Other employment options for physios?

So im about 6 years qualified, currently working in private pratice and part time in academy football. I've done some NHS, and full time in football as well (and 9 months volunteering in an amputee clinic in bolivia). Currently not really sure where to go next, I have no interest in opening a practice for myself and when i look through the jobs posts i never see anything that really gets me going. I'm wondering if physio really has a long term future for me as it seems like most of the challenging/exciting jobs (for example with professional sports teams etc) require inordinate amounts of commitment and antisocial hours, with pay+conditions that doesnt really warrent the effort.

Does anyone know of physios working successfully in other areas? Is a physio qualification good for anything else?

Hi
there are a lot of businesses that look for people with a background in Health.
E.g Health Insurances, Health Education and Disease prevention services, Health departments within government organisations, Health and Safety Advisory services, Medical Equipment providers, etc.
But yes, as said above, for most of them you will require additional training.

And 'antisocial hours'? I don't think you know what you are talking about. :)
In Physio you can choose where and when to work. Yes, it might compromise your earnings and job availabilities, but you are free to chose. Ever talked to people in Real Estate? Lawyers? Nurses? Cleaners? Restaurant Industry?Police/ Fire service/ Ambulance? Electricians? Performing Arts? ... The list is endless.

Good luck,
Fyzzio

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fyzzio

Hi
there are a lot of businesses that look for people with a background in Health.
E.g Health Insurances, Health Education and Disease prevention services, Health departments within government organisations, Health and Safety Advisory services, Medical Equipment providers, etc.
But yes, as said above, for most of them you will require additional training.

And 'antisocial hours'? I don't think you know what you are talking about. :)
In Physio you can choose where and when to work. Yes, it might compromise your earnings and job availabilities, but you are free to chose. Ever talked to people in Real Estate? Lawyers? Nurses? Cleaners? Restaurant Industry?Police/ Fire service/ Ambulance? Electricians? Performing Arts? ... The list is endless.

Good luck,
Fyzzio

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True, you can choose, but i just meant a lot of the more appealing choices that would really engage me, like professional sport, involve crazy amounts of travel, weird hours, lack of work-life balance. Just wondering if there are any career avenues I havent thought of where I could get an engaging job without having to sacrifice quite so much of my life. Private MSK has become a little stale for me over the last year or so. I still enjoy seeing/interacting with patients, but there is a LOT more 'autopilot' than there used to be, and i just worry that in another 5-10 years time there will be even more, and that i will have left it too late to make career changes. I'm 27 now, minimal financial commitments so would have the flexibility to retrain if i really wanted to. Medicine always appealed, but grad entry is supposedly insanely competitive so not sure how much of a realistic option it is

thanks for the replies so far =)

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 I´d 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 you´re interested in future management positions or simply want to improve your business and management skills for healthcare related jobs. Not sure if that´s 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 it´s really like to work as a rehab consultant (any input greatly appreciated...sorry for hijacking this thread).

Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession that works with people to identify and maximise their ability to move and function.So if you want an academic qualification and professional status, physiotherapy can be a great choice of career.