This is a reflection of Natalie Patterson, who attended the last volunteer orientation course and is now one of the newest members of #TeamPP.
I registered a little for the Physiopedia orientation course at the last minute. I saw someone discussing on the online platform at Physio UK in November and that sparked my interest when someone tweeted about the course on Friday before the game. It was a 4 week course where I had 7 days work and a week off so I wasn't sure if I would find enough time to install it, but somehow I did.
The task of week 1 immediately pushed me out of my comfort zone and talked about myself. Self-promotion is not easy for me, especially at the beginning of my career when there are so many respected and accomplished physiotherapists. I found this particularly difficult because some of the other volunteers from other countries had taken several courses to promote their education, in which I had found out over the past two years how to be a physiotherapist in the NHS – this is not linked to a certificate, although I think you should get one for every year you survive the winter pressures.
In week 1, I also had to learn how to use Slack and edit a website. I've had previous experience editing and creating websites from a previous career, but it took a long time for places like Slack to be invented. Slack demands that you come and talk about what you have done and share your opinions about the work of others, not about a place for a wallflower.
Week 2 I had to create a new page – based on my clinical experience at the time and thinking about a patient I was struggling with. I examined Poly Myoclonus and decided to create a page about Myoclonus. It was difficult to find relevant and accurate information that was digestible and related to physiotherapy. Most of it talked about diagnosis, finally I was able to find some information that I found useful both professionally and for physiopedia. Next I had to reference what was required in a style that I hadn't used before, but luckily the website was set up to make life as easy as possible. The tutorials offered were invaluable during this task and fortunately will be there for the future.
Before I knew it we were in week 3 – updating a page. I came across one in walking aids and thought this would be great as working at AMU meant that I would often examine and prescribe patients with aids, and advise on best practices. I thought it was pretty easy, but it was actually very difficult to respect the work of the creator and make sure that you add relevant and useful information. I wanted to talk about how using a wheel frame with wheels negatively affects the ankle strategy as I remember being taught this, but I couldn't find the information I needed. I also wanted to investigate the disadvantages of using quad sticks and tripod sticks, but realized how difficult this is partly due to the different terminology used worldwide. I've made some small changes, but nothing profound.
Week 4 was a bit of a hurry for me because I was on vacation. I had to think about what I had achieved, which was actually quite a lot. I like to reflect, it's part of my personality, sometimes it's harder to put it in writing, which is why I like something like Gibbs' reflection cycle or the So What? Cycle. I also had to write a piece, I decided to write about my role in the AMU, it was difficult to write 300 words, but it was even more difficult to use evidence alongside personal experience. It showed me that I think my strengths are examining the facts and translating them into a digestible language rather than a work based on autobiographical evidence. I am now looking forward to finding my place in the Physiopedia team.
