Hi everyone! Today is Monday, May 13th, and it was a very packed day! I got to do some really cool stuff regarding physical therapy. This isnt as relatable to my research project we presented today, but it’s spot on to what I’ll be doing later in life. We also had our final presentations, so there’s a lot to talk about!

After waking up to meet downstairs at 8:30, we took the walk to BCU. I have already started getting familiar with the locations here, and I’m confident I could walk to BCU without directions now. Ana was kind enough to get me set up with the physical therapy program here, so I got to stay with them for the day while everyone else did the regularly planned programming. Well, the profession is called physiotherapy rather than physical therapy, but it seems to be totally identical. The class I joined was a masters-level physiotherapy course, so it was a bit higher level than where I’m currently, but it was still super fun! Everyone was preparing for a big exam on Wednesday, so nerves were running high. However, everyone was super friendly and very welcoming to me; they were very curious about how my programming would be different than theirs here.

One thing I really liked was how interactive the whole experience was. We spent the first part of class splitting up into groups and going around to each station that had a different patient case that we had to read, analyze, and create a solution. We could then use resources around the class, such as crutches and weight bands to act out what we would prescribe to the patient. I really liked this, as it was so much more interactive and applicable than a boring old lecture. I later found out that all the students were preparing for a practical exam where they work one one-on-one with a professor/actor who takes them through a situation to access. They then have to demonstrate their initial observations, thoughts, prescribe exercise, do the exercise, and explain the follow-up and healing process. I’m not sure how our graduate program works in the US, but I really hope it’s like this! This seems so much more applicable and fun than just a paper exam since it prepares you for what you’ll actually see in real life.

After the stations, we then worked in groups to make questions for other groups to work on regarding the exam they had this week. I also found this to be very helpful since you have to know about the topic to create questions and sufficient answers. I’m obviously a bit behind these students as far as my programming, but I was still able to contribute some and I definitely learned a few things too! Some students even added in some Pittsburgh-themed questions! This makes me very excited to pursue graduate school for physical therapy; I really hope United States programs have a similar class structure and dynamic!

After that, I went back to the class to catch up with everyone for an escape room! This escape room was focused on health practices and roles of nurses in the United Kingdom, so I know all the nurses were very excited. I wasn’t able to contribute much since I wasn’t there for the lecture, but it was still fun!

Our final school activity of the day was our final presentations. This is the culmination of what we’ve been working on for the past few months, and it went well! When I got here, I was nervous that I would not be able to get enough research and observations in, but our coordinators did a great job of planning events that were applicable! Thank you, Dr. Marks, Lynnea, and Ana!

Overall, today was very productive and exciting. I’m so thankful that BCU was able to put me in a phisiotherapy classroom so I could get a feel for what I’ll be learning in the future. Everyone was so smart, and I cannot wait to be that knowledgeable about the human body! I also feel very accomplished and proud of myself and my group for presenting our final project! It was a great end to a very fun time learning at BCU, and I will remember what I’ve learned here for the rest of my life! It’s crazy to think that we are almost leaving, I’m going to miss everyone so much! I’m sure we will try to hang out at Pitt next year and stay friends!