There is no need to introduce Rachael. She's the reason we're all here, working together towards something we believe in. It started with a simple concept. Applying technology to make rehabilitation information and resources easily accessible and free for all. From a humble blog to the world's most-visited rehabilitation website, Rachael and Tony have created something special that we can all be proud of. Let's open the Top Contributor Awards with a fresh start in 2021 by highlighting Rachael's accomplishments. Physiopedia Trustee and Physioplus CEO and co-founder of both!
It takes endless drive, determination and vision to develop Physiopedia and Physioplus. Rachael wants me to mention here that she could not have done it without the supporters, partners, staff, and volunteers who surround her. However, the orchestra is only as powerful as its conductor. Please join me to thank Rachael and Tony for their endless guidance and support in bringing together such a diverse, dynamic and global team. We all make a difference, with Rachael (and of course Tony) at the helm. Get to know Rachael further by reading her post with the best contributors below. Thanks for everything you do, Rachael!
Your name : Rachael Lowe
Time active with Physiopedia: Since the first day!
Current role at Physiopedia: Co-founder and trustee
Where did you go to university? Sheffield Hallam University
Where do you work? Full-time at Physiopedia and Physiopedia Plus (Physioplus)
Describe your role: I oversee all activities at Physiopedia and Physioplus. At Physiopedia, I am responsible for ensuring that Physiopedia's content is up to date and of good quality and that it is made available free of charge to anyone who wants to gain knowledge from it. At Physioplus, I am responsible for ensuring that we have a growing number of online courses and resources available to health and rehabilitation professionals for their lifelong learning and professional development. I'm a guide for the team, without which we couldn't achieve everything we do.
What is the most rewarding part of your role? I really enjoy bringing physiotherapists from all over the world together as a team in order to make a contribution to the profession by sharing knowledge about Physiopedia. We are a fully distributed team that is spread all over the world. We have always been like that and have developed a super effective way of working remotely. Our monthly (online) team meetings are amazing, people come to us from a wide variety of cultural and geographic contexts. It's a very special way to get to know our job. I am very happy to learn so much from all of them!
I also like to hear the success stories of Physiopedia. The greatest motivation (for the whole team) is to get in touch with us to let us know how she is improving her results in clinical practice, improving her clinical service, or improving her teaching resources and methods due to the use of Physiopedia or Physioplus have improved. This is our goal for rehabilitation professionals around the world, especially where they are having difficulty accessing resources.
What are some of the more challenging aspects of your role? In any case, let a fully distributed team work! We have been doing this for over 10 years and there are still people on the team that we have never met in person. Meeting in a physical location is very special, and we hope that this option will be available to us again sometime in 2021!
Increasing understanding that Physiopedia is a charity is also quite a challenge, and everyone is a volunteer who makes altruistic contributions to make Physiopedia available to all for free. So far, no financial investments have been made and very little external funding has been made available. This is why we set up Physioplus to generate a source of income so we can ensure that Physiopedia remains available to everyone for free forever. We want people to know that by joining Physioplus, they are contributing to the physiotherapy profession worldwide by not only keeping Physiopedia available to all, but also funding our strategy to provide Physioplus free to health professionals in low-income countries .
What are some of your professional passions? I am happy about the growth in our team. See how skills develop and new leaders emerge. These are some of the unsung heroes of our profession!
What are some of your personal passions? I am an explorer! For me, exploring does not necessarily mean long-distance travel to new countries or cities (although I enjoy it!), But can also mean finding a new path in my forests or experiencing a new food or a new skill that I have never done before I tried before. When I'm not working, you can find me in the garden, in the forest, in the sea or on a mountain with my bike, my skis or my own feet. However, I'm happiest when I'm on a horse!
What would you advise a newly graduated physiotherapist to do? Discover! The physical therapy profession worldwide is diverse and has so many great experiences to offer in terms of personal and professional development.
Never stop learning! Make sure you connect to work outside of your comfort zone. Connect with colleagues in other countries, experience a variety of clinical specialties or use ideas from other professions to develop innovations. There is so much to learn!
Save your energy! Being in a caring profession can put a strain on your energy that is not healthy for you or the people you care for. Don't be too generous with your energy!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? This is a very topical question as we have just received a grant for a project that spans 5 years (read about the grant here). With the above in mind, I assume that we have achieved our goals of developing an internationally relevant rehabilitation curriculum, a number of online courses to deliver that curriculum, and integrating the curriculum and courses into education and professional development in a variety of different cultural and geographic areas have successfully reached contexts with a wide variety of organizations worldwide. Personally, I can never see myself that I am not involved with Physiopedia!
What's the best part about being a volunteer at Physiopedia? I am still a Physiopedia volunteer (I get paid for my role at Physioplus) and the best part about volunteering is knowing that through Physiopedia I give back and contribute to our global profession. But beyond that, it's fun and we make a difference!
What are your hopes and aspirations for Physiopedia? I just hope that people continue to see the value of using Physiopedia, contribute to Physiopedia, and help make it free and available to everyone, wherever it may be.
What is your favorite course at Physioplus? I really like the global health course. A better understanding of the diversity of our profession opened my eyes.
Let's make 2021 a year to prosper together!
