Learning from your peers

We are two students with some resources that we found helpful during our degrees. We hope our new student readers find these useful too. 

In a career where the practical application of skills is paramount, being shown how to safely apply these skills is very important. It is not always possible for a lecturer to show the technique multiple times, so turning to your friends on the course is a quick and effective way to learn. Also, explaining and demonstrating something to others not only allows you to apply your learning practically, it helps you to understand and remember the information.

Cardiorespiratory guidance

ONCALLbuddy is a smartphone app that provides a quick reference guide to common respiratory conditions, including Covid-19. It also features assessment and treatment techniques. We found it particularly helpful to use in our spare time on placement.

Emotional wellbeing services

Student life can be challenging at times. Therefore, it is critical to recognise when you may need support and where you can find it. As a student, support can be accessed via your universities’ wellbeing services, your GP, and mental health charities such as Young Minds and the Samaritans.

Social media

There is an active and growing physiotherapy community on social media, particularly on Twitter and Instagram. Follow @thecspstudents to keep up with the latest opportunities for students, including events, funding and ways to get involved.

Community rehabilitation information for students

During their CSP placement, physio students Chris and Natalie created an online resource to introduce students to community rehabilitation. If you’re going out on a community placement or want to increase your understanding of what community rehab involves and has to offer.

Laughter may be the best medicine

Humour helps people to think and act more healthily according to new research by Scottish comedian and women’s health physiotherapist Elaine Miller.

Miller, along with colleagues at Monash University, analysed 13 studies into humour being used to communicate health messages on topics such as cancer, safe sex and binge drinking.

Humour softened the impact of messages people would otherwise have found fear-inducing, threatening or embarrassing.

My field is incontinence which is often very embarrassing for people to talk about, but because laughter is universal it has the potential to reach people broadly, Miller says.

A systematic review of humour-based strategies for addressing public health priorities has been published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Taking care of elderly parents

Inspired by patients asking their physios, ‘How can I help my older parent stay independent?’, website ElWell is a one-stop shop for advice on the topic.

The brainchild of physio Nancy Farmer and marketer Jessica Silver, it covers advice from independent living to stroke recovery, understanding care options and ways to improve mobility.

Anatomy guide

If you’re like us and are more of a hands-on learner, this textbook will get you through all your anatomy practicals and vivas! The book really helped us to visualise where and how to locate bones and muscles. It also mentions function and insertions.

Contact us

If you come across resources and tools you would like to share with other clinicians please send them to frontline@csp.org.uk

Resources appearing on this page are not necessarily endorsed by the CSP.

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