like you're in between patients you're looking at notes you can flip it open to remind yourself and once you've seen a patient that has like an interesting case you've never come across you can do research in front of your educators because educators seeing you do work is just like a massive tick it benefits your learning and it benefits them understanding that they don't have to prompt you you're being proactive and you're doing work yourself
SPEAKER_02:yeah also like maybe creating a placement diary so writing down your experiences you know reflections will be your best friend they're so important yeah you'll hear that word so much and it's really important to think about how you you know dealt with a situation or a patient and to think about how it went well or you know what you can improve next time because if you have that experience and then put it in a box and shut it away how are you going to know you know what to do or how it can be better for the next time so yeah writing down sort of a diary would be quite useful you know it every day but like
SPEAKER_01:you even voice note it to yourself after a day and help prompt yourself yeah I used to because I used to have to drive like an hour back home and I knew by the time I was driven home I wouldn't remember so when I was in the car before I left I'd do a little voice note being like oh this happened today I think this will be a good reflection and very quickly this is what I felt or this happened today which was really good
SPEAKER_00:I think reflections honestly as Emma said they will be your best friend I think I do quite a lot of reflections I know that on my placement on Derby they were like two reflections a week and I was like okay that's fine and then you're probably thinking what am I actually going to talk about but you see so many patients and you see so many complex conditions and it's also quite a good thing to put all your research in as well and saying that because I didn't know this this is what I've now searched up and this is what I've learned and I think the reflections just honestly it helps your learning process so much.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah they're so vital and especially if you have more than one educator it's a good way for your educator that wasn't with you to see what you've actually been up to because although you'll have an educator assigned to you you're not going to work with them every single day you're going to shadow other people which i think you need to then ask those people for feedback yeah there's a section on pair which i've used every single placement of feedback for others and it's so important because you can use it in your cpd portfolio and everything else you know some patients even gave me feedback and then you had a patient give you
SPEAKER_00:feedback i just didn't put it on the feedback section but yeah and the next two you can't
SPEAKER_01:i'll
SPEAKER_00:learn i'll learn
SPEAKER_01:but yeah it's so important i was nagging at for one on my last team I was like oh you worked with me this day would it be possible for you to do this and like said it's my educator so like you can put it they can put it on my like file which I thought was really nice because your educator obviously sees you every day for five weeks whereas other people only see you for like a snippet so it was quite intriguing to kind of see like oh they think I'm like this yeah that's a nice tip
SPEAKER_02:actually because that section on the pair thing is hidden yeah it is hidden it's not highlighted I don't remember speaking about it like with anyone
SPEAKER_01:no it's near the appendix to use right at the bottom yeah it's quite
SPEAKER_02:hidden so definitely
SPEAKER_01:recommend
SPEAKER_02:it yeah for sure because you forget as well like people give you feedback and you just forget about it
SPEAKER_01:you're so busy on placement so busy that there's so much going on you're spinning loads of plates you're driving to a new place every day you're having to make sure you've washed and ironed your uniform every week and that you've got enough uniform for the week you're then trying to make a packed lunch and potentially a packed tea you're trying to talk to people that you've never spoken to before every day trying to make like connections within a team trying to be professional at all times and it's
SPEAKER_00:a lot coming back home doing sports if you want to like social side which we understand that like that that's quite hard stiff like yeah and that's quite hard to like balance but also you get used to it and I think that's my top tip like that first week you are going to be tired but that's a normal thing I
SPEAKER_01:think some of that though is because you're doing so much concentrating you're not an autopilot yet by the end of a placement there's an element of autopilotness whereas at the very beginning it's a lot of watching it's a lot of just kind of sitting and watching and asking questions and you have to kind of be on it at all times
SPEAKER_00:you just have to make sure that you're like awake and you're ready to if they ask anything again
SPEAKER_02:yeah you can't
SPEAKER_00:you need to answer
SPEAKER_02:yeah for sure I mean arguably placement will be harder than actually working
SPEAKER_00:I agree
SPEAKER_02:yeah that's
SPEAKER_00:what
SPEAKER_02:everyone qualifies as as well I think so because when you're out there and you're on your own and you haven't got someone over your shoulders asking you questions and you're not absorbing all this new information you will probably find it a lot
SPEAKER_00:easier
SPEAKER_02:yeah which is quite nice I think that
SPEAKER_01:quite a lot of them say that it's like when you're on placement you're sort of validating your knowledge yeah it's a learning experience isn't it it's not a test no which i think it took me a while to understand that because i just wanted high marks and high percentages even though it's a pass or fail yeah and i think you're so used to the school system of you need to do the best you can you need to do that you're just wanting to impress them the whole time but as soon as you kind of understand when you especially when you come back off your first placement and suddenly you're in lectures and you go this makes so much more sense now absolutely that's when you go okay it's definitely for learning and it makes It makes me really excited to go on placement and be like, oh, what am I going to learn next?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, it's really fun. And I just think, don't be afraid to ask questions. You learn so many new words. And I personally just wrote any word I didn't know down and then research after. And I'd make a little document with all those words in. And it's just nice to look back on.
