Planning for your future career can feel very intimidating, even when you have an idea of what you want to be. After all, this is when the pursuit of your dreams begins to take shape in the form of applying to the best colleges and choosing the right courses for the track you want to take. It requires a lot of commitment in terms of time, effort and even finances, so it is very important to consider your options carefully.
Additionally, you may have been thinking about pursuing a career in healthcare and only equating it with becoming a doctor in more traditional fields like cardiology or internal medicine. This may make you feel like your options are limited but the truth is that there are many different ways to participate in the medical sciences. One such field that is gaining popularity is physiotherapy, a study that focuses on rehabilitative healthcare.
If you have ever experienced a traumatic injury or needed major surgery, chances are that you received physiotherapy Singapore hospitals provide for their patients. Just as operations and medications contribute to making a patient well again, physiotherapy also plays an important role in helping people regain normal and pain-free movement in their daily lives.
As such, you may wish to consider physiotherapy as a possible career choice.
Be Part Of The Healing Chain
Pain is a common human experience, whether it is caused by accidents, disease, or the natural ageing process. It negatively affects the quality of life of the person who experiences it, and in some cases, it may even prevent them from doing simple actions like walking or standing. While medications may offer some relief, physiotherapy can offer a more long-term solution for minimizing the cause of pain or relieving it permanently. Some conditions that physiotherapy can treat include arthritis, sciatica, and fibromyalgia.
Physiotherapists also assist patients in various rehabilitation applications, including correcting problems with balance or even helping them walk again. The therapies they administer are important for the holistic healing of the patient. While other doctors do the work of repairing bones and nerves, physiotherapists are the ones who help patients regain control of their bodies. This is important as limitations of mobility can prevent people from doing normal activities or even being able to live independently.
As more people live sedentary lifestyles and work desk jobs, problems like lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome grow increasingly common. Physiotherapists can help treat these problems before they become serious and require more aggressive solutions such as surgery. Some physiotherapy interventions include stimulating the muscles with a massage or a device, assisted stretching, and guided exercise routines.
Learn Practicable Skills In A Few Years
Unlike medicine, which requires many years of schooling and training, students of physiotherapy may start practising in a clinical setting within two or three years. Physiotherapy isn’t just about broken bones and aching muscles; neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory conditions are part of their study as well. Practical learning allows them to apply what they’ve learned to actual patient interactions and marries knowledge with experience.
Different physiotherapy programs may vary in length, depending on whether it leads to a graduate or master’s diploma, but most last no longer than four years. This may be an important consideration for someone who would like to get an early start in developing their career.
Broaden Your Employment Opportunities
Though physiotherapy is a healthcare service, its practice is not confined to the hospital setting. You can work in nursing homes, health centres, or even run your own private practice. One particularly interesting option is to work with professional sports teams. Athletes require physiotherapy for both the treatment and prevention of sports-related injuries. Certain therapies may also be applied to help their bodies more efficiently and improve their sports performance. If you are a sports fan, this may be an opportunity to build a career in sports and derive personal satisfaction from your practice.
Some physiotherapists also go on to become researchers, lecturers, or teachers, particularly if they have an interest in advanced or specialized learning. Some fields of physiotherapy specializations include sports therapy, post-partum care and geriatrics. As studies on health and wellness continue to be a top priority, graduates of physiotherapy will have no lack of professional opportunities.
Though physiotherapy may not be the obvious choice when thinking about a career in healthcare, physiotherapists are also important for helping people heal and rehabilitate. Though their skills are different from those of medical doctors, physiotherapists can help their patients to become mobile, pain-free, and even enhance their physical performance.
Additionally, pursuing a career in physiotherapy allows you to take your practice beyond the clinical setting and work in different industries like sports or the academe. It is a unique career that gives a lot of opportunities for both personal fulfilment and professional growth.
This article was brought to you by Amy Wong.