The support of Connect Health with CPD progression is amazing.
I’ve always been very sporty from a very young age
My parent’s shed was always full of footballs, golf clubs, hockey sticks and rugby balls and I’ve always been driven to all sorts of different sports and athletics. I homed in on field hockey, playing competitively by the time I started secondary school, competing in the East of England regionals and above. Whilst doing my degree, I became captain, winning the league and varsity. I’ve now moved onto competing at golf and am soon to start training for a Marathon, running with my Dad who has completed 15 Marathons!
I achieved my Sports and Exercise Science degree at Sheffield in 2014
My first role was working with Red Bull with links to Formula One and cricket, in a sales role which was aligned to promoting the brand. I realised that I liked the sports aspect and people facing part, but not the sales aspects so I decided to connect the two and studied my masters in 2018 in sports therapy in London.
My friend’s unfortunate knee accident led me to MSK
Whilst working for Red Bull one of my closest friends ruptured the ligaments in his knee. He came to me and asked me what to do, due to my background. I started using rehab principals and did some research to give him a bit of guidance whilst having physio. Ultimately, he had surgery and I was guiding him through all of it. I discovered I really enjoyed helping him and I guess that’s what has led me into MSK. He’s back playing hockey now and in October we did the 3-peaks 24-hour challenge together!
After completing my masters, I worked at Imperial University looking after the scholarship athletes as a part time self-employed therapist. By Christmas I was offered the job at Connect Health and started in February 2020. I worked for about 6 weeks in the gym environment in Croydon, then lockdown started.
I’d definitely recommend finding a company like Connect because you might not get the opportunity to work alongside consultants and senior clinicians if you are self-employed.
I really enjoy the team at Connect Health
I found myself feeling quite nervous and wanting to do well and straight away I got on very well with the team. You could feel the experience in the room and the patient centred approach. They gave me a flavour of the different patients we treat, the different clinical professions in the company and the progression pathway.
I did have an interview with another company and soon realised that the progression opportunities at Connect Health were so much better, with a path to excel in the company and I know I made the right choice.
The variety and flexibility at Connect is amazing
The various clinics that you can get involved in or exposed to is fantastic. I think I’m empathic and people centred which is why I’ve ended up in the role I’m in now. What I enjoy most is seeing the impact that we can have on people – whether physically or psychologically – where they might have lost belief and be unhappy. Once you’ve spent a bit of time with someone in pain, you can see the impact of experiencing less pain, they are more at ease and able to return to activities or sport they used to do.
Improving quality of life is the biggest motivator
When I first joined the company, the progression pathway wasn’t that clear due to Covid. Then the Connect Health learning Academy was launched and refined for people like me. As a sports therapist, technically, I’m not a physio and although I do very much what physios do, I don’t have the same gravitas. Passing the ADP (advanced development programme) in December 2022 really kick-started things.
The senior physio at Croydon has had a big impact on me. But now I’ve been promoted to senior MSK clinician in Hammersmith and Fulham and I’m really looking forward to it as I’ve always been ambitious.
For a lot of sport therapists, I know there is a great opportunity to be self-employed. But I think since joining Connect it’s given me a more holistic approach and view of things. The support of Connect with CPD opportunities to progress in the company is amazing. If you are self-employed, it’s quite single channel.
If you’d like to find out more about working at Connect Health, contact people@connecthealth.co.uk
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