Ellie is now back at UCLan and ready to go for her second year of study, after gaining a years worth of amazing experiences.
So here's just a little bit of information on how she got on...
How did you find out about the internship/how did you get involved?
I found out
about the Internship and work experience (with Isokinetic and Oaksey house)
through pure chance. I must have sent off a minimum of 50 emails contacting various
clubs and clinics, enquiring if they take students for work experience and/or placements.
I remember thinking there wasn’t any point messaging them (due to one of them
being a FIFA accredited medical centre and the other working with professional
jockeys) as I didn’t think they would offer me anything at this point.
How did
you feel at the time?
I remember getting confirmation that I got accepted for the two
positions in the same week - I was elated! After sending so many emails and not
getting any response back, I was starting to feel like there was no point
trying. But it shows how perseverance is key.
What
you have been up to over the past year?
In the last 12 months I have lived in in Lambourn to work with
Oaksey House and in the centre of London to work in Harley Street at
Isokinetic. During my time there I was working with some of the best and most
iconic athletes in current and past times. I was also given the opportunity to
travel to Bologna to visit centres over there and I’ve been lucky enough to be
a part of the Macclesfield Town U21’s set up as well.
How do
you feel this has helped you as a Student Sports Therapist?
I can honestly say that these past 12 months have not only been
the best in my life so far, but by far the most valuable. Learning certain
things in the classroom is all well and good, however during your first year as
a student these are all classroom or field based scenarios. My year out has not
only enabled me to see real patients first hand, but allowed me to be a part of
their journey and understand how variables such as disability/work and therapist-patient
relationships are important factors in order for the patient to have a
successful recovery.
I was lucky enough that in both settings that I was always
treated as an equal member of the team, and I can’t thank Oaksey house and
Isokinetic enough for giving me these opportunities. They have made me feel so
much more confident in myself and my abilities, and they have helped to
solidify the fact that I am sure I am going into the right field of work for
me.
During the space of these 12 months I have completed over 600
placement hours, on top of the hours I achieved in my first year on placements.
What
you are looking forward to in the remaining 2 years of your course?
In my
remaining years at UCLan, I am looking forward to starting placements with Bury
FC and hopefully getting experience working at sporting events too. I am also keen
to get started on the rehabilitation and manual therapy modules (special tests
in-particular), so I can learn the things I have observed during the past year
for myself. I am also looking forward to completing my level 4 VTCT sports
massage qualification this year, so I can start gaining a client base for
massage before I graduate.
“One of the things that impressed me the most about Ellie is
how confident and professional she has been, despite being in a new and
different environment and being so young. Since the very beginning of her
internship she has always been able to provide treatments that completely
fitted with the patients’ needs, inspiring trust both in the patients and in
her supervisor…I strongly believe that someone able to provide such a high level
of care deserves to be working in a challenging environment, where she will be
able to shine and to further progress with her professional development.” - A. Marconato
Isokinetic Medical
Group, Fifa Medical Center of Excellence.
The Sports Therapy team would like to congratulate Ellie on her professionalism/commitment and dedication to study over the past two years at UCLan. Now onto the next two and to see what other opportunities are around the corner...
#RealExperience #Dedication #SportsTherapy #WorkExperience
