Published on 15 July 2022
A new Physiotherapy degree launched just months before the pandemic and plunging life into uncertainty was not the start to a programme University of Sunderland staff and students had planned.
However, despite the bumpy start of online learning, home working and getting to know each other over video calls, the students all overcame the challenges of lockdown together.
And now, three years later, 12 of those students have graduated alongside one another to collect their Physiotherapy BSc (Hons) degrees at the Stadium of Light.
John Stephens, Programme Lead for Physiotherapy, said: “Congratulations and heartfelt thanks go to the student group and also the staff.
“It is challenging, to say the least, to get a new programme off the ground but the past three years have been further complicated through the impact of Covid-19. A feature of these first years of the programme has been the collaboration between the student group and staff in the continuing development of the curriculum, contingency strategies and also recruitment and admissions procedures.”
A graduation prize, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Development Award, was also given to Abigail Darling, who has made the most consistent development across the three years of the programme - academically, professionally and personally.
Abigail, from Seaburn, who was awarded a First-Class degree and begins work as a physiotherapist with a local hospital trust, said: “To win this prize has been nothing short of an honour.
“It has been an absolute delight studying alongside some of the most encouraging fellow students and learning from inspiring and passionate lecturers. Winning this prize has given me confidence that I will take forward into my future career, and will always remind me of my memorable time at the University of Sunderland.”
Physiotherapy uses physical approaches in the prevention and treatment of disease, injury and disability, recognising that physical, psychological, social and environmental factors may limit movement and function. The programme has been approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). It was launched in 2019 as part of a multi-million pound investment supporting a suite of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sport, exercise and rehabilitation laboratories on campus.
Two of those graduates who have made huge contributions to the group are Alan Barlow, and Ines Rebelo Da Fonseca, who joined the programme from Portugal.
With a young family at home and running a successful sports massage therapy business – Alan questioned whether he’d made the right career decision to study a Physiotherapy degree, fulfilling a life-long ambition. But all those first-day nerves, as the oldest student to sign up to the programme, have long since disappeared as he collects his First-Class honours degree today.
The 46-year-old, from Newcastle, says it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made, and thanks to planning, organisational skills and dedication to the course, he’s been able continue his business, albeit on a smaller scale,
Alan, who plans to work within an NHS setting, says: “I thought I was too old to go back to university and really questioned myself on the first day, I thought ‘what am I doing here?’
“But Sunderland has made me so welcome, and the lecturers have been incredibly supportive. I have made great friends too on this course, of all ages. I am just so pleased I finally made the decision to pursue this dream and haven’t looked back since.”
Ines, 20, says her university experience has more than met her goals and she hopes to continue working in the region now she has graduated with a 2:1 degree.
Influenced to study Physiotherapy, after witnessing how much the physical treatment supported her own father and grandmother’s recovery, following their neurological health issues, Ines said: “Seeing for myself how much physiotherapy can improve someone’s life personally, I knew I wanted to work in this profession and truly believe in movement as a solution to better health. The University of Sunderland certainly hasn’t disappointed."