6 Things you can do as a physiotherapy intern to help shape your career

Internship is one of the most exciting periods in college life. You are done with the exams. So now, you don’t have to deal with all that stress, at least for some time. Also, as a physiotherapy intern, you get to treat your patients. You learn as you work and not from those giant books! 

I get it, you want to relax after a long day at college and have fun! After all, you were grinding and hustling for 4 long years! But, I can tell you from the experience that as a physiotherapy intern, you are also standing at one of the most important intersections in your career. While you are busy having fun, here are some things you can do simultaneously in your internship to help shape your career.

Start figuring out what you want to do 

While I was in my internship, some of my batch-mates were absolutely sure of what they wanted to do, most of us didn’t. It is okay, if you don’t know what you want to do next. After you clear the fourth year exam, it is a good time to start thinking about that. Everything boils down to 

• what you are interested in 
• what comes naturally to you. 

What you are interested in

You might realize there are some subjects where you consistently perform better than the others. Or you may notice that you enjoy studying some subjects more than others. For me, biomechanics was always intriguing. Also I am good at clinical reasoning. So I decided to explore MSK a bit more. 

What comes naturally to you

These are the other skills you need apart from your final year subjects.

For example: I can never wrap my head around complex excel sheets. Also, I can never sit in one place for 8+ hours. So, I am glad I didn’t go for a degree in healthcare/ hospital management. 

I knew I was good at talking to the patients and understanding what exactly is going on with them so it made sense that I stayed clinical. 

If you want to figure out what you want to do, here are some suggestions: 

• Make a list of all your strengths and weaknesses
• Think about the past and try to jot down the postings, subjects you really enjoyed
• If you are thinking about going non clinical, write down all the things you don’t enjoy about patient care 
• If you have difficulty deciding which specialization you to go for, I would highly recommend doing an observership/ internship. 

For example: If you are confused between Neuro and MSK, spend 2 months each at a Neuro clinic and a MSK clinic in your area. At the end of four months you will have a much better idea.

• Also, spend some time thinking about what the kind of life you want to live: Do you want a 9 to 5 job or Do you want to be an entrepreneur.  ( Newsflash! There is nothing wrong in wanting to do a 9 to 5 job, each has their own preferences!) Do you want to work in India or abroad. Do you want a desk job or a job where you will be on your feet a lot? 

Make a three year career plan. 

Having a career plan gives you direction. Even if you haven’t figured out what you want to do, start making a career plan for the next three years. It can be flexible and you can make changes as you go but at least have a starting point.

If you know what you want to do: Start listing down colleges offering the course you want to take. Figure out the admission process. Maybe start preparing for the entrance test. Apply for observerships in your area of interest. 

If you are not sure what you want to do: Narrow down your areas of interests as much as possible. Start applying for observerships. Reach out to people who you think are doing something that seems interesting to you and ask questions. You may also consider taking a gap year. 

Get some real world work experience with observerships/ internships outside of your clinical postings. 

Speaking of observership/ internship, it is imperative to get some real world work experience as a physiotherapist. I can not stress this enough! There is a difference between working at your clinical postings and working at a clinic. I recommend this for all physiotherapy interns, no matter if you know what you want to do, if you don’t and even if you want to go non clinical!

I understand that as a physiotherapy intern, you will be working at your clinical postings full time. Additionally you will be completing your thesis as well. But try and make a few hours in the evening for your observership. It doesn’t have to be everyday, start with 2-3 hours for 2 days a week and scale up as you can. 

I started an internship at a local physiotherapy clinic in my fourth year. I used to go three days a week for 2 hours. And, I took time off at the time of university examinations for preparations. 

It was one of the best decisions I made at that time. The experience I got helped me become a better clinician. Not to mention, I was able to write better answers in my theory exams and was more confident at the time of my practicals. 

Make your resume, cover letter and get on LinkedIn

This is the most exciting step. To apply for the observerships/ internships, you will need to have a resume in hand. Download my free step by step guide to build your resume. This guide also comes with a free resume template, so that you can build your resume easily. 

In your cover letter, include your background, areas of interest. Make sure to mention why you are interested in that particular clinic. Try to be as specific as possible. 

When I was a physiotherapy intern, the only step I missed was to get on LinkedIn. I regret not getting on LinkedIn earlier. Because of that I started building my network much later. Read my article, LinkedIn for physiotherapists to know how you can use LinkedIn effectively.

When in internship, start to build your network

I wish someone had told this to me earlier. Back as a physiotherapy intern, I was this shy, introverted girl who was uncomfortable reaching out to other people to make connections. Although I was super comfortable in my own small group of friends, I barely made any efforts to talk to somebody outside of that. 

Over the years, I started connecting with more people and that has made a big difference. LinkedIn is a great way to connect with someone who has similar interests as you. 

If you hear of someone who is doing something that interests you, you may choose to reach out and ask questions. Check out my “PT in spotlight” series to understand more about the physiotherapists who are doing something different and who are doing well in their chosen field. I always ask them, how can anyone reach out to them. Also, I include a link to their LinkedIn profile in the spotlight. 

Get into a habit of reading research.

Staying up to date with the research is important to treat patients effectively. When in college, you have access to many journals and research articles. Start by reading just one research paper every week. That way you would read 25+ research articles by the end of your physiotherapy internship. 

Just remember to distinguish between good articles vs substandard articles. Don’t just soak up everything the research has to offer. While applying research to your clinical practice, use your clinical judgement.

Bonus Point: Don’t rush in signing up for workshop unless you are sure.

One of the physiotherapy intern reached out to me wanting to know what workshops she should be doing. There are literally millions of workshops for physiotherapists! Be mindful when spending money on these workshops. 

I would recommend getting some work experience first. Once you realize what interests you, what is working well on your patients, you can explore the available workshops. Also, make sure what the research has to say about the particular technique taught in that workshop. Don’t just rush into signing up for workshops and courses just because everybody else is doing it!

So here you have to, things you can do to shape your career for the better!

My goal is to help PT students and professionals navigate through their career! I know making a career decision is intimidating, not knowing what to do can make it worse. But, there are so many physiotherapists out there in India, who are doing so well! So can you! I believe in you! 

If you need more help with your PT career, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, Instagram or fill out my contact us form. 

Related articles: What are my options after Bachelor’s of Physiotherapy?