The value of volunteering at the largest European physiotherapy event in 2016

Student volunteers play an important role in helping the CSP host the 4th ER-WCPT event and will have the chance to attend sessions and mingle with professionals from across the globe.  Here three students share why they chose to be part of the event:

Alyson Royle, University of Cumbria

 

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Volunteering is a great opportunity to network and get to know other physiotherapy students, as well as other physiotherapists. As the event is a European conference, there will be international networking opportunities too.

Attending this sort of event also helps to demonstrate your commitment to your area of study to lecturers and educators as it is an opportunity to find out about the latest developments in physiotherapy and to see how they may affect our jobs in the future.

It's also a chance for me to explore areas of interest such as the technological advances which affect physiotherapy. This will be the first conference of my academic career and I am looking forward to seeing what it holds.

Ellie Bryan, University of Nottingham

 

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I have chosen to volunteer at the 4th European Congress of ER-WCPT in November. In return for volunteering four hours of my time, I will be able to attend the rest of the conference, watch key-note speakers and feel like a valued member of the physiotherapy world.

I decided to volunteer as it is a great networking opportunity, and I will be crossing paths with influential physiotherapists from across Europe, as well as other like-minded student volunteers. I am looking forward to finding out what my role will be at the event, and I am hoping it will be one that enables me to interact with many of the delegates.

I have never attended a physiotherapy conference before, let alone a European one, so I am hoping the experience inspires me to stay involved with such events after I qualify.

Volunteering is a valued service for the organisers and it will not only benefit me personally and be something to add to my CPD portfolio, but I hope to enhance the experience for the people attending.

Yannicca Chang, York St John University

 

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From an early stage I understood the importance of getting involved. It is a chance to build relationships and expand your own network. I started off as a CSP student rep and looking for more ways to be involved, I attended the Annual Representatives Council (ARC) in Manchester and Physiotherapy UK in Liverpool.

This year the annual Physiotherapy UK has been replaced by ER-WCPT, and when I heard if I signed up for a four hour volunteer shift, I would earn the rest of the day free, it was an opportunity not to be missed!

The most valuable part of physiotherapy conferences is the opportunity for discussions with like-minded individuals which may challenge my views. I can also get advice from current physiotherapists about the daunting student-to-professional transition and tips on being the best clinician I can be.

I have also had the chance to connect with students from all over the UK; sharing experiences about placement and learning about how each university runs their program. It’s easy to get lost in assessments and forget the importance of branching out to the whole physiotherapy community outside the classroom.

“It’s easy to get lost in assessments and forget the importance of branching out to the whole physiotherapy community outside the classroom”
 

Based on previous experiences of CSP conferences, I am confident ER-WCPT will remind students of the wealth of knowledge we can gain from meeting individuals with real life experiences. Not only is it a great CPD and networking opportunity, it is a chance to gain insight into the latest national and international physiotherapy developments.

I’m excited to see what ER-WCPT has in store for me!

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