Seventy Years of Studenthood

Studying physiotherapy was as beautiful as it was difficult.

Every physiotherapist was at some point a student; a period of their lives full of unique but familiar experiences. We asked physiotherapists from around the world to share their educational stories, including their transition into the work force, in order to explore the similarities and differences of physiotherapy student experiences across time and around the world.

One hundred and one physiotherapists from 31 nations shared their memories. The most senior graduated in 1955 and the most junior were currently in their final year of study – a seventy year range, or a lifetime of experience.

We investigated eight common themes across all of the responses, including their motivation to become a physiotherapist, their study workload, the unique challenges of anatomy, the value of peer support, the importance of mentors and their transition to the workforce. To identify differences across time we split the respondents into five generational cohorts and explored their career choices, pedagogical experiences, course memories and first job. Finally, unique experiences that were shared around gender, relationships, racism and funding were also included.

Using their own words we share the respondents stories to provide a narrative of the lives of physiotherapy students across time and around the world. Whilst not all paths to independent practice were smooth, the challenging experiences were highly valued and generally produced joyful careers. The full report is available here.

Posted by Glenn Ruscoe

Glenn is a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist working in private practice in Perth, Australia. A strong advocate for the profession, Glenn has been heavily involved in leadership of professional associations and regulatory boards. Currently he is Managing Director of the Registry Operator of the .physio domain top level extension.

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