The top contributor for the month of May is Liliane Kirenga!
Liliane has been part of the Physiopedia team for 7 months and has definitely made a name for herself! Liliane has settled in very well in the team, likes to share information and continuously makes meaningful contributions. Liliane, your drive and your enthusiasm are contagious and you have no doubt inspired others. Thank you for your posts and for being our top contributor for the month of May.
Your name : Liliane Kirenga.
Time active with Physiopedia: Since September 2020.
Current role at Physiopedia: I am part of the content development team. I create and review content pages on Physiopedia with current scientific knowledge. I am very happy to have started the first rotation group this month with other team members, which will examine various aspects of the content development team.
Where did you go to university / college? I have an Honors and Masters of Sciences degree in Physiotherapy from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa
.
Where do you work? I haven't been in clinical practice for some time, but at home I worked in a tertiary referral hospital for several years. I was also involved in various educational projects for the Physiotherapy Association as well as the Allied Health Council.
Describe your role: My clinical work mainly focused on the treatment of pediatric and musculoskeletal outpatients, but neurology inpatients were also part of my case burden. As the department head, I would also oversee the activities, design, implementation and oversight of the department's action plan.
What is the best thing about being a physiotherapist? Helping people and being able to change their lives. There is no greater joy than seeing a baby who can sit and later crawl. a happy child who can play soccer again with his friends; A woman who manages to do her chores painlessly, or a grandpa who can walk again after a stroke. This may seem like little steps to us as therapists, but it is a very big step for our patients. It is amazing to see that your treatment plan is effective.
What are some of the more difficult things about being a physiotherapist? Not being able to help all patients or seeing children with disabilities not receiving the right treatment they need.
What are some of your professional passions? I love working with children; Treating them and learning as much as possible about their world is one of my passions. Another one of my passions is treating musculoskeletal disorders. They always bring good conversations with patients. After all, I believe in the power of health promotion to bring about the positive change we want not just in our patients but in the community at large.
What are some of your personal passions? I enjoy spending 
time with my family and doing various fun activities with the children such as drawing / painting with my daughter; Watch a soccer game, train with the boys, or even take cooking classes with everyone. We love discovering new places as a family and we also enjoy visiting family members and friends. I love taking part in projects aimed at helping the less fortunate and children with disabilities.
What would you recommend to a newly completed physiotherapy?
I would say:
Don't be afraid to ask or stop learning.
Treat your patient as a whole and refer them if necessary.
Make sure your treatment plan is patient-centered.
Be the change you want to see in your patients.
Be nice to yourself and open to change.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I am working on various projects and I hope that they will be fully functional in 5 years!
What's the best part about being a Physiopedia volunteer? Changing my career path was not an easy task, but being part of the Physiopedia Content team has been an amazing journey. I learned so many new digital skills combined with writing skills that helped me create Physiopedia pages. Volunteering at Physiopedia also helps me stay up to date with the latest research in our field.
How has it helped you to advance your professional development / career as a volunteer at Physiopedia? With Physiopedia I can learn and get in contact with physiotherapists from all over the world and with different backgrounds. It has also helped me constantly improve my knowledge and thus maintain a career in physical therapy while creating and reviewing Physiopedia pages. I have learned and am still learning various digital and writing skills that I will use in my new career and journey. Through Physiopedia, I am also discovering new physiotherapy-related concepts that will be part of many great projects that are evolving.
What are your hopes and aspirations for Physiopedia? I hope that Physiopedia will continue to influence the physical therapy community for many years to come by reaching as many physical therapists as possible, especially in lower middle income countries. I also hope that there will always be a great team of dedicated physical therapists who share the Physiopedia vision.
What is your favorite course at Physioplus? I took the spinal cord injury course a few years ago and it was great. I plan to do others very soon.
Would you like to say something else? I am grateful to be part of the great Physiopedia team! I've learned and discovered so many things over the past few months and I'm really enjoying this trip. We are blessed to be here today, let's be a blessing to others. Physiopedia rocks & Physiotherapy works!
