Steph Anderson

In this episode, Steph, a third-year Physiotherapy student, shares valuable insights into her experience here at Nottingham. Tune in to hear her fantastic advice for first and second-year students on revision, exams, and general support.

Steph also oversees the Peer Mentor Scheme, a crucial support system for students, and provides insightful information on how you can get involved.

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[Seven Dark Lords - Glad Ghosts plays] Hello. Welcome back to It's Nott Just Physio podcast with me, James Coughlan this podcast is designed for listeners to get to know our wonderful staff, but also some of our wonderful students within the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham. And, I'm delighted to have Steph Anderson join us today. Hi, Steph. Hi. You're all right, James. I'm not bad. Thanks. Have you been on a podcast before? Can't say. I have no first time for everything. Well, this is fantastic. And I'm sure you're going to be absolutely brilliant. Brilliant today. You're feeling all right about all this? Yeah. Completely fine. Nice to do something a little bit different in the midst of some stress. Yeah, and there's a lot going on. But look, Steph, why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about who you are, what you're doing at the moment, I mean, and we'll take on from there. Really? Yeah. Steph, currently a third year physiotherapy student, just about to finish, in the process of just finishing up my dissertation at the moment. Last week we've had our last lectures, our last ever exams. Got to placements left, and then it's just job hunt. And so like I'm more into future stuff. Decided what we want to do. Yeah that's what I'm up. How does it feel coming to you? I mean, coming to the end of your three years. It's so scary. Yeah, because I have loved every single minute of it. And, although I think I'm very much a home guard and I'm like, I, I'm going to live at home and move back the north east, but I just don't want the university experience to end. You get the idea. At the start of this year, I was like, we've got a whole year left and it's gone. It's so incredibly quickly to think, I'll never be in a lecture theater again or never in that environment. And then like, we just walked away from it as if it was nothing. And you think, you know, you're not on placement with anyone if they don't come to like the Summer Bowl, you're not going to see them like might see them at graduation. But I think that's mental. And the Super Bowl is May is that right? Sunday the 5th of May. Okay. If I've got my dates right it's on Facebook and on the group charts and stuff. And tickets should be coming up soon. Great. So people need to keep an eye out for that. Yes, definitely. I'm sure that these bulls are always a good, good way to grow. We've got a lot of new stuff going on this year. I got stuff come in. Who hasn't previously been in years? Okay. Alumni is coming back. We're going to have a charity auction going on. Yeah. Wow. Things. Excellent. It sounds really, really good. Hopefully I'm going to try and make it so. I hope I'll see what I can do. but look, most of them pick within that. But you saying it, you come to the end of your third year. Now we're not when you start. I mean, does it feel like this has been a little bit of a, like a flash in your life? Has it gone really quickly, or does it feel like it has been three years? You know, what was your experiences around that? No, it's gone so quickly. Like, I can't believe that I can remember my first day so vividly, and I can remember first year practicals so vividly. And to think, now I'm well, I'm pretty much done. Like, you are like a basically a physio at this point. And to think I have all that knowledge and now pretty much independent in practice in such a short space of time I think is crazy. I'm like, I didn't think I know this as much as what I do at this point. Are you surprised by maybe how much you do know now at the end of your three years? Yeah, I think you always tend to question your, like, background knowledge. And when you're in lectures and stuff, you're always here in new things rather than recapping what you know, do you think, God, I've not thought about that in a while. I don't know much. But when you get like to start placement and get on to placement, you realize you do no more than what you think you do, even if it's just kind of your mannerisms or the way you act about around patients or like professionalism, you adapt to it and learn about it really, really quickly. Yeah. And seeing your your progress, it's been a time when you really thought, oh yeah, I'm really getting this now or been able to demonstrate. I do know more than I think I do. It's not been a gradual thing. Was there a particular moment where some of these pieces might start to have fits together? I think our second year, modules, we had like MSC audio rasp and new roles split up, and we did MSC audio rest together in first term. And I think by the end of first term after doing them two modules in comparison, the first year I was like, okay, I do actually know a lot more now. And then I thought, I didn't think that was it. I thought there'd be more I needed to know about Cardiovascolare MSC until we found out our other modules weren't getting the placements like, oh no, I do. You actually know everything at this point? Well, there are no, not quite, but yeah, but I think the reality is, is that the the does seem to be a thing, certainly within physiotherapy that people tend to think we need to know everything there is to know about everything you know and, and must know more, must know