Meri Sabadera MSc Physiotherapy, 2021
I am most proud of pushing myself out of my comfort zone as Southampton has really allowed me to increase my confidence. I am a step closer to my dream career of being a physiotherapist for the NHS.
Why did you choose to come and study at Southampton?
The physiotherapy course at Southampton is number 1 in the country and has been for a couple of years. The university is local to me (only a 30 min drive) and many physiotherapists I worked with as a physio tech graduated from Southampton or recommended Southampton as an excellent university for physiotherapy.
Can you tell us what led you to pursue Physiotherapy?
Both my parents are nurses and it inspired me to want to pursue a career in physiotherapy. I enjoyed sports growing up and so I did an undergraduate degree in Sports Therapy but felt I wanted to be able to do more. I spoke to the physiotherapists I knew from my previous job and further inspired me to learn more and expand my knowledge to be able to help a wider variety of patients/conditions.
What is it like studying here?
The lecturers are all inspiring and eager to teach the next generation of physiotherapists allowing us to grow into the physio we want to be. The student community is so supportive, everybody in the course both postgrad and undergrad get along and support each other especially throughout COVID.
Have you been involved in any related research whilst you have been studying with us?
I am currently involved in qualitative research for my dissertation.
How did you find the facilities on your course – is there anything that stands out to you?
The facilities are modern and clean, there are lots of practicing rooms to use and there are other buildings aside from the library to study such as building 100 which provides plenty of study spaces.
Can you tell us about your experiences on placement so far? Why are they important? How did your placements to compare to each other?
I have enjoyed my placements so far, they’ve each been very different and I am lucky to have had all the different disciplines such as; community, respiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal which is important to me as I feel I have a well rounded understanding of the different roles and scope of physiotherapy.
Were there any modules you particularly enjoyed?
I particularly enjoyed the respiratory module as we got a chance to practice some critical care practical skills on simulated mannequins. It was really useful to be able to practice suctioning on a mannequin as it is daunting practising on a real person.
What are you most proud of from your time at Southampton so far?
I am most proud of pushing myself out of my comfort zone as Southampton has really allowed me to increase my confidence; I was given the opportunity to support lecturers in teaching some respiratory content to 1st year physio students which made me feel like I was good enough in my understanding of physiotherapy to be able to support the learning of my peers.
What are your plans for the future?
I am a step closer to my dream career of being a physiotherapist for the NHS- I am eager and keen to explore the different roles physiotherapists have both in clinical practice and research.