What our students say
Physiotherapist Amy Wigley, 27, was unsure about studying for a masters degree after five years in practice, so decided to get a ‘taster’ for further study with our Postgraduate Certificate in Rehabilitation.
“The structure of the course gave me a lot of freedom”
“I qualified in physiotherapy six years ago, and I'm currently working as Lead Physiotherapist in an intermediate care team with NHS Croydon, while studying part-time for the Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Rehabilitation.
“I’ve always been quite career focused, and started thinking about doing a masters about 18 months ago. But I was a bit unsure because I hadn’t studied for a while. I did quite a lot of research into different universities and courses, then decided on the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences because the structure of the course gave me a lot of freedom. I could start with a PgCert and get a ‘taster’, then decide if I wanted to continue to a masters. I thought that was a really good way of getting back into studying part-time while also working, without putting too much pressure on myself.
“When I asked my manager if I could do the PgCert, I discovered that my employer has links with the Faculty and so they funded the course for me.”
“The course has changed the way I respond to patients and the care I provide”
“I’ve now almost completed the PgCert, for which I studied two modules: ‘Policy and practice in rehabilitation’ and ‘Rehabilitation in context’. Both modules have fitted really well with my clinical work, in terms of applying what I’m learning directly to my practice.
“The course has given me the ability to reflect on my practice and challenge my approach to rehabilitation. It's changed the way I respond to patients and the care I provide. I always thought I was a holistic practitioner, but on reflection, looking again at my practice in the light of what I’ve learnt on the course, I don’t think that was the case.
“The course helps you to really question how patient-centred the care you provide is. You take a step back and look at what patient-centred care really is, then explore where that might be limited, for example by service constraints or personal constraints.”
“What I'm learning is completely relevant and current to my actual practice”
“I come into university for half a day each week. Usually the tutor will have set some reading to be done before the lecture. Then I have my various assignments to complete, such as an essay or case study. Sometimes juggling a part-time course with full-time work can be quite challenging, but the support has been great.
“As a result of one of my course assignments, I’m currently working with my manager to implement a new outcome measure aimed at ensuring our care is more patient-centred, with a focus on patients’ goals rather than on therapy-led measures. This is what makes the course so interesting - it’s completely relevant and current to my actual practice.
“For me, it’s been really important to take time to reflect, to challenge my own thought processes and then make changes to my practice, for the benefit of both patients and clinicians.”
“There’s a range of teaching and learning styles, and I’ve had more support than I was expecting at this level”
“At postgraduate level, you’re leading your own development and the tutors facilitate that. But actually I’ve had more support than I was expecting at this level. The tutors are really helpful and approachable. They’re also very responsive to students’ feedback. For example, some students felt quite apprehensive about submitting their first assignment as they hadn’t studied for a while, so the tutors set up an ‘assignment clinic’ to help with that.
“Tutors come from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of interests and experiences, and there’s a range of teaching styles, which has been really good.
“For example, in the ‘Rehabilitation in context’ module we’ve used action learning sets. These involve a small group of peers and a facilitator. One person will bring a problem to the group, such as a clinical problem or research problem, and the group facilitates that person in exploring and resolving it. It can be quite challenging, as healthcare practitioners tend to be very solution-oriented, whereas the idea here is to be open and help the person to explore options and find their own solutions. We found this process so useful that we’ve since organised some of our own action learning sets with peers. It really helps you to think in different ways, which is not always comfortable, but is a really good way of learning!”
“It’s really interesting to see things in fresh ways”
“Peer support has been great too. I’ve formed some really good relationships with my fellow students so it’ll be sad to say goodbye. It’s a really diverse group, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, people from overseas – which gives you a real breadth of viewpoints. Different professions have different thought processes so it’s really interesting to see things in fresh ways and from others’ perspectives.
“Library and online resources are excellent, and there’s also something called One Community, which is a combination of online learning and social networking, where you can find lecture notes, get tutor feedback and set up discussion groups with other students. It really helps with reflective practice, as you can post thoughts and ideas and get comments from your peers and tutors.”
“I’m a much more discerning practitioner”
“The course has really helped my development, both personally and professionally. I feel I’m at a stage now where I can be a much more discerning practitioner. I have the skills and confidence to critically evaluate policies and practices and to implement improvements.
“In fact I’ve enjoyed the course so much, I’ve decided I want to go on and do the Masters in Rehabilitation.
“I think this will put me in a stronger position as I progress in my career, in terms of providing a better service to clients, and, if I choose to go into management, in being a better manager.”
