James Olasunkanmi, MSK Physiotherapist in Croydon, talks about how the clinical journey at Connect Health provides a clear transition from student, Advanced Development.
As a graduate, Connect seems like one of the best places to become a really established clinician
I originally wanted to incorporate my sport into a job 
I’ve always been quite sporty, played a lot of rugby and football and was a sprinter, running at a national level.
Following my year 10 work experience with my mum who is an Occupational therapist in a multi-disciplinary team, I realised that being an OT wasn’t for me. But it got me thinking about how I could incorporate sport within my career. Rather naively I thought being a physio was all sport related, but through some personal research soon realised there was a lot more to it. The breadth of conditions you encounter and opportunity to work with a range of different people from various background was initially what drew me towards the profession.
My student placement at Connect made me realise I wanted to work in MSK
After doing my A levels, I went straight into my Physiotherapy degree course at Nottingham University, as I wanted to crack on with things. Going to university in Nottingham allowed me to not only experience living another city but also further develop my understanding of the profession through teaching and placements.
My placement with Connect started in January 2018 and when I finished university, I was encouraged to apply for the Advanced Development Programme (ADP) role which was coming up in Croydon.
After a lot of deliberation, I remembered how much I enjoyed working with the team at Connect on my placement. Having just graduated I wanted to keep learning and I decided that Connect was the right place to do that.
I joined Connect in December 2018 and entered the ADP course
The Advanced Development Programme (ADP) means that every Thursday we have a morning of teaching. We start off with the neck and work our way down the body.
Everyone is really nice but it’s quite intense and there is a lot to learn. There are around three people from each service in the south who attend and it’s great to learn and bounce ideas off each other. I find it’s always important to question why you are doing things.
I like the sense of community that is instilled in everyone
I never feel alone and always feel really supported. I feel like you can just talk to anyone. If I have a difficult patient I can always go and speak to someone about it. I love the belief that Connect instils in patients, such as promoting exercise classes, getting them active and pushing a healthy lifestyle.
In addition, I like the sense of friendship as I’ve made some pretty good mates already.
Also, the learning and development you get from working here is superb. I’ve not heard from anywhere else where you get as much teaching on a weekly basis.
My future is at Connect
I just want to finish the ADP and do well and then I can start applying for a senior role which is my end goal. For now, I’ll just see where the role takes me. It seems like one of the best places to be to become a really established clinician.
My advice to other graduates?
I think you need to assess your own situation, for example, if you want to do rotations, go for it. Don’t rush into it too quickly but if you know you want to work in MSK there are loads of opportunities in Connect, all throughout the country and hopefully, there’ll be one near you.
How would I sum up working at Connect?
It’s a really good community-based establishment. I feel really comfortable working here. I never wake up and dread going into work as I know I’m going somewhere where I feel valued and people actually like working there.
You can download James Olasunkanmi’s Story here
If you’d like to find out more about working
at Connect, contact hr@connecthealth.co.uk
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