Applying for physio!

[PhysioAdvice]

On the hunt for any fellow parents with DC who are applying to study physiotherapy this year! Or even anyone with DC currently studying/recently graduated

What did they do in terms of work experience and how much? Apart from being a patient herself all too often… DD has secured work experience at a private hospital working with inpatients (1 day) and at a specialist outpatient clinic (2 days) but has struggled to get anything in the NHS which seems to be more valued by universities.

Where are they applying to?

Competition seems to be mad compared to when I was training (also a physio.. it’s been a very long time though since I sat on an admissions panel so I’m not much help) and the statistics are similar to medicine. Her ideal uni is Liverpool but this seems to be the most competitive in the UK. Her GCSEs are fairly average (8777766554) with A level predictions of AAB in biology, geography + chemistry. Personally I don’t think that they’ll give her an interview based off of her academic record.. maybe I’m just being pessimistic!

My DD year 10 currently has her eyes on a physio career. She is interested in the sports side. We dont have her work experience sorted yet, however we are planning on writing to university sports centres, as I hope they will be able to provide lots of different activities throughout the week!

With regards to work experience, I would imagine lots of care home residents have physio needs, as do some DCs in specialist school though you'd be looking at quite severe needs (one near us has a hydrotherapy pool). Would sports related work experience help - does she coach or help with a sport?
Just brainstorming really from the POV of a parent with a DC with dyspraxia.

Bear in mind even volunteers with the NHS need DBS checking which is time consuming as well as costly

Good for your DD! Mine is the polar opposite and more interested in the medical side that I went down which is making things a lot more difficult. For university applications be careful not to mention solely the sports side - it’s important to show that they understand physio is a diverse profession with many avenues that they will need to experience during their course of study (ICU, paediatrics, neuro rehab etc)

Yeah she'll do that. I work at a uni and my sister helps students at a college with their UCAS application so we will hopefully be good on that front. I hope your daughter gets a place.

My son has just gone into his 3rd year at Northumbria doing physio. He was predicted AAB and got ABB in the end. 2 uni’s rejected him outright, another one after interview, and he got offers from York St John and Northumbria.

His actual prior experience was v difficult to sort; he managed to get a few sessions with a sports physio and that was the only relevant experience really. Respiratory/ neuro were impossible. I also work close to that field and I was no help at all in getting any access. Privacy, other medical students all grappling for experience etc. Completely drew a blank. I think that’s pretty uniform from what we heard.

Good luck to your daughter , he has no regrets on his choice and has loved the whole experience so far.

In y10 DD got general NHS work experience in our local hospital, shadowing the activities coordinator (supporting physio & OT).

They offer specific therapies work experience from y12, either a week block or one day a week.

I hadn't realised this was uncommon!