29 April 2013

What will my job be? Sports physiotherapist!



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

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