By Mary Igbinosa-Ighile, Physiotherapy BSc
Are you a prospective student trying to navigate the world of final exams and university applications? A few years ago, I was just like you. I know it can be a stressful time, which is why I want to help relieve some of that stress by highlighting a great option to you. Drum roll please… Physiotherapy at King’s College London!
So what makes Physiotherapy at King’s the standout option? Honestly, everything! From the clinical knowledge and skills you gain throughout the three years to the lasting friendships you make, especially while sharing a giant cookie that you got from the legendary Borough market that’s only across the road!
For me, I have always been fascinated by the shapes that our bodies make in different planes of motion and the power they exert on a grand scale, while maintaining control through even the smallest joints. Before studying physiotherapy, I, like most others, thought that physiotherapy was just about sport, but it is so much more than that. My eyes have been opened to the vastness and depth of the profession. There truly is more to physiotherapy than what meets the eye, so much so, that now I have graduated, I no longer want anything to do with sport physiotherapy due to the other amazing avenues that physiotherapy has to offer.
Now that we know why physiotherapy is the best, let’s talk about why choose physiotherapy at King’s, which is what you are really here for!
KCL has always been my dream school. One reason is because of its location – it’s in London, my home. I was born and raised in this city; I just couldn’t imagine studying anywhere else. I truly do believe London is one of the best cities in the world – it’s vibrant, multicultural and has deep history (fitting for someone who enjoys history too, a two-for-one special if you ask me!). It was just right.
Two, we cannot ignore how prestigious the College is! A college with such rich history and ranked highly amongst its contemporaries was definitely something that came to mind when I was choosing where to study for the next three years. Also, in 2020 (just before the lockdown) I had the opportunity to visit the university and see for myself if I would enjoy studying here when I was offered an interview with KCL. My immediate thought once I stepped on Guy’s Campus that Spring afternoon was “this is it!”, I was completely in love with the atmosphere: students laughing, chatting, eating on the grass together; the food trucks and cafeteria were in busy operation; the lecture halls were filled! This was where I wanted to be!
I have benefitted greatly from being a student physiotherapist at King’s and here are some reasons why:
1. Simulation and Interactive Learning (SaIL) Centres
These centres, located inside the Shepherd’s House building are phenomenal.They feature rooms designed to simulate clinical environments, complete with hospital equipment and life-size dolls that can communicate with you. This setup provides valuable feedback on your patient care skills. While the dolls might seem creepy at first, you definitely get used to them! Getting involved in the SaIL rooms on Guy’s is imperative for bridging the gap between in-class theory and practical placements. These rooms offer the opportunity to practice skills and immerse yourself in the common settings a physiotherapist can be found in, while also being in a safe and non-judgemental space to help gear your mind towards your practical placements.
2. Supportive Learning
One thing I am deeply grateful for whilst training to be a physiotherapist is the immense effort and support that was provided to me and my cohort throughout our entire three years. The content, although fun and interesting, was not an easy feat to take in at times, which is to be expected with many university degrees; our lecturers did a fantastic job guiding us to graduation!
They were incredibly knowledgeable in the profession, but what I really appreciated about the physiotherapy staff here at King’s was their adaptability to our needs as a cohort, along with their patience, something I greatly benefitted from. My year group was the first to undergo the newly crafted undergraduate physiotherapy degree, and I was always impressed with how our teachers always sought feedback from us, listened to our concerns and gave us practical guidance to help us move forward. Unlike other places where the focus is solely on delivering information, at King’s, we are given the tools to reason autonomously.
The content is very much tailored to what physiotherapy is all about, something that I realise increasingly as I continue my journey working now as a Band 5 physio – I was given all the right clinical and interpersonal training! Our learning covered human anatomy and physiology, research and analysis skills, assessment and treatment skills, communication methods. Something I think is very unique to King’s based on my conversations with friends from other universities, is that we are also encouraged to do a lot of reflective writing regarding different areas of our practice and student lives. This is a crucial habit I am glad to have built with the help of my lecturers as physiotherapy is an ever-evolving profession and requires constant self-reflection to continue practicing at your best for the benefit of the patient.
3. Placements
Placements at KCL are a compulsory part of your training. Placements are great for piecing together all that you have learned in the classroom and taking it into the real world of physiotherapy. Although it can be daunting at first, don’t shy away from them, embrace them! They are a wonderful experience and reflecting back on my placement experience, they really helped me to: find my footing in this profession, discern the type of physiotherapist I want to be and shape my thinking as both a clinician and as a person.
The physiotherapy department works extremely hard to improve our employability by ensuring that we have diverse experiences and skills. Over three years, I gained experience in a total of five placements: in outpatients; trauma and orthopaedics; acute medicine; neuro community and adult community, with some experience in inpatient stroke. When looking for placements, the department searches for placements that are within 90 minutes from your term time address. However, there is flexibility for those with circumstances that make travelling such a distance difficult (this can be discussed with the department); if you can though, grab everything with both hands!
4. Post-graduation!
I am part of the graduating class of 2024 (that still sounds so weird) and at the time of writing this blog post, I am working as a Band 5 Rapid Response Community Physiotherapist. I love it so far and I am building my confidence in my practice more and more each day! However, between graduation and starting my first job, there is a little period in between, which I like to call the “transition phase”, which can feel a little awkward because you aren’t a student anymore, but you also aren’t working as a physio just yet. Knowing what to do in this phase can make it feel a lot less awkward.
My advice, particularly for those who wish to practice in the UK, is to ensure you become officially registered on The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) – this is the governing body for physiotherapists and other related healthcare professionals in the UK. They will provide you with a register number, which you pay a fee for, allowing you to practice legally in the UK! Next, begin to look for jobs (you can do this while waiting to become registered), commonly used sites to find available Allied Health Professional jobs is via trac.jobs, NHS.net or particular Trust sites. Ensure you read through job descriptions and person specifications carefully to aid your personal statement or CV construction. Don’t give up if it seems like no one is offering you a job after you do interviews, just keep refining your methods until you succeed (we all go through many “no’s” before the one “yes”!)
In conclusion, I left university feeling confident that I had been given the right amount of training, employability skills, ability to practice as an autonomous physiotherapist and most importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at King’s and it will forever have a special place in my heart. I hope you do choose physiotherapy at King’s, if you do, you can trust you’ll be in good hands. All the best to you!