more, must know it now to be able to operate and be a good physio. But what would you say to that like from your experience? I don't think that's the case at all. I think looking back, I've definitely lost knowledge from what I had in first year, like our pathophysiology and anatomy knowledge. I couldn't tell you. I knew when we did our animus exams. but from placement, I've not really put that into practice and searched in such a different environment. I know that's like, you know, the basic information and stuff you need to be able to understand how things work. but I think as a physio it's good to have that knowledge, but it's not everything. Like there's so much more to the job and how you act and knowing how other things work than your basic stuff. So I'd say if you're worried about, like trying to learn that stuff or forgetting what you've already learned, I think just wait till you get on placement, then you'll realize and discover that it's not the end of the world. So what you're saying is basically knowing where the hamstrings attach to hasn't really given you much of an advantage in your in your clinical career to be fair. No, not at all. Like I say, I've had maybe 1 or 2 educators question me about my anatomy. It was either ones who it wasn't really much to do with. The patient is such like you were still able to come up with a really good, like treatment plan for them, an assessment without knowing it, but it was just if they wanted to. So my educators were trying to like push you further and further if they wanted to give you like additional marks as such for, on your like Pebble pod. They try to like push you to like get your knowledge out so they can like take off that box or some who were just so generally passionate about the topic and they were like, well, I love my anatomy. You must as well, because you're a student. Let's have a chat about it. But patient wise, no. And I think because you don't need to explain that to patients a lot of the time, especially when you've gone to third year, obviously you still supervise, but you're independent more and more and you're not as much explaining what you're doing to educate as you're more explaining to the patients. like what you're doing and why, why you're doing it, but you're not going to explain the anatomy in detail. You've you're explaining and really simple terms. As long as you know what you're doing and can clinically reason why you're doing it, you don't really need to remember everything and explain that to everyone. Would you say from that? It's probably more for function, it's probably more appropriate. And how the person is as a as a whole based on that, I think, function and more like a person centered approach and taking everything else in consideration and then treating people based off their functional limitations is really important. And like if they present with decreased strength, regardless of whether you're able to give a specific diagnosis or know the path of physiology, you're going to try to increase that strength because you know that's what they need to work on. And quite often you find that especially in an outpatient setting, when people come, come back that that pins reduced because of it. And it's you might not be able to fully explain why, but you know, you've done the right thing. So yeah. Yeah. No. And I think we were talking just before the board started, that there are times where, of course, maybe particular areas, sport is quite important wasn't it. But you know, even maybe maybe sometimes in pediatrics in terms of, you know, areas where you might need to have some skills in that palpation and knowing what attaches where and when. I used to work in a sports injury clinic and, and sometimes there would be a runner coming in looking at a very specific part on their fault, which is hurting and or oh, and then I go in there, but you might need to know that. But globally, though, I think the reality of what you're saying, what you've experienced, not experiences, there might be times for that. But generally, if you can't talk to the patient and you can't understand them and listen to them. Yeah. Where are you going? Really? And I think that you've been taught the knowledge you need. And whether you think you forget it, it's always going to be in the back of your mind. And if you want, if you know you're going into that particular setting, don't stress about it. Just relook over what you've done. You'll pick it back up really, really quickly. And then if that's not the area you're going into, it's not what you need to know, then it's fine. Learn what you do need for that area and not forget about it. But don't worry about it as such. Yeah. So if you were giving some advice now to say some of the students in their first year and even a second year because they've got exams that's coming up and they're obviously a little different, but there's actually quite a lot of similarities as well as any, any bit of advice you would give them at this point in time. Now you've you've contended your third year. Now, if you could look back and say, oh, I wish someone had given me this advice, anything you would want to say to them? I'd say just make the most of all the resources around you. Like you, obviously you have everything on Moodle. Quite often you'll look in this things on Moodle a lot lecturers have put on that. You've not necessarily covered in lectures, but that stuff is there to help you. Obviously you can do your own research, find studies, save them. and then you've got complete anatomy, you've got different resources and you've got help from other people as well. And I think a lot of people forget about how good