Additional courses for sports physio

Hi, I was just after some advice please.
I am currently a second year BSc physio student and have recently started shadowing a qualified physio during football matches as this is an area I like and would intend to do p/time alongside an NHS job once I am quailified.
I have just completed a first aid at work course, will be doing a sports massage course in 2 months and then look at doing a taping course during the summer.
Is there any other courses that anyone thinks would be beneficial? Do you think it is necessary to do a sports specific first aid course as well as the first aid at work, or is the at work course alone sufficient? Also, for the taping courses, are there any in particular that people would recommend?

Any advice would be much appreciated, thankyou.

Adi

Hi Adi,

I dont have the answers to your questions but I was just wondering where you found the courses you are doing? I've seen a sports first aid course (REMO) but its bit expensive £550, just wondering if this is about standard for all the courses?

Hi Kez, that does sound quite expensive. The sports first aid courses I looked at were around the £100-200 mark, which I found online. But I did the first aid at work, that was £200 which I found at a local company in yellow pages so try that for yr area. Hope that helps

Hi

The course Kez393 mention's (REMO) is a pitch side trauma course and is more advanced than first aid at work or similar. Pitch Side Trauma qualifications are good to have but are not generally expected until you start working with elite athlete's they are also expensive and depending on the qulaification may have to be refreshed annually. As long as the first aid course your on covers CPR, wound management and the basics on spinal/head injury then you should be ok. With regard to other courses massage and taping are the place to start.

Hi Adi,

Bit late in the reply sorry. I graduated a year ago and was pretty much in your shoes while studying. You sound like your doing all the right things, most importantly getting yourself involved with a club. It is however essential for you to have a sports first aid course, its simple and basic but you have to do one purely for the certificate if you dont take anything from the course to work for a club (iv been with a few while studying and work for 2 since graduating and even at a reasonably high level no-one has checked but in Scotland at least, it is needed).

Here is the link to the one I did at Hampden, or you could try to find the equivalent in England. They are also very helpful if you contact them and ask.
Sports Medicine Centre : course info

Take into account its not all about courses for CPD, I spent loads doing a fair few courses at uni but its equally about the other bits and more about the experience when looking for jobs. If you want another for sport consider a kinesio taping course, its all the rage just now in football. Best advice I could give would be to keep in shadowing the experienced physio for a bit then look for a club (be active, go to them, ask around and dont wait to hear someone needs a physio) where you can work on your own taking the lead, of course you are a "first-aider" not a physio but the experience shoots up. Dont worry if they are a low level, try to get expenses if you can but its all fuel to improve yourself and progress once you graduate.

Hope that helps, anythings else just ask.

Ross

PS the taping course I did at uni was easily one of the best courses I did but again it was in Scotland so not sure if your be interested?

Hi Ross

Cheers for the reply, that has definitely helped me out. I will continue as you say shadowing this physio and I have a few mates who play at a reasonable level so will look to get in with their club after I have shadowed some more.

What is the name of the taping course you did/or the company who ran it? I will try find one thats in England, but it's hard which one to go with as there are sooo many advertised, so any clues on that would be great.

Thanx again for your advice

Adi

It was just an independent woman who ran it at the FASIC clinic in Edinburgh. It was advertised in frontline. Iv done a few courses now that turned out not to be great, ask around and find one that other have done that they recommend, your best bet is prob asking juniors on placements.

No worries,

Ross

I agree with Ross. I did the sports first aid course at Hampden (National Sports First Aid or something like that) and although it cost about £160, i've made a lot more than that from the work its got me. I also did a £90 taping and strapping course and even just the two of them is enough to start with. If anyone asks me i tell them the top priority is the sports first aid, without a shadow of a doubt. I applied for and got work with a professional club while in my final year at uni and the only thing they specified as a job requirement was the sports first aid certificate.

Also, stick in with the physio you're with just now and do as much networking as you can. In sport you really just never know who it is that'll help you get your break. Getting in with physios in football was once described to me as being like the mafia... very suspicious of outsiders and wary of new faces but once you're known and liked its hard to get out! Im not sure to what expent thats true but in some circles it'll definitely be true!