SPEAKER_01:Did you then share it back with your educator at the end?
SPEAKER_02:I did, yeah. I showed them sort of what I was doing, like my diaries and all the words that I'd learned. And just like some key experiences I found to be beneficial to my learning and reflections and things, which they love to see that,
SPEAKER_01:don't they? Oh, they do. You can never send too much stuff to your educator. If you're not in their emails every day, well, not every day, but like if your name isn't popping up, they'll start asking you. I think correctiveness is one of the big things, isn't
SPEAKER_00:it? I think especially on placement, just showing that you're keen, like you're keen to learn. You've done this course for a reason. There's something that interested you and whatever that is. you just need to showcase that so like whether that is doing a lot of reflections or sending them research or just bugging them all the time like
SPEAKER_01:yeah there's no point going on placement if you're going to coast
SPEAKER_00:no
SPEAKER_01:there's absolutely no point you're not going to get anything from it
SPEAKER_00:because you can't grow them
SPEAKER_01:literally and I think if you're well you will end up slightly burnt out by the end because you're trying to do so much and spend so many plates especially if you're doing sport on the side as well and having a social life but it's important I think on placement that when it's a weekend it's a weekend end like try and prioritize that time try and fit it in and actually go out with your friends go with your housemates do something because you you can't function for five weeks not doing anything but placement
SPEAKER_02:absolutely it's important as well just to maintain your you know relationships see your friends have some fun um and on evenings you know you're really tired but still just you know have a good meal get some sleep have a giggle with your friends watch a film do something nice And yeah, I just set you up.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, equally though, it's absolutely okay to say no to going out during the week. Of course. You always say no. I said no to one or two training sessions on some of my placements because for context, my training sessions are like an hour away and they end at nine o'clock. So I would not be getting back to Nottingham until like 10 p.m. at night. And I was waking up at like 6 a.m. for some of my placements. And by the time you're like four and a half weeks in, you just can't manage everything.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:that's also part of those skills that we've talked about about kind of prioritizing what's important at this stage um so yeah feel free to say no to stuff but make sure you do prioritize meeting at least one or two people in an environment that's comfortable you've got social battery for and that is kind of more heartwarming like even if it's just a film or telly while you have your tea
SPEAKER_00:i know that like personally when i get back from placement especially hospital placement i need like an hour to myself and then i can go downstairs and socialize with everyone so even if that's the thing that you need to sort of keep you sane that's okay yeah
SPEAKER_01:i have to agree with that like hospital placement it's so busy the environment doesn't stop and like there's something like i come out of there my ears are still ringing about like all the noises all the emergency alarms everything else so do take a tiny bit of time for yourself also don't shut yourself away for
SPEAKER_02:five weeks yeah absolutely there's a lot going on um and not every placement will be in hospitals so you will have that diversity you know you you could end up here david ross sports pods whatever so every placement's completely different and those five weeks fly by they really do they go so fast and then before you know it you're back to uni and then you can sort of juggle social lives and things a bit more and at least you know like okay this is this isn't it you know i've got five weeks and then i can go out and stuff after so it doesn't that sort of is quite reassuring isn't it
SPEAKER_01:i think it's also important to it's nice to go on placement and find out what you like but it's also nice to go on placement and find out what you don't necessarily like you are allowed to not enjoy one placement as much as another as long as you're still eager trying to learn and giving it a chance like I know friends that were like you know what I went on community and it wasn't really for me didn't mean they didn't give it a good go but it means that it's kind of helping inform those decisions for the future so as much as it's like I'm going to find out what I like you're allowed to not like every single placement at the same level you're allowed to have favourites and you're allowed to have ones where it's like if I was applying for a job I'd probably probably wouldn't apply for one of those right now
SPEAKER_02:yeah it is nice to sort of have that experience to say okay I know I definitely don't like this and I actually quite like this or I'd like to experience this and you get you know six placements so you will like hopefully a lot of them you'll like something
SPEAKER_00:yeah
SPEAKER_02:you'll definitely
