Your comments: 21 September 2016

I am responding to the article titled ‘Managing pressures in practice’ by Gwyn Owen.  It’s good to know what you’re getting into, professionally speaking. As a one-time teacher with 12 years at the chalk-face, I can appreciate the impact of being asked to shave time off appointments or taking on additional duties.

 

I was particularly interested in Gwyn’s suggestion on how to challenge problematic situations through using professional standards and duty of care. Most definitions of a ‘profession’ include not only highly-skilled learning but a moral and ethical code. For physios, this exists in the Health and Care Professions Council standards, but is more actively embodied in the CSP.

 

It’s one reason why I joined the CSP: to engage with a professional body, to learn from those with experience, to be involved in professional discussion and have a voice. It’s why, when the chance came, I stood for the role of CSP rep and why I intend to continue this role when I begin working. It’s also why I believe it’s important to engage my cohort in discussion and why their voice should be heard.

 

Challenging an employer is not easy. Even if they have unreasonable expectations, there is a power balance that is hard to fight. The more involved students (and experienced physios) are with CSP debates and discussions, the better. The more students can voice a professional opinion, the more they are able to define their own standards, the more they question what is best for their patients, the better prepared they are for a working environment.

 

I am currently a physiotherapy student at Manchester Metropolitan University about to go in to second year. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed your student focus article on students’ back stories on pages 30-33 in the 7 September issue of Frontline. 

 

I could really relate to the stories you published from the different students, and I have started this course after being out of education for 12 years. I was a professional Irish dancer from the age of 16 and travelled the world for 10 years with various shows and companies

 

However, I always had an interest in how the body works and spent half my time asking the tour physios loads of questions about their job. 

 

I finally took the leap and did an access course at college, which I was so pleased to have gained a place on.

 

I thought I’d let you know a little bit of my story and thank everyone at Frontline for their brilliant articles, which really help to keep me interested throughout the course! 

 

I followed with interest the IT developments in the NHS last week.  I am really passionate about this topic as I worked in IT running my own website design company before I was a physiotherapist.   I used it to fund my time at university.

 

Since graduating, I have always tried to use both of my skill sets and was recently heavily involved in our team’s introduction of electronic patient records in the community paediatric physiotherapy service.