Masters in Sports or Manual therapy???

Hi everybody,
Appreciate some opinions/advice with this one.
Irish graduate, currently working in Australia. I have been doing some research and talking to a few colleagues with masters' about this.

Firstly- i am looking to do a masters in sports/manual physio with particular emphasis on improving my clinical skills. I'm all for EBP but don't wanna get too caught up in the research side. Also preferably looking for something mainly college based as i don't think one by course-work would suit.
Secondly is the question sports or manual?
I have always been involved with sports and will continue to be involved in the future(To what level i'm not sure). Is there much cross-over between the two? Are there Manual therapists workin in sports feeling they are missing something in the sports background?

Have mainly been looking at Curtin WA however they informed me a few weeks ago they don't offer that course to international students, now the website says they don't offer the course at all?

Open to suggestions re: Australia, UK, Ireland, U.S. etc.. would appreciate pro's and con's
(Spoke to people that have done masters in various places but most think that the place they did the masters is the best place;))

Thanks!!

seeing you are still in Oz you still have some other excellent choices for courses in Australia.

If you don't want to have a research component that is completely reasonable - so do a Masters by coursework. Curtin's course was a combination coursework with masters thesis anyway. Have you shopped around? I am not completely up with it all but Melbourne Uni has a reputation for very high standards of teaching - you can do a Masters in your field there which is one year full time. You can extend that do a clinical doctorate if you changed your mind later but you have to get good enough marks to do this - and that involves a two year research thesis. Sydney Uni has some great option re: post grad exercise science

Have you thought about NZ? You can do a pure Masters by course work that will take you 18 months part time at AUT in Auckland - that is if yo want to work. Otago uni in Dunedin is another opiton although their degree emphasises research as well.

Thanks gcoe,

haven't looked into NZ but will do. Need to start ringing around more, been investigating just be e-mail and web and getting mixed information about the courses and fees etc... Financially it'll be a big investmment and i'll need to make sure wherever/whatever i choose will be worth it!

Melbourne sounds good but a physio i worked with found it very intensive while she was working full time and doing the course-work, and i tend to be a slight workaholic in busy times of year and fear this may effect the benefits of the course which would make it a waste really if i wasn't giving it 100%.

Hi
University of Western Australia offers a clinical masters without the research - so very practical without the headache of research...a very good course with good quality graduates.

Cheers

Thanks Alophysio,

Contacted the health dept @ curtin directly and they do allow international students in and they're offering a masters in clinical physio with a major in sports/manips etc...

I've heard that a lot of the manual teachings from the manips masters are taught in the sports masters and so a lot of people have advised to go down the sports route. However any suggestions otherwise would be appreciated. thanks

hi f1progeny,

curtin is a good uni but it is 32 weeks long (2 semesters) with the usual break in between so basically a year of your life...and a small research project i believe...unless they have changed things.

The University of Western Australia hold a course where you do 3 units by correspondence and then 12 weeks at uni so you are only off work for about 3 months...

It depends on what your bent is i suppose on whether you go down the sports route or the manip route.

i am biased since i went down the manip route but both have a lot in common with some variation...

in my humble opinion, i think manip physios will allow you to become a problem solver more than sports physio. Sports **seems** to be focused on acute soft tissue pathology and exercises. Sports physios are great at screening and programmes and on field assessment etc - things that i would struggle with since i don't do much of that...

...but i do find that being a manip/msk physio allows me to see the problem as a whole and have a better understanding of joint function, nerve function etc.

But then the other way around happens too :(

If you are involved in a sport, go with sports. If you are in a clinic, go with manips...

I hope all the rambling helps!! :D

Cheers

Thanks Alophysio,

Will need to think about that one. Will be mainly private practice with some involvement in sports, unless something happens career-wise in the future. Guess that answers my question! Will look into WA and Curtin and keep my options open. will be next year before i get sorted i think. Now just to get the $$$'s.


Any idea if you could work part-time while doing the 32 weeks @Curtin?
Thanks for the advice

I think you should be able to work...i know of others that do. The UWA for 12 wks is full on...you would only want to work on Sat am and maybe 1 or 2 nights for 4 hrs or so i would say.

Not sure about the curtin course...you should be able to manage.

when looking at the options, don't forget to add accomodation costs and cost of living into the equation! :)

Cheers

sports therapy is a different field and manual is different....the main difference is IN FIELD sports therapy ie...right in the sports field where you have to take big decisions in less time and have to keep in mind...what the player,team,coach or manager wants...a bit under pressure job.

manual you can do in clinical setup....no pressure as such like in sports therapy...and it covers a wide range of techniques. you can treat all kind of patients with many different problems.

Hello,

I know this is an old thread but I would be interested to hear what you decided to do and why. I'm in a similar position except I'm pretty sure I'm going to go down the manual therapy route - just trying to decide on location and which course.

How did you decide which course to do? How about funding if doing it abroad?

I would love to do the UWA course mentioned by alophysio but the international fees are pretty high!

Any help greatly appreciated

Ed

Can't help much on the funding side of things. Basically you either have to save or get a student loan of some sort. The alternative is to find a sponsor in Australia, get your visa, then residency then you can apply at local rates...i am doing that now with one of my physios. All the best!

Thanks alophysio. Were you working FT whilst completing the external modules? And how long do they usually take to complete? Do you tend to complete them over the previous 9 months to attending the practical 12 weeks?

Cheers in advance

Hi Ed C - yep - iw as stupid and did 50-60hr working weeks whilst completing my masters. Dumb - don't do that! Do your 38hr weeks and be a good student and study at night and weekends! I completed my subjects in the 12 months before the residency but you can complete them quicker or slower depending on what you want to do. 3 semesters (2 regular and one summer) is what i did. I put a lot of work into them because i wanted to maximise the learning experience :)

The worst thing you can do is an external unit when doing the residency - DO NOT DO IT!!!

Otherwise it is cruisy...

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