Hi there,

I asked myself the same question about 2 years ago. I completed my education in Germany and The Netherlands and have since lived and worked in Germany, New Zealand and Australia. I have worked both in hospitals and private practice - but Iīd call myself a musculoskeletal physio. I never went down the sports physio path but I do enjoy active rehab and functional training with my patients. However, I find that the years in private practice have taken their toll on my joints (mostly wrists and fingers) and I was also looking to progress my career.

I decided to enroll in a distance program in Germany and recently completed my Masters of Health Economics - very similar to Health Management, my course involved e.g. business administration, health marketing, communication and leadership, public health, accounting, care management, comparing healthcare systems in different countries, project management etc. I can highly recommend such a program if youīre interested in future management positions or simply want to improve your business and management skills for healthcare related jobs. Not sure if thatīs your cup of tea though. For me, it was a bit of an eye-opener to step out of the "physio bubble" and see how healthcare "works" and understanding the economic context. The good thing of a distance study program is that you can continue to work as a physio while completing your degree. Maybe check out some programs in the UK, I am sure, there are many options.

At the moment, I live in Germany after having worked in Australia for about 4 years - I plan to return to Australia in a few months (as a still have my registration and a permanent residence visa). I am trying to sort out the job possibilities and I am still at the very beginning but there seem to be quite a few possibilities for physios who have a few years of experience and want to move up to a more managerial position.

I am also looking at the possibility of moving into occupational rehab (i.e. being a rehab consultant). They seem to employ quite a few physios in this sector but I am still to work out what itīs really like to work as a rehab consultant (any input greatly appreciated...sorry for hijacking this thread).