Clinical Specialist at IIT Madras | Gayatri Suresh (PT)

I love talking to PTs who dare to pursue the road less traveled. When I spoke to Gayatri I was amazed by how proactive she is when it comes to shaping her career. Right from deciding about specialization for her master’s to landing a job in IIT Madras after physiotherapy, her journey is inspiring. Read her story to learn more about her journey, how she made key career decisions, and her work at IIT Madras.

What is your name?

Gayatri Suresh (PT)

What is your educational background?

Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B.P.Th) from DES Brijlal Jindal College of Physiotherapy, Pune, 2015–2020

Master of Physiotherapy in Biomechanics (M.P.T Biomechanics) from SRM College of Physiotherapy, SRMIST, Kattankulathur, Chennai, 2020 – 2022.

I received the First Rank with Distinction (Gold Medalist).

What did you do soon after graduation?

I graduated with my Bachelor of Physiotherapy degree in March 2020. I took up a job at Sahyadri Hospital, Pune, where I worked in their Neuro-Rehab setup, the Covid ICU, and with surgical patients, gaining valuable experience and critical thinking skills. 

MPT admissions opened around June 2020. I wanted to study something different in physiotherapy and came across the M.P.T Biomechanics course offered by SRM. It caught my interest, after which I consulted my faculty, who mentioned that it could be a risk or a reward. The risk being that I may find it difficult to get jobs, as recruiters may prefer someone who has MPT MSK or Sports, and the reward being that I can get a foothold in academics, research, and specialized sports labs.

After careful consideration, I decided to pursue Biomechanics as my specialization. 

What are you doing currently?

I am currently working as a Clinical Specialist (Project Associate) at the TTK Centre for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), IIT Madras.

How did you hear about the job at IIT Madras after physiotherapy? 

Through LinkedIn. Shiv Idwani, a physiotherapist posts PT and OT job updates and had posted the IIT job vacancy update.

How did you prepare yourself for the interview?

Firstly, I read the job description and the essential requirements expected from a candidate. The main points were that they were looking for a PT or OT to facilitate the research activities and provide biomechanical and ergonomic input for assistive devices. With this information, I modified my resume accordingly such that it would be suitable for this job. Secondly, I learned about the assistive devices developed by the lab through their website, LinkedIn page and YouTube. Lastly, I went through the description of the staff, especially the Head of the Department and the Head of the Clinical Team.

I was also instructed to present the topic “Your contributions as a clinician to the R2D2 department” for the interview. Therefore, for the interview, I created a PPT with the following information –

• My name and designation
• A compilation of my research activities during UG and PG (Projects, Publications and Paper presentations)
• A list of the R2D2 devices that I read about
• How I will contribute, as a biomechanist, to the mechanical engineering-based lab that develops assistive devices for people with physical disabilities.
• My vision for working with the lab

What was the interview and onboarding process like at IIT Madras?

The interview was conducted online by the Head of the Clinical Training and Research Team, an Occupational Therapist, along with a senior physiotherapist. The interview started with a general discussion about my education, family, and extracurricular interests, followed by an introduction given by them about the department. After that, I presented my PPT. 

As I’d anticipated, most of the questions were centered around my research knowledge and activities, my choice of PG specialization, and my willingness to work in a non-clinical setup. 

3 rounds of interviews and discussions were held, after which I was offered the position in the department.

After joining, I was given enough time to adapt to working in a research setup and was given projects accordingly.

Tell us more about your role at IIT Madras.

The R2D2 department, headed by Professor Dr. Sujata Srinivasan, develops assistive devices for physical and locomotor disabilities, intending to make such persons independent in the community. I work with the research involved in the device-making process, from the market and user feasibility to the device reaching the market, along with dissemination and outreach activities. For e.g., if a device ‘X’ was being developed, I’d be involved with the following;

• I’d be part of the initial inter-disciplinary discussion, where I provide clinical information about the clinical condition and patient population for whom the device will be made, based on which the engineers will describe the make and model.
• Conducting surveys to assess patients’ and clinicians’ needs for the device.
• Providing anatomical, anthropometric, biomechanical, and ergonomic data for optimising device design
• Reviewing the prototype
• Field visits
• Designing study protocols to validate the device and conduct trials along with systematic documentation
• Publishing the study
• Assessing and counseling patients who wish to purchase the device after it’s available in the market and guiding them to use it.
• Conducting workshops for clinicians regarding device usage with the appropriate prescription.

What is a typical day of work for you?

