Palermo’s Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre would like to thank volunteer Matthew for all his help over the summer. As is tradition here at Oakville’s Palermo Physio, we like to have our co-op students reflect on their experience. We hope that they gain some insight into why they may want to move into the direction of Physiotherapy or off in another direction.

Below Matthew answers some questions:

What made you want to do a placement in a physio clinic?

I have been interested in physiotherapy as a career for the past few years. I felt as though it combined two of my greatest interests- health care and sports. I have been an athlete my entire life, playing competitive soccer, baseball, football, and skiing during the winter. During my time at university, I also discovered my passion for health and medicine. The classes I found most interesting were anatomy, biology, and athletic injuries. Physiotherapy seemed to me like a perfect option and I wanted to get a feel for what the profession entailed, and to decide whether to pursue it as a career.

 What are 3 things you didn’t know about physio prior to your placement/what surprised you?

I was surprised to learn that there were many different areas of physiotherapy that involve nearly every part of the body, such as TMJ. It was also very interesting to learn about how physiotherapy connects to many other forms of rehabilitation, and how they work in conjunction with one another. Finally, the importance of the therapist-patient connection was something I overlooked when researching this area of study. It is very important that the therapist and patient trust each other and that the patient feels comfortable, and seeing how much care goes in to this aspect of a therapist’s work was something I enjoyed.

What will you do academically this year and in the future?

I will be finishing my fourth year of a BA in Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario. After finishing my degree, I hope to pursue a Master’s in physiotherapy or a medical degree. This experience has certainly made me excited for the future and inspired me to continue towards physiotherapy and sports medicine.

If you move in the direction of Physiotherapy, Medicine, or another allied health profession, how will this experience influence how you choose to practice?

This experience definitely helped me in deciding to pursue this area of study. The greatest part of this experience for me was seeing how the therapists connect with their patients, how much they care for each and every person that comes in to the clinic, each therapist’s unique approach to physiotherapy, and the relationships that are developed with their patients. I have yet to see a single person leave without a smile on their face. It was also interesting to learn about all the different cases, how assessments and treatment plans are made, and the different means for treating each patient. Going forward, this experience has taught me about different approaches to this profession and the impact that physiotherapy can have on one’s quality of life. It has been extremely rewarding to see how the health of patients has improved over my time here, and I hope that in the future I can take what I have learned this summer and apply it to my own work. 

Thank you Matthew for all your hard work. We’re happy to have given you some insight into the world of Physiotherapy. If anything your folding skills have been perfected! Good luck as you move into your fourth year.