SPEAKER_00:like something I think it's just valid to note that like patients or the team of physios they have such a big impact on you and that's why it's also like your communicating skills they need to be there and whether that's just having a chat with a patient like I know there were so many times where I was like what'd you have for lunch was it nice and they're probably like no then also just having that conversation with them and just
SPEAKER_02:yeah they're just a person at the end of the day like just like you know obviously we all are but you know it's sometimes you just need to talk to them you just need to be a human with a human and just see it as like a you know more of a holistic thing and you know rather than this I'm a patient I'm a sorry I'm a physio you're a patient you know to do these exercises yeah yeah you just need to like be there for them and care for them sometimes and just chat
SPEAKER_01:it's a big thing you mentioned as well the team you're with the team you're with can make such an impact one of my placements my respiratory one I wasn't a massive fan of the actual sucking mucus out of people but the team was so fantastic that I was still really excited to go every day and I think if the team hadn't been as nice or I hadn't drilled as well with them then I probably wouldn't have liked that placement as much as I did in the end
SPEAKER_03:yeah
SPEAKER_01:it really really changes your experience based on the team you're with and it's kind of don't expect your educator to be your best friend however they are a person and they will probably talk to you about stuff that isn't just education and physio yeah
SPEAKER_02:I do think that generally if you're a physio you're a nice person you know you're gonna hopefully yeah like luckily you've got to be I mean to be a physio you've got to be a people person you've got to want to talk to people and help people that's why we're all in this career so luckily most of the time educators are really nice because you know they're just nice people and they have to be um but then sometimes if you don't you know necessarily like you know there's always going to be people on a team who you think okay i really like these or i'm not too sure about these but that's just the same in life you know and just always being professional and polite and you know um sort of you know smiley and things it goes a long way
SPEAKER_01:professionalism is a massive thing yeah like you can fail a placement for not being professional you can't really fail a placement for giving something a go
SPEAKER_03:yeah 100% I agree with
SPEAKER_01:that you should it's like an expectation and it's like we had so many talks about it before we were on placement and I'm glad they kind of drilled in how important it was because it's not difficult like it's not difficult to turn up on time it's not difficult to be polite it's not difficult to wear the right uniform and ask those questions beforehand so that you're on the same page with someone
SPEAKER_00:I think it's also quite important to note that the five weeks your education does sort of become one of your friends but you still have to keep that professionalism because at the end of the day they're your educator they're not your best friend and that's okay but like I know that I'm still in contact with a few just because yeah that's a good point
SPEAKER_01:actually because you can use your placements to network
SPEAKER_00:yeah 100%
SPEAKER_01:finding out people that are around talking to them like you may end up working in the future with these people so don't be afraid at the end of your placement to say oh can I have your like email in the future an email mail you about stuff can I like get you on LinkedIn can I get you on this can I get you on that can you be a future reference like most of the places I've been on they've offered to be a future reference for me which is really important and valuable and it is a huge opportunity to network
SPEAKER_02:yeah yeah that's a really nice point actually something I haven't actually thought about to be honest you know it is yeah a very fair point because the more contacts you can make you know physio is such a vast career and there's so many different avenues and things so making those contacts is great and a great point
SPEAKER_01:it's so difficult because you're doing so much on placement and we've just thrown loads of things to everyone but you're wearing so many different hats and you're doing so many different things but it does get easier as you get on oh 100% like I can still remember the first day of my first placement compared to the first day of my second placement I was so much more relaxed I was like yeah it's fine as soon as I get in the car park for the right time I'm okay yeah
SPEAKER_02:yeah the first day first placement is like an experience I think we'll all remember I I think
SPEAKER_00:it's just because you don't know what to expect. Yeah. It's such a
SPEAKER_01:different
SPEAKER_02:experience.
SPEAKER_01:And you're a bit nervous and you're like, oh, you turn up way too early, but better to be way too early than way too late. And you're just looking around a bit lost and all of a sudden someone sees you and is like, are you this person? And you're like, yes.