My mornings start with spiritual practices and preparation for the day. R2D2 is a full-time job. During my work hours, I work on multiple devices which are in different stages of development and perform my responsibilities toward them accordingly. I make schedules to devote enough time to work on each project. It’s mostly a desk job; hence I take a break every 45-mins – 1 hour to move around, stretch, stand in the sunlight and detach from the screen. After signing out, I hit the gym or play a sport for about 1.5 hours. My late evenings are for online patient consultations at HealthQ Rehab, where I am available for consultation with 2-3 patients.

On weekends, I keep an hour or two to do blog writing, content and course creation for GaitON and Physiosimplified.

Tell us more about your work at HealthQ rehab.

HealthQ Rehab is a digital physiotherapy platform where I am an online Consultant Biomechanist for patients with gait and movement impairments arising from pain, injury, surgery or disability. My work hours are flexible, and I schedule consultations based on my availability. 

Tell us more about your work at GaitOn and Physiosimplified.

GaitON is a company that develops software for a biomechanical assessment (largely kinematic) of Posture, Gait and certain sports. I write biomechanics-based blogs for their website and will be assisting in developing software for various sports.

Physiosimplified is a company that I have been associated with since college. It aims to provide quality education to PT students by connecting them to CPD-accredited workshops conducted by qualified instructors. I write articles and blogs based on PT education, edit the content posted on the website and social media, and we’re working on developing in-house courses to benefit PT students and novice practitioners.

How is the pay like?

The pay at R2D2 is about 30% greater than a clinical role in Tamil Nadu. Although I am unsure how it compares with clinical income in other Indian States.

My other roles are paid as well, and the pay is good for the flexible nature of the work.

Did you need to take special education/ courses/workshops?

Not anything that was compulsory. The courses I attended were out of self-interest.

Can you name the courses and workshops you found to be effective?

• Turacoz Solution’s blogs on Scientific and Medical writing helped change my writing style. They also offer CPD-accredited courses for the same.
• Basics of editing by Cactus Communications.
• Courses on Telehealth were useful for my work at HealthQ Rehab.
• I also follow physiotherapy researchers who post clinical and research content on Instagram and Twitter. The way they portrayed the wide range of physiotherapy research in a simple way piqued my interest in this field. You can find them on my following list on Instagram.

What do you like about your job?

I like that I work in applied and translational research, along with an interdisciplinary team of Engineers, Architects, Psychologists, Students, Occupational therapists and Assistive Technology users (People with Disabilities), where we work to take the problem solution up to the market and society! Even though we carry out projects in UG and PG, it is usually not followed through till it reaches the community. Applying research to society is a whole other dimension and requires a different level of critical thinking. 

I am also able to integrate principles of Evidence-Based Practice, where even if I have all the baseline research and biomechanical calculations ready for a device, I still need to take in the participants’ input and user experience to make the device suitable for them.

In your opinion, what can be improved in our field?

Academically – The inclusion of soft skills and basics of using Microsoft Word and Excel functions alongside the regular syllabus.

Clinically – To train students in Customer Service. In my experience, bedside etiquette plays a huge role in a patient’s perception of us, directly affecting their compliance.

Research: Instead of having individual projects, students can do their projects in groups of 2 or 3. It will get them more involved, rather than doing it just for the marks.

Career – Counselling regarding the vast specializations and career options available to a physiotherapist. Most physiotherapists (including me) complete our degrees with the impression that there are only 2 choices: Academics or Clinical. Instead, there are 3 main domains: Academics, Clinical and Research. Physiotherapists can become editors in journals, telehealth specialists, research associates (at even WHO and NASA!), physiotherapy book authors, and peer-reviewers, to name a few. Furthermore, they can also take up medical transcription, coding, etc. While these are not considered conventional physiotherapy jobs, they will still require a physiotherapist specifically to perform them. 

What are the challenges you face?

I wasn’t particularly proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Paint. When I joined the lab, most of the coordination and planning happened through these mediums, and it took me a while to learn the different functions. While I’m still learning, the basics of using these tools should be taught in college.

What is next for you?

I plan to pursue a PhD program in a couple of years, wherein I look forward to contributing to the field of biomechanics. 

What is your advice for someone who wants to follow a similar career path as you?

• Take up a career in research if you are truly passionate about it or are willing to delve into it. Research requires a different kind of thinking, and it may be difficult for someone more inclined toward other aspects of PT.
• Improve your English grammar and scientific writing. Publications in high-quality journals depend more on the way it’s written rather than the work done.
• Learn how to use different research tools – Mendeley, Zotero, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc

Where can people find you?

I am available on Linkedin