Retraining as a physiotherapist at age 44
Discussion
Not a physio, but have been around them (twice had a next door neighbour who were physios) and have been under their care far too often!
Professionally, they are on the ascendancy due to a national shortage of GPs. Like a number of other AHPs, they are upskilling to help fill that gap.
Plenty of NHS and private practice work to keep you busy and you can choose to work in the acute or community sectors depending upon your interest.
There should be no age barrier to training so take a look at the NHS careers website for more info and NHS Jobs for salaries on offer:
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/all...
https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
Good luck!
Professionally, they are on the ascendancy due to a national shortage of GPs. Like a number of other AHPs, they are upskilling to help fill that gap.
Plenty of NHS and private practice work to keep you busy and you can choose to work in the acute or community sectors depending upon your interest.
There should be no age barrier to training so take a look at the NHS careers website for more info and NHS Jobs for salaries on offer:
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/all...
https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
Good luck!
To be a physio you need to get a science degree in the subject, that's 3 years at university. (Bursaries are no longer available for NHS courses so you have to pay tuition fees).
A new graduate starts on band 5, with a salary that ranges from £24 - 30k at the moment, (that's a wage for out of London).
Entry for this degree is very competitive and I believe entry requirements are A's and B's at A-level, (I don't know what it would be if you had to do an access course).
Alternatively, a course with lower entry requirements, (lower because it's less popular, not easier) is podiatric medicine, to become a podiatrist. You could then specialise in biomechanics, people in this field work closely with physios and study how people walk and how their joints/muscles function and prescribe/manufacture insoles, some can do extra training and give steroid injections, acupuncture, and use other therapies.
A new graduate starts on band 5, with a salary that ranges from £24 - 30k at the moment, (that's a wage for out of London).
Entry for this degree is very competitive and I believe entry requirements are A's and B's at A-level, (I don't know what it would be if you had to do an access course).
Alternatively, a course with lower entry requirements, (lower because it's less popular, not easier) is podiatric medicine, to become a podiatrist. You could then specialise in biomechanics, people in this field work closely with physios and study how people walk and how their joints/muscles function and prescribe/manufacture insoles, some can do extra training and give steroid injections, acupuncture, and use other therapies.
Mags43 said:
To be a physio you need to get a science degree in the subject, that's 3 years at university. (Bursaries are no longer available for NHS courses so you have to pay tuition fees).
A new graduate starts on band 5, with a salary that ranges from £24 - 30k at the moment, (that's a wage for out of London).
Entry for this degree is very competitive and I believe entry requirements are A's and B's at A-level, (I don't know what it would be if you had to do an access course).
Alternatively, a course with lower entry requirements, (lower because it's less popular, not easier) is podiatric medicine, to become a podiatrist. You could then specialise in biomechanics, people in this field work closely with physios and study how people walk and how their joints/muscles function and prescribe/manufacture insoles, some can do extra training and give steroid injections, acupuncture, and use other therapies.
Thanks! A new graduate starts on band 5, with a salary that ranges from £24 - 30k at the moment, (that's a wage for out of London).
Entry for this degree is very competitive and I believe entry requirements are A's and B's at A-level, (I don't know what it would be if you had to do an access course).
Alternatively, a course with lower entry requirements, (lower because it's less popular, not easier) is podiatric medicine, to become a podiatrist. You could then specialise in biomechanics, people in this field work closely with physios and study how people walk and how their joints/muscles function and prescribe/manufacture insoles, some can do extra training and give steroid injections, acupuncture, and use other therapies.
I shadowed a physio and a podiatrist over the summer and I found being a pod very appealling. I liked the idea of being a foot specialist with a range of footcare and treatments.
I've noticed you're the resident PH pod!
I've started doing an Access course in Health in September. Not been a good start - on my third Biology teacher within a month! but starting to really enjoy it now.
I've noticed a few career change threads floating around.
This time last year I was looking at mechanical engineering apprenticeships but suffered badly with Reynauds Syndrome last winter.
Completed a first aid course with St John's Ambulance. There was a guy there similar age (he wrong side 40; me on the good side - just) who wanted to become a paramedic that planted a sleep (also my brother who ended working in radiotherapy having struggling to get a job with nuclear physics degree). Really enjoyed it and ended up doing volunteering work.
In my class there's a veteran NHS administrator and a company director who want to become a midwife and paramedic so you're never too late to go to university.
Mrs rxe is a physio, she was in the last years of Grad Dip, now it's a Degree course - doesn't make much difference, still 3 years.
Early years sucks pretty bad from what she experienced, and it is probably worse today. She enjoyed the hardcore hospital stuff a lot (ITU getting fluid out of lungs and getting people walking after major surgery). General purpose outpatient was pretty awful - not enough time to really work on the patient properly.
She went private after about 4 years in the NHS and never looked back. Did corporate health for a while, then set up her own practice. Packed it in when kids arrived, but now they are bigger, she has a small private list. She's an absolute ninja with backs, necks and headaches, and gets immense satisfaction from seeing patients schedule for surgery - and properly fixing them in a few sessions.
I'm also in IT (25 years...) ... your biggest problem with be some of the exercises and your utter inability to stretch and show patients what to do. She's properly "ankles behind ears" flexible....
Early years sucks pretty bad from what she experienced, and it is probably worse today. She enjoyed the hardcore hospital stuff a lot (ITU getting fluid out of lungs and getting people walking after major surgery). General purpose outpatient was pretty awful - not enough time to really work on the patient properly.
She went private after about 4 years in the NHS and never looked back. Did corporate health for a while, then set up her own practice. Packed it in when kids arrived, but now they are bigger, she has a small private list. She's an absolute ninja with backs, necks and headaches, and gets immense satisfaction from seeing patients schedule for surgery - and properly fixing them in a few sessions.
I'm also in IT (25 years...) ... your biggest problem with be some of the exercises and your utter inability to stretch and show patients what to do. She's properly "ankles behind ears" flexible....
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