help can be, like, don't be afraid to ask lecturers and everyone's there to support you. like if you need a hand, ask or similarly with your printers, if you need anything, ask them. Because from what I gather from my role on committee, people don't use their pay mentors as much as what they should. And we've been in the same position as you that we were also scared to ask people around us. But I promise you, it makes such a difference. And the minute I started to reach out to when I was in first year, like the second and third year, both me it it honestly does make such a difference both in knowledge and it's another like connection. And then I still speak to a few now. So honestly just make the most of everything around you. Pay mentors is a really important area and I know you're really passionate about it. And and I remember when I started, I had I had people in second year in third year who, who I went to and interestingly enough, some of those third years of my best friends now and we're still in touch now. So do you to tell people, people might be listening to this, going, oh, I don't know what this peer mentor thing is, you know, do you want to tell people a little bit about what it is, how you can get involved in that? And, and again, you've talked about some of those brilliant benefits you can bring. But don't expand on that. Yeah. So let's give you a bit of background. It's completely changed this year. So when I was in first year, you obviously were given a personal tutor. Your personal tutor had 5 or 6 to ease. And all of your that group, you all had the same peer mentor as well that was designated. this year we kind of changed it. We didn't want everyone to be in the same groups majority of the time, because we felt we wanted people to integrate a bit more, be a bit more of a divide. So we just kind of use like a random assortment all current first year. Now you should have been put in a group where you were at the start of term. you should all be aware of who your peer mentor is. I think I came into one of your lectures at the start, and we had QR, QR codes up. Should all be in that WhatsApp group chat. But then I've tried to put a few more messages out, for people, because although you do have that set peer mentor in a small group so you don't have to talk in like the large group chat, we wanted to make it so that you can talk to the people you feel more comfortable with. So I've tried to encourage it in socials and try to encourage the other peer mentors to talk to all the first year. And if you find someone from like second or third year who you connect really well with, then it's to like use them as well. Like they can be your payment or you just choose a third. You guys are willing to help use them regardless of who it is. and we've got, a few more opportunities coming up in third term. I know a lot of you haven't met your peer mentors in person. we're going to have some revisions to have put on the the best we can around our placements. yeah. And then if your payment or time is that they're available to help isn't suitable for you, you can ask someone you welcome comfortable with or come to myself. And I can either find a peer mentor for these free, or you can join in one of my slots, because I think a lot of people said they've been worried about like practical revision. And I know you can book out the clinical skills rooms. I think it's Monday afternoon and all day Thursday, and I've heard from a lot of you that you don't want to because, you don't know what you're doing in there, like, you don't know what you're doing is right. Are you practicing that just for the sake of it? So if we can, we're going to try and get some of the peer mentors to try and oversee them sessions. Or likewise, if you book into the clinical skills room in the library at a time, you'll pay mentors free in the happy to come down and help out, then then do that instead. But if not, and then offer a just pop a message in the group chat. And I know a lot of people don't like to speak until others have spoken, which is been the case for many groups, including mine. I'll have a conversation with myself quite frequently on that, but honestly, it does does make a difference, even just to make them connections. Even if it's just to say hello or social like if you recognize us in a portrait and be like, oh, I think you might be my payment. Or even if it's not something work related or exam related, it's still one extra person to know. And an actual friendly face to see. Absolutely. I think I think it's an excellent, excellent, thing to have. And as I say, it's been, as you say, developed more when I, when I started many, many moons ago. It's is something really good. And I totally agree with you. It's a really good opportunity for people to, to make friends, to make connections, to use people who are a bit more experienced, a sounding board to kind of just check out on how they're feeling. And, and often, you know, you'll get that reassurance that you've likely, you know, I'm feeling like this and you get someone like yourself going, yeah, that's all right. We did as well. And how did you go around it? And oh, you know, and you can end up just learning a lot, but as you say, possibly making friends for life as a result of it. and contacts as well. I think it's a fantastic thing to have physicians generally are, you know, on our courses, but we're generally friendly, open people, as you say, aren't we? So kind of it's a great opportunity to, to stay with that, isn't it? Yeah. So is there anything that, you know, first or second years can look out for if they're, if they want to find anything more about this staff, is there