Proctopedia

I am currently completing my cardio placement in a general surgical ward and a fellow student and myself coined the term ‘proctopedia’ to refer to the amount of information we have learnt about bowels and the more distal parts of the digestive system. After only four weeks on the ward I’m amazed at how many new concepts I’m now comfortable with although I can promise you that working around rectal drains is definitely not a barrel of laughs.

This got me thinking about how as 4th year students our learning experiences are so varied and we end up consolidating a lot of knowledge in one area and missing a lot in another area. I know that this is inevitable and the School of Physiotherapy does its best to ensure we have equitable learning experiences, but there is a world of difference between having a musculoskeletal placement in Swan Districts Hospital than at the Curtin Clinic (roughly 4-5 patients a day from what I gather).

I guess the ‘guts’ (haha) of the issue is that come December when we can finally put ‘BSc (Physiotherapy)’ after our name we need to realise that while we might be proctopedias we might not even be close to becoming thoracopedias or whateverelseopedias. I remember a lecturer telling us once that after several years of working as a Physiotherapist they looked back at what they knew as a new graduate and were amazed at how inadequate it now seemed to be. I’m sure that most of us will feel the same way in a few years but I want to be able to look back and know that I’ve done everything I can during that time to become the best physio I can be.

Personally after graduating, I’m planning to work in a large hospital for a year or two to consolidate what I’ve already learnt. I’m really looking forward to the rotational system that the large teaching hospitals have in place. In Fremantle Hospital physiotherapists rotate positions every 3 months, Charlies is every 4 months and Royal Perth is every 6 months. Smaller hospitals and private clinics will have their own continuing education programs and I think this is an important consideration to make when applying for a job as a new graduate. We are fortunate enough to be entering the workforce in a time when there is an abundance of positions available and we are able to consider continuing education as well as salary and location as important factors in accepting a position.

But I think we can even limit ourselves to just seeing ahead to the first few years as a physiotherapist. Looking past that I’ve decided that I never want to get into the position where I think I know everything there is to know about a particular topic. I guess what I really want is to be a lifelong learner who is content to be a the level that I am, but not content to just stay there.