From work shadow to qualified physio | News

Work shadowing has many potential benefits for students considering a healthcare career, not to mention for staff recruitment too.

Evie Spreadbury, now a qualified physiotherapist and work shadowing coordinator at the Trust, has the inside story, having been inspired by a work shadow experience herself.

As a teenager, Evie knew she was interested in physiotherapy and decided to check out what she might need to study the subject at university. One of the mandatory requirements that universities list is shadowing or observing a physiotherapist in one of the various settings that they work in. 

Evie, who grew up in Dorking, said: “I knew that Royal Surrey offered a day of work shadowing, so I applied to do it.

“I’d never actually been in hospital before arriving at the Trust for my work shadowing day so it was quite an overwhelming experience. The day was divided into observing across three different specialities of physiotherapy so I spent time shadowing a physiotherapist in Outpatients, Neurology and Orthopaedics.

“I went home feeling tired but very enthusiastic, thinking that I definitely wanted to work in neuro. It was so fascinating, seeing rehabilitation of stroke patients and meeting staff in the multidisciplinary team, such as speech and language therapists who I didn’t know anything about before.”

Evie subsequently completed her university application and got a place at Brighton University, spending time in Royal Surrey’s Orthopaedic Department for one of her five student work placements. Now a fully qualified physiotherapist at the Trust, Evie is also the liaison officer for work shadow students keen to find out about physiotherapy. Evie works closely with Chrissie Beard and Sarah Allen in Voluntary Services as Chrissie and Sarah Co-ordinate all of the work shadow/experience for the Trust.

Evie, who despite her early interest in neuro is now planning to specialise in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, added: “I’d definitely recommend work shadowing because it gives you a wider understanding of the job you may be interested in. Even just that one day of shadowing can provide a good background and insight into what physiotherapists actually do.

“You get to see a little snippet of the different areas where the physiotherapists work. A lot of people think physios just work in an outpatients setting, such as a clinic with patients who have broken their ankle or hurt their back, but there are so many other areas that you probably don’t know about.

“It’s also worth exploring work shadow placements in other settings too, such as care homes, special schools, private clinics, GP surgeries and more.”

To apply for a work shadowing day, whether you’re interested in physiotherapy or a different healthcare profession, please email: rsc-tr.VoluntaryServices@nhs.net or call on 01483 464847.