Physiotherapist Job Description
Physiotherapists help patients regain mobility, strength and independence after illnesses, accidents or operations. You'll become one of the key professionals in your patients’ recoveries, and your work will help them live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives after a potentially major setback.
Medacs has a wide range of physiotherapy roles, including temporary and permanent positions.
Being a physiotherapist
As a physiotherapist, you’ll identify areas for improvement and help patients improve, regain or retain vital mobility. You’ll work with people who have a wide range of health conditions or who have been through traumatic events. This could include:
- Neurological conditions like a stroke or multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Neuromusculoskeletal issues like sports injuries and arthritis
- Respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis
- People who are working to regain or retain movement after a brain or spinal cord injury.
In addition to exercises, your patients will be given access to massage equipment and other tools to increase their mobility, such as hydrotherapy pools. You’ll work with them to devise a long-term treatment plan that gets to the route of their condition or temporary issue.
You could choose to specialise in a particular area of physiotherapy, such as:
- Sports injuries
- Critical care
- Paediatric physiotherapy
- Cancer care
- Stroke aftercare
- Elderly patient rehabilitation.
Physiotherapy jobs can be found in lots of different clinical settings, from almost every hospital ward to outpatient clinics to health centres, GP surgeries and nursing homes. You could also visit your patients’ homes to offer treatment and advice to those who can’t get out and about.
Qualifications for physiotherapy jobs
In order to work as a physiotherapist, you’ll need to complete a physiotherapy-specific qualification. The common way to do this is by getting a degree, which will require you to have two to three A levels (or equivalent) including either biological science or PE. If you can, it’s best to spend time shadowing a registered physiotherapist during your studies to get a better idea of what the role entails.
Alternatively, it’s possible to complete a degree apprenticeship through a healthcare provider. You’ll earn a wage as you work towards qualifying as a physiotherapist. If you already have a relevant degree, you can complete a two-year accelerated master’s degree. Whichever route you choose, you’ll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HPC) before you begin working.
Key skills for physiotherapist jobs
A great physiotherapist needs more than just the right qualifications. You should also possess skills and traits like:
- Great communication skills
- A calm and caring nature
- Good organisational and planning skills
- Excellent physical fitness.
It's also essential that, if you’re applying for NHS physiotherapy jobs, you can show how the values of the NHS apply in your line of work.
Where physiotherapy can take you
NHS physiotherapists will continue to have Continuing Professional Development check-ins annually to make sure they’re continually able to advance their careers. You can also join the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, which has lots of resources to help you keep your training and skills up to date.
What’s next for your career?
Start searching and applying for physiotherapist jobs right here at Medacs. We’re a trusted supplier across all NHS frameworks and work with 150 Trusts to give you priority access to agency shifts. And as more than 1,000 new roles are added to our site every day, you can take your pick of physiotherapy jobs that suit your location, shift pattern and other preferences.
Medacs offers free courses to anyone who’s registered or in the process of registering with us, which can help you earn valuable CPD points. You'll also have a dedicated point of contact, who can help you negotiate pay rates and in certain roles access the money you’ve earned quickly through daily payroll.
All you need to do is tell us when, where and how often you’d like to work, and our team can do the rest.
