Top tips for new graduates

They gave us some great tips for new graduates starting on their career journey.

1. Leadership skills

As one of the four pillars of practice, leadership skills don’t start when you are a few years into your career; effective leadership early on in your career is vital to the delivery of high-quality interventions. It is important that all physiotherapists recognise their leadership role in providing care and support.

Hone your leadership skills – anyone can use leadership, it doesn’t just start when you start a band 6 or 7 role.

2.  Reflection

As part of your physiotherapy course, you must have regularly utilised your reflection skills. We must continue to use this skill throughout our career and use it to constantly reflect on what you are doing and why.

Constantly reflect on what you are doing and why – be inquisitive, ask questions.

3.    Be open to opportunities

As you progress through your career there may be great opportunities like a promotion and others that seem like a sideways step. However sometimes the unexpected or unplanned turns in your career might lead you to opening another door and it's important to think about the wider picture when it comes to your long-term career.

Be open to every opportunity even if it feels like a sideways move at times.

4.    Networking

'Creating links and relationships early on in your career can be useful for meeting physiotherapists and professionals that you might not meet in your everyday working life. Joining your local regional CSP network or a iCSP forum or professional network could be a great place to start’ .

Join a special interest group or society that aligns with the role you will be in. A lot of them run conferences and offer educational grants.

5.    Get a mentor

Find someone to talk to who understands the journey you are on. They can help you to think through your career ideas, challenge your assumptions and allow you the space to discuss what's important to you. This might be someone at your work, in a special interest group, or via the CSP’s mentoring scheme. 

Find someone to talk to who understand the journey you are on; its rewards and challenges, and talk to them regularly. This might be someone at your work, in a special interest group, or via the CSP’s mentoring scheme.