What it’s like… to be a physiotherapist

Mpho Masilela is the chief physiotherapist at Potchefstroom Hospital.

She has been a physio’ for about 14 years and says her love for this profession started when she was a teenager. Growing up, she always wanted to do something in health and the more exposed she was to the various fields within the hospital, the more she felt the tug of physiotherapy. Mpho defines physio’ as the use of physical therapy methods to rehabilitate patients after incidents like accidents or injuries, after an operation or an illness or degenerative diseases.

Physiotherapists don’t only offer treatment but also help prevent the injuries from recurring. According to Mpho, the five pillars of health the physiotherapist is involved in are:

•Prevention – where the focus is on early diagnosis and management to prevent long-term health problems, like the early management of musculoskeletal disorders to avoid complications.

•Promotion – educate and train patients.

•Curative – providing treatment.

•Rehabilitation – restore to normal health or regain physical strength

•Referral – since we approach our patients holistically, we can identify if additional therapy is necessary.

Physiotherapists deal with areas like neurology, surgery, orthopaedics, intensive care units and an assortment of medical conditions.

Methods of treatment:

• Exercise programmes
• Massage and soft tissue mobilisation
• Dry needling or acupuncture
• Joint manipulations
• Heat and cold therapy Electrotherapy machines, e.g. therapeutic ultrasound.

Requirements:

After completing matric, an aspiring physiotherapist must apply and enrol at an institution that offers physiotherapy as a study direction. The main subjects required are life sciences, physical sciences and mathematics. However, if the minimum requirements aren’t met, one can upgrade their subject marks. For the first two years after I matriculated, I upgraded my physical sciences and mathematics marks to study my desired career.

Personality traits:

One must be physically active because physiotherapy is physical therapy, so you need your physical well-being. One must also be a people’s person because one is required to interact with people, most of whom are sick. Empathy is also important, especially when a patient tells the physiotherapist about pain.

Daily duties:

As a chief physiotherapist, I am expected to supervise the other physiotherapists. I must also check if the resources and facilities are available, well-maintained and functional. However, as a physiotherapist, one is expected to see patients with various conditions who are in need of physiotherapy intervention.

Experience and promotional opportunities:

One would have to start on an entry level by doing community service. I started in 2005 and was then promoted to a junior physiotherapist. Later, I was promoted to a senior therapist and, in 2013, I attained the higher rank of chief physiotherapist. The main and minimum requirements for promotion are years of experience in the field and making a point of learning about new developments.

Mpho says many things come with being a physiotherapist. However, she advises aspiring physiotherapists to be passionate, physically active, empathetic towards patients and follow the ethics, policies and guidelines. Another important aspect is respecting others’ cultural beliefs.