Why am I doing a Sciences
Baccalaureate? What do I really want to do as a job later (this is a question
that has nagged me for years)? I have finally found the answer: physiotherapist.
Physiotherapists treat
patients with physical difficulties resulting from illness, injury, disability
or ageing. They treat people of all ages, stroke patients, and people with
sports injuries.
Physiotherapists work with
patients to identify and improve their movement and function. They help promote
their patients' health and wellbeing, and assist the rehabilitation process by
developing and restoring body systems, in particular the neuromuscular,
musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. They devise and review
treatment programs, comprising manual therapy, movement, therapeutic exercise
and the application of technological equipment (ultrasound for example).
Physiotherapists also provide advice on how to avoid injuries.
I have scoliosis. I was
prescribed a three-month physiotherapy treatment, but I have become a long-term
physiotherapy patient for this ailment. The healing consists in physical
manipulation in order to make my backbone straight again. Right now, I have tendinitis
in the biceps tendon of my left arm. For this, my physiotherapist uses
ultrasound and electro-stimulation machines. This equipment is often used for
sportsmen who are on a rigorous training program. Electro-stimulation is used
to stimulate blood flow in the weakened tendon. Thanks to this machine, I have
managed to continue training (I’m a swimmer), though there is a risk of weakening
of my tendon.
This job really interests me
because first of all I really like studying how the body works; how are muscles
repaired through physiotherapy? How does an ultrasound machine make my tendons
healthy? Those questions arouse my curiosity, and make me want to learn more.
Therapists require good
communication skills to establish and maintain good relationships with patients;
he must listen very carefully to his patients and be able to communicate easily
with him. Ability to listen and be listened to also enables the physiotherapist
to work effectively within a healthcare team. Resourcefulness, compassion and
patience are the other qualities that are essential in this professional
healthcare area.
There are several paths to
choose if you're considering a career in physiotherapy and this really depends
on what type of physiotherapy career you are envisaging. For example, I would
like to specialize in sports injuries. The sports physiotherapist works most
often alone, without medical backup (except in professional clubs). He follows the
sportsmen during competitions, which means he can be away just a few hours but
also for several days, often on weekends. A sports physiotherapist can be employed
by a sports club or a federation (for the Olympic Games for example).
A sports physiotherapist is a
physiotherapist who has (in 80% of cases) completed a specific physiotherapist training
(leading to a “Diplôme d'Etat” certificate). There are various paths to enter
schools which prepare you for the diploma: there is the standard entry exam, but
here is also the “PAES” (i.e. entry after a year of health studies). The entry exam is open to people with a Bachelor’s
degree in Sciences or with an equivalent diploma. There are three exams: one in
Biology, another in Physics and the last in Chemistry. The number of candidates
for the entrance exam is high; most of the time these candidates have one or even
two years of specific training in a private school beforehand.
In public institutions, the
salary of a physiotherapist begins at about 1,500€ a month. In private
institutions, starting salary ranges from 1500€ to 2500€ a month.
If it also your dream job or if
you simply want to know more about becoming a physiotherapist, send me a comment!
Article by Antoine Jourdet