any resources they can go to. Is it is it the user go. Can they email you or you have so you should I think I double check to make sure we you should all already be in a group chat. You should all already know who your peer mentor is. Put messages out. Most of our messages go through the super Facebook group chat. If you're not on that, get yourself on it. I know some people don't have Facebook and I didn't at the start a uni. I only really use my Facebook for uni stuff. and then if you're not in a group, do message me. I know it's towards the end of the year, but I can still, put you in one. But if not, just contact me through any means that email, Facebook, Instagram, I don't really mind. I'll be happy to help. No, and that's really good that you've got all those different levels of of of contact. And I think I think it's, it's also one of those things in the world that we live in terms of communication, things like email, teams messaging, these kind of things are here to stay in actual facts, I would argue, but be great to get your take on it. I think the sooner that students learn to use these different resources, the better, because this is often where communication is and will likely to be in the world of work and things like that. I don't know what you think about that yourself, Steph. How important you think it is. Probably. Yeah, I know, and then it also keeps like everything up to date as well. I think you've if you've got made connections throughout your time at university and follow them on social media and look and see like other people's progress, see who they're following. And I know I've done it already, like a lot of us now in our second and third years have like physio Instagrams where we post, I like things to do with the coals and I've not got one myself. Personally, I was gonna actually set one up. similarly work to like LinkedIn and there's so many different now physio and like job Instagram accounts and people see like your progress and what you're doing. If you put like your placements and you CPD and stuff on there, or even when you're like email and email and people for things like job applications or like volunteering opportunities, you're spot on the email or like, here's my LinkedIn and my physio Instagram the like, oh well, this person's quite dedicated. And then by following your friends, you can see who they're following, their contacts and the list just keeps on going. Yeah, absolutely. It kind of just grows and grows and grows. And you're right, like employers do look at LinkedIn. you know, it does happen as happens. You know, I've I've seen it first hand. You apply for something and the next thing you know, you get a notification on LinkedIn or someone's look to your profile and then and then trying to maybe get an idea of, of maybe a little bit about. And I've seen, some students really go to really create some really interesting like a, like a diary really of, of placements experience of what they do. And I think it's a really positive thing because it's kind of like a, a real life CV. and if you're looking at someone, it might be something that you can, you know, you can get a really good sense of what, what people are doing, but also time stamps, your your time is as a student and that kind of creativity and CBD and stuff. Yeah. And then once it's like saved on it's not going to go away unless you delete it. And I think it's useful as well because you can put everything on then updated as you go. Whereas when you apply for jobs you're going to have a massive portfolio, but you can only really still hand in your CV and your cover letter. So although you're going to specify that to that, that job role specifically, they can then kind of go on your LinkedIn or Instagram or whatever and see the additional things that you've done. Maybe that's not really related, but like, oh, that's something quite good that they've done, all they've done, all the volunteering. Well, like that's the kind of person we want to have on our team. Absolutely, absolutely. And not sure if you've had a chance yet to listen to to the pod we did with Roger, but talking about the sort of where we want physiotherapy is changing. Healthcare is changing. We're trying to create, I think we always have created leaders has been many examples of people have done these courses and gone on to to do amazing things. Yeah. In the first year in particular has had a big change. You know, you and I, it's pretty much conventional programs. You say these kind of particular modules, but this particular year that's changed and it's more case study based on this sort of student guided discoveries, which have been on Tuesdays. Now, the great thing is, for listeners who don't know, Steph was with us on her education placement in third year and did incredibly well. And she was great in our department. So she got to, teach and facilitate. And it was brilliant. But the great thing is Steph is so good at it. You've kind of gone on and done a bit of more of it for us. Do you to tell us how you found that experience and what you saw about student guided discovery coming into it in the way that you did? Yeah, I loved doing it. I thought it was honestly great fun. it's such something so different to the way we worked. And I think it really gets you thinking about the case and like, the person in your tree and a person. Whereas I felt like we might have had a little bit more in-depth knowledge. The new on certain MSK conditions because I will. Yeah. Well was MSK came first year. but we, I think we learned to treat condition rather than treat a person. But you're not going to have like just a knee or an uncle walk into that clinic