Final Thoughts

Tom Price was a fantastic experience over all. I learnt so much and got exposed to exactly what I had hoped for. I was left to be independent but at the same time was given the support I needed. I was nervous about doing my musculoskeletal placement and wasn’t sure what to expect. In the end I was confident with my knowledge and learnt many techniques that I will use. I had pts ranging from 10 years old to 80 and dealing with all sorts of pathologies. I go to see problems with most of the joints of the body and learnt so much. The working environment was fantastic. I had my own desk and was working next to two other very good physios. The hospital itself was small but very good. The staff were very friendly and excellent to work with. They were very accepting and tried to make me fit in as easy as possible. The social aspect was very good for a small town. There were plenty of sporting activities and it was easy to get involved. This made weekends much more bearable. There was no mobile coverage which was hard. There was also no access to social networking sites on the government computers which made it very hard to keep in contact with friends. However I managed to get by ok. We moved around to some aboriginal communities which was a great experience. It meant I got exