AHPs Day Special: Jo Wade, My role as a Physiotherapist at Barts
What is your job title?
Highly specialist physiotherapist
What does being an AHP mean to you?
It’s about helping people to achieve their maximum potential, whatever level that may be and promoting people to live their lives as independently as possible.
What attracted you to becoming a Physiotherapist?
I have always had a caring nature and like to help people. Physiotherapy is a massively varied profession and you can benefit people in so many different ways from, teaching people to walk again, looking after their lung health or helping them to catch the number 37 bus to the shops! There are many different avenues to go into and transferrable skills from each which help shape you as a clinician.
How did you become a Physiotherapist?
I did a BSc in Sports and Exercise Science as my first degree and then followed that with an MSc in Physiotherapy. That was a long time ago!
What does your job involve day to day?
I work in a new and quite specialist service at Barts called the Neuro-oncology Rehab Service. I work closely with a Highly Specialist OT and Rehab Assistant. I hold a caseload of complex neuro-oncology patients and work with each patient quite intensively every day to help them achieve their goals. This might include practicing getting from bed to chair/toilet, learning to stand and walk again or joint sessions with OT with a more functional focus e.g standing up to have a shave.
What do you like most about your job?
It’s always a very proud and rewarding moment when patients take their first steps again. I think generally seeing how much we can help make a difference to the way people live their lives and manage back home in the community.
What’s your proudest achievement in your role?
It’s hard to pick one; there are several things I have felt proud of in this role especially when it comes to the patients. But, a personal proud moment for me has been featuring in a 3 page spread and on the front cover on Frontline magazine (magazine by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy).
What would you tell someone who is thinking of becoming a physiotherapist?
Do it!... You might have an idea of what field you want to end up in but I would suggest having an open mind when you rotate through all the areas as there are so many transferrable skills in each. Also don’t be in a hurry to move up the bands, you’ll do better to gain experience as a junior in many areas before becoming more senior!
What has been your biggest challenge in your role?
Probably being part of the project I’m in now. There is a lot of non-clinical work to be done which can be hard to fit in, especially when the caseload is busy! I am gaining a lot of invaluable experience though.
If you could do another AHP role for a day, what role would it be and why?
A speech and language therapist. We sometimes work closely with them, especially with tracheostomy patients and I’d love to have a better understanding of swallowing dysfunctions and communication problems.