to see you. You're going to have a person come into that clinic and they all present differently, and they come present with more than one things. And then it's not just physiological. You've got to take into consideration like psychological sociological factors as well. And I think it is really good to incorporate in that and really good at giving first year students like adaptability skills to be able to implement that knowledge into more, wider cases. And it's not as if we now in third year, don't have that knowledge. I think that's something more we learned to do on placement, but I think that just kind of gives you a little bit of I had started to get into that place before you start your placement, and that's something that's quite hard to teach. You can't find an article on that'll teach you that stuff, whereas you can find loads of articles and loads of online resources about your anatomy if you need it, or, you know, like baseline knowledge. But that stuff that you're being taught in studio, you might not realize it, but even I've noticed, like how much better they were when I came back this month to when I started in October. Like them, skills can only be taught through practice and it and it really does give you a step up, I think. And like for going onto placement, it's always great to hear, you know, as, as, as teachers, we we have our opinions on it. But I think it's great to hear, you know, someone like yourself is in that. And can see it. And in a way, you know, you can sort of see things from how the different courses have been. You sort of been through one, but you sort of got you sort of seeing where the new one is going and I think it's really interesting how you've talked about. Yeah, maybe it's not as condition specific, but it's more sort of sort of general holistic. And we're doing that obviously. You also helps very much on the when we have the external patients at the epics, we did the second year on On the Wall as well, because this is new, we've not really done this before. So our second year, we're really getting that experience of, of, of working with real life patients in world scenarios as well. What did you make of all that? I thought that was really good. I think that's probably one of the most beneficial things we could have had is ourselves. first, we didn't really get to do anything before on placement and likewise, we also didn't get, what, the first year of non-clinical observations. We really were going in blind. And I think it does give you that little bit of a stepping stone to be like, although not a proper patient, you've you've been by bedside on a ward. But when I my first two placements were one was community, one was outpatient. I wasn't in a hospital till placement number three, and that was my first time stepping near a ward bed. Like I didn't know how to put the railings down. I didn't know how to move the bed up and down. I didn't know how to transfer things on wheels. I didn't know where things stayed. and I think just even having that baseline knowledge is so good. And then because like, my first day was just like asking, like how I can't move the bed, like, how do I put it up and down? And you might seem so stupid. Do like it's not stupid at the time. Like, if you've never done it before, you've never done it. Absolutely. But it really does give you just a much better insight before you start. And then also you get feedback from that. And because the ABCs of pretending to be patients have done it well, well, they can give you feedback from a patient perspective. That's not a physios perspective. And I think that's really good because your place when you educate it can give you feedback, but your patients aren't really going to give you feedback on how they think you've done. No, I mean, they might tell you some things or like what they've enjoyed or but didn't like. but they're not going to give you like constructive criticism as such. Be. Yeah. Well I'm with you and I'm so of the same as yourself. Never had this kind of, Yeah. That kind of training. We we sort of. Yeah, we we were just sort of like, right. Your second year, you're out on placement now, and I guess I was different to you. I remember I actually Queen's was my housing. I was on an orthopedic ward. It was my very first placement. Yeah. Absolutely right. Like those mechanics of seeing a row of patients and you're trying to work out where you who you're going to speak to and then where you need to be and things like, how do the beds work, where's the where, the where, the walking devices, how does it I was the environment. What's the noise like. What's the and that's, that's was created upstairs in the simulation wasn't it. It was a busy, noisy environment. You got to think about how you can listen and how you can also communicate with those types of things as well. The create its own, its own challenges. But I've been there many times, Steph. I know exactly what I can be like when you've got a piece of equipment for you. That's how it works. I think this was way my first hospital one. I was on an images and resource block, which is so much especially in where you have so much equipment. Yeah, so much going on. I was like high pressure stuff going on. Yeah. Even when you're needy, like you're running around so many people's asking you different questions. I felt like a headless chicken, especially when I couldn't answer things. They were like, Will you get us a Garmin? I was on the phone all my work on this. And you see, there's so many things, many beds, all the beds are different any day because half the time they don't have room for the proper ones. People are on trolleys, on chairs, lined