SPEAKER_00:Come with me. I think one of my key points to note is that as the weeks go on, not every week is going to be the exact same. You will go through them like peaks and troughs and that one week or one day will will be harder than the other but as long as you can like sort of bounce back on that because I know that's something that I struggle with personally
SPEAKER_01:I think it's also reflecting on that yourself like I've had it before where on one of my placements I had a day off for a sports comp and then the next day I was absolutely shattered and being honest and open with your educator and being like I'm not gonna lie I'm a little bit more tired than I normally am I'm still really trying I'm still doing this like they're gonna know you're not the same part like you're not the same mindset
SPEAKER_00:but also they'll probably be able to tell
SPEAKER_01:yeah
SPEAKER_00:they can tell if you're over
SPEAKER_01:they've spent four weeks with you at this point or however long and it's kind of by you saying something first it stops those awkward conversations later on
SPEAKER_02:and they've also been a student before so they do get it
SPEAKER_01:there's also normal life like your educator is not going to be perfect every single day if they've had like one of their kids is thrown up in the night and they've had to wake up and clean it up they're going to come in a bit more tired and a bit more kind of fatigued and I think that was one thing I struggled to kind of remember is that they have a life they have a normal things they do weekday activities they do things of a weekend they're humans
SPEAKER_00:they are humans that's like it's kind of weird because when you think about like when you were back in school it'd be weird seeing your teacher in normal clothes like just in the shops but I think that's such a good point to remember that it's sort of the same thing they're still humans
SPEAKER_03:absolutely
SPEAKER_00:like there's still people that you can have a chat with and as Emma said they've gone through uni like they know what's happening
SPEAKER_02:have you guys had any experiences with other like health professionals on placement have you had chances to go with like a shadowing day
SPEAKER_01:yes so when I was in my complex care home I worked within the therapy team I shadowed OTs speak to language and that was really interesting to see everything and I've always asked then on future placements oh is it possible to spend an afternoon with these people or a morning with these people just because it gives you so much experience and exposure but equally it's a great form of reflection for your own practice in the future
SPEAKER_02:Agreed I had a similar experience one with a nurse which was really cool in the community and we were doing some crazy wound dressing and I actually dressed someone's wound and I was like okay I'll have a go and it was great actually nice to just do something different and you know rather than assessing range and strength which we love of course but yeah just getting hands on with something different and getting insight into the MDT and what they do and then I also did have a day with speech and language on the stroke unit which was really interesting that's quite a big part of the rehab some people just completely lost their voice or their speech is different and they're trying to sort of relearn how to speak so they play such a huge role so it was nice to see how you know when you have a patient it's not just us as physios there's OTs and everyone working together to care for this one person which is just really nice
SPEAKER_00:yeah I know that I had the opportunity to see some surgeries so that was really good that's very cool so I saw like a knee arthroscopy did not say that right did that
SPEAKER_02:total replacement
SPEAKER_00:I saw a total hip replacement and that was honestly brilliant I think that also it makes me think that I want to go into orthopedics in hopes that maybe I'll see some more surgeries um and also I know that when I was on placement we were working quite close again with like the OTs and it's just lovely to see sort of their expertise and how it blends together even doing like a joint assessment yeah it's all
SPEAKER_01:about holistic healthcare these days and I think working with an MDT shows so much and actually getting the opportunity on placement means that in the future there's no point you saying I'll take charge of this if someone else is way more qualified and way more like of an expertise in that area like at in MSK outpatient the OTs basically took on the majority of hand patients because they had like hand therapy classes that are available and things like that and they were just so much more experienced in that area it made more sense.
SPEAKER_00:I think also that's like being aware of your scope of practice you can't be brilliant at everything it's not possible but also if you're aware of saying okay Els is better at me than this I'm gonna let her deal with it and I'm just sort of there to support and I think that also makes makes it look better because then at least you're not waffling for ages about some topic that you don't know anything on when it could be concise information.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah and it's linked into this placement like we said earlier different people have different strengths and working as a team effectively is recognising that and making sure that kind of everyone's getting to do something that they're comfortable with they're confident and that together you produce something with the best ability.
SPEAKER_02:So just a final couple of tips from us I just want to say please don't worry about your coming placements and you know the next couple years um it's a great experience it's fun like i know it's daunting and we've all been there but come to us you know use us and we're more than happy to chat to anyone even if it's just for like a little bit of reassurance um but you guys will all be amazing and yeah again just please don't hesitate to have a chat
SPEAKER_00:i think on that note thank you guys so much for first years and second years and all our educators you guys have been really welcoming and also really engaging and you seem interested in what we're saying so that's a really good thing and also I think your confidence is going to be amazing for when you're qualified and also just taking you through the placement that like you guys are going to be really good like we can already tell
SPEAKER_01:yeah and I think based on our project work a massive massive thank you to Andrew Power and Swimmingland for the project we got to take part in and to Roger Kerry and all his research that Lily Jack and I share I got to take part in great opportunity great exposure to some great opportunities and we've all thoroughly enjoyed it I haven't managed to complete it on time to a great standard so I'm really proud of us all and I'm really happy with this placement I think we've all done really well I think recommend to do it I would recommend it 100% even though it's not your comfort zone go out there and do it good to go speak to us about it if you have any questions yeah
SPEAKER_00:anyway thanks guys sorry for the long podcast see
SPEAKER_01:ya
SPEAKER_00:That have gone away
