March has been a busy month of huge variety, as I suppose it should be with the daffodils bursting, the clocks changing and of course the ever-unpredictable weather! For Arcadia, there have been some fabulous opportunities, experiences and lessons learned. It’s only right to finally take a breath and reflect on all this madness, and hopefully it will also give you pause for thought.
March saw a return to where it all began for me – the University of Nottingham Physiotherapy Department. I was asked to speak to students on the Spinal module, and to reflect on what I know now compared to as an undergraduate. Since graduating, I have really found a passion for working with people with back pain – probably because it scared me so much before, and fascinates me so much now! There are so many intricacies and potential causative factors. Working with spinal patients is extra rewarding compared to other body areas because there are so many fears and preconceptions about how bad it can be. But all of my patients have made significant improvements to their back pain and a lot of their success is about changing their mindset towards their problem, as well as understanding the true cause of it, be that desk posture, repetitive dysfunctional movement or simply muscle imbalances. The students seemed impressed and fingers crossed I will be asked back again to wax on about my passion for the subject!
I have also been working a couple of days a week as a locum in Ilkeston Community Hospital in Derbyshire. Despite the average walking speed of the patients, I have been rushing around the elderly rehabilitation like a whirlwind, and it’s given me a renewed appreciation of the NHS and its teams. It has shown me the value of keeping all my skills topped up, and of seeing the potential in every patient. I’ve had some truly magic moments with patients who looked destined for immobility, yet we have got them back on their feet and excited about their own futures (even at the age of 88!) Remember, the evidence says that strength and mobility can change and improve at any age, so never think you are past it, and there is no time like the present!
Always up for a cheerful chat, I was able to combine work and social life at the latest RSViP Networking event, at Revolution in Hockley, Nottingham. I did free hand massage for other members and it was fabulous to see slightly wired business people relax and smile – I don’t think it was just the wine!
You may have noticed from previous posts that I am a bit of a creative sort, and like the buds outside I’ve started to move towards the light. Work can so often take over, with to-do lists up to your armpits, but I’ve finally made a conscious decision to do more creative things. Not only is it great for wellbeing but in my case it can also help to illustrate me and my approach (see my Hare at the top of this page) without endless selfies! I firmly believe the relationship between patient and physio is a key factor in the success of treatment, so I suppose each post is another little window into my world, that will hopefully make you feel more comfortable telling me your problems from the outset.
Looking back at the past month, there are a thousand ‘wow’ moments for me, and I suppose I shouldn’t start to list them all here, except to say the more I do the more rewarding this work gets. I’ll end this thoughtful post with some lovely feedback from a client, someone who makes me feel right on track with my business and professional dreams. “Thank you for your great work, advice and positivity, you are a breath of fresh air”.
Now that’s job satisfaction.