up and down the hallways on rainy, really busy days. but I got a load pretty quick. Yeah, not in that environment. Yeah. within the first week, I think I was, I was pretty much there, but very stressful. And I think guess that's it really, isn't it? It's it's really, I guess for our years we try and create that identity. When you go to university, you think about when you, well you out now to where you started. You become a different person. And those experiences can be really challenging at times. But that is growth, isn't it? And that is. And then you come out of it, you look back on it and go, blimey, that's where I was. But look where I am now. Yeah. And through that step, obviously you're now coming to sadly coming to the end of your, of your third year. But for the sake of the profession it's going to gain some, brilliant out there doing, doing its work. What are your plans going forward. So now when you, when you finish, do you know what you're doing yet? So have you got if you got an idea. my plans have changed within the last week. Oh right. So. Right. my original plan was that I'll be moving back home, and I was going to move back home anyway. I'd never really planned to stay in Notts. I think it might have been something that I'd considered if all of my friends were staying in Nottingham. But everyone is gone back home. Yeah. And I really did very much want to go back. Yeah, but I don't think I want to go. I was planning after I'd done my desk to apply for like, rotational roles. Right. in the past few weeks, I've been looking to lot more into physio for ski season. and I found that you can work in like, outpatient MSK as a physio, and they don't really a lot of them don't require you to have, like, you're born five rotational experiences. And I love skiing and I've not I, I've, I've been this year but through Covid I wasn't able to go. So I was like, oh I'd love to do like December to April ski season. and then at first I was just considering doing like chalet work or like skiing stroke, skin structure role. And then I looked and I was like, oh, you can actually get like physio stuff out there. so that's the that's what my plan is at the moment. I've still got to figure it out and trying to get a visa to work and well, the place I'm looking at is going to Saint Anton's in Austria. I got a company that looks really good to work with, so you're going to get in touch with them once I finish. But that's my plan. What I do from the September to December and after the April, I don't know, I part time work at home. The job I probably I already have to keep up a little bit money before I go. Yeah, I think that's what I might do next year. All being well. And I got accepted into a role over there. I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will. You've got so much to bring through your career here and all the things you've done. And, I have no doubt that I want to they'll, they'll, they'll want to take you on. But I think that sounds such an exciting opportunity. And, yeah, there will be people who, you know, this is the beauty of physio. It can give you many different opportunities and what you want to do. And I think we often say physiotherapy is is the long game. You want to stick around in it. I mean you can do for a very long time and some people will be, will get a job very early on and they'll stay in that department or hospital or wherever that is, until the day they retire. And that's fine. But but also if you want to go out and do some stuff like, like you're doing, this is one of those kind of unique jobs that you can do that with. So yeah, I think as well, because I've had my first year, like in work, I've in the past few weeks, I've been in one of our lectures, we mentioned something about, like Northeast England and how people work in the northeast. And it's very much people are very set in their ways, and they don't tend to move through like job roles and get move into different opportunities. and when I was thinking about that, I was like, I don't I do want to move around and progress. And people when they've got that band 6 or 7 position, a lot of people stand up for the rest of their life. And it's not just even within physical works, but then a whole range of jobs in the northeast. And I was like, if I want to ever be able to do something different, I don't want to get into that rut and not be able to get back out of it. And I've even looked at when I was previously looking at sketches and stuff, looking at band fives. There's so many less job opportunities and so many little areas of home, unfortunately. So I was like, if I want to do something different because I'm still set on living in the northeast, this is my time to do it within the next year, before I then got put back on the system and have to try and take up any different role that that comes available to me. I think it's, I think just enjoying the journey, enjoying enjoying the ride. Before we finish stuff, we often asked people, look, if you could give one one lives. Stefan. Decent advice to say some students listening to this. Is there anything that you would sum up and say? It could be about life. It could be about the course of anything that you would last a little bit. You want to sort of impart on people and say, look, this is what think. Started earlier than what it. But I started early but got a little bit of a stuck point. But try and keep it. Keep it moving. So so you're not sleep deprived and your last week. Well we'll go with that one. But honestly stuff it's been great having you here. Thank you so much. And yeah keep in touch. Thank you for having me on as well because we shall not have gone away. We.