Sports Therapy Alumni Day 2016

An insightful and inspirational day here in Brook Building for our third year BSc hons Sports Therapy students as they attended our 2016 Alumni Day.

It’s not every day that students get to hear first-hand of the success stories from within their field of practice – let alone be able to hear about the huge variety of exciting career paths and opportunities available to them.

 

Through working in elite sport, the private sector and researching roles - to future career progressions, further education opportunities and even PhD’s, todays alumni day provided our third year Sports Therapy students with an even deeper insight into the true world of a Graduate Sports Therapist. 

As final exam periods are looming for our third years, and more and more job adverts are opening up, it was the perfect time to invite some of our alumni back into the university to talk about their inspiring experiences and success stories post-graduation. 

Showing that hard work really does pay off, a number of guest lecturers talked about how they got to where they are today, provided advice on how to set up your own business and plenty more. 

We would like to thank all of our guest speakers for making time to present at our alumni day (Karen May, Divisional Leader / Ben Oliver / Josh Jeffrey / Lisa Hartley-Woodrow / Dr Graham Theobald / Lewis Hiney and Dr Erin Morehead) and would also like to thank Jill Alexander-Riley for coordinating such a successful day. 

Working as Lecturer-Practitioners, the Sports Therapy teaching team here at UCLan are proud to showcase to our students the work they do alongside the university, in both sporting and clinical environments. Coordinating placement opportunities and prospects of work experience allows our students to see how the staff and alumni have progressed into their roles as Graduate Sports Therapists. 

Thank you once again to those who took part in today’s alumni day.

Karen May, David Rhodes, Verity Scholes, Lisa Hartley-Woodrow, Jill Alexander-Riley, Erin Morehead, Andy Cunningham, Greg Littler & Paul Ashworth.

First Year BSc (hons) Sports Therapy Student Employed By His Placement

First Year Student – Callum Bloys. Started doing pitch side first aid on his Sports Therapy placement, but was then asked to support in fitness screening, testing and warm-up drills as a member of staff. 

Callum explained “The first step I took to getting the job was applying to an email sent out by the course leader for an opportunity for work placement. The placement is at Corpus Christi High school working for a company called Total Soccer Centre. The organisation is a Bridgeway coaching opportunity to move young football players on from grassroots to academies if they have the potential. Various different coaches from professional clubs are involved to help with the development of the youngsters. Initially the placement was only focussed on first aid. However as weeks went on I managed to progress my skills in leading sport specific warm ups, fitness screening, SAQ tests and researching strength and conditioning aspects. I’ve managed to build a good relationship with the coaches and players at the training centre and I do my best to improve my knowledge and apply myself as often as possible.

I have now been offered this role as a paid job and hopefully this will help me progress throughout the remainder of my degree and thereafter.”

We would like to congratulate Callum on his great success in his recent employment at Total Soccer Centre.What a fantastic achievement for a first year undergraduate!

Sports Therapy Students Gain Pitch Side Experience at Trophy Final

UCLan’s BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy course leader David Rhodes is Head Sports Therapist at Chorley FC in Lancashire. Within his role he has been able to offer placement opportunities to three UCLan sports therapy students across all three years of the course. These students were recently given the opportunity to run the pitch side element of the Lancashire FA Trophy Final game, held at the home of Bolton Wanderers, Macron Stadium. Nearly 1,500 people were in attendance on the night of the final, which saw Chorley FC first team take the trophy in a match against Lancaster City. First year student, Paul Winstanley commented on the experience: “I felt it was a great opportunity for me being a first year student, as I didn't expect to get a chance like that until the second or third year. Being able to take part in the final was a great chance for me to put the skills I've learnt so far this year into practice in a real-world environment. Being able to practice soft tissue massage, stretching techniques and METs/PNFs, as well as getting a chance to put my Therapist/Player communication to the test was great for me to see how far I have come.”
Second year student, George Livingstone added: “I’ve been with Chorley FC since early November and I am really getting an insight into how my education and training fits into the sport working environment. Working at the Lancashire Challenge Trophy final gave me the chance to see what it was like working in such a highly regarded stadium and has motivated me even more to be as successful as possible.

“The experience I’ve gained from placement has made me realise that if I invest enough time into developing myself, I will be rewarded. I’ve been offered paid opportunities and the responsibility of taking control of game days when needed. At the Macron Stadium I spent the majority of the time preparing the players by massaging, stretching and taping when needed. I was also able to provide first aid cover at the game. The chances I’ve got through placement have been invaluable and I hope for even more like it.”
Callum Todd, who is in his third year of the sports therapy course, commented: “During my placement with Chorley FC I have learned a lot about how to deal with various injuries that I have not encountered during class or clinic. I have also developed my injury assessment skills and made them more specific and less regimental. I can now see the difference between clinical treatment and real life treatment which allows me to develop my skills in adjusting my treatments to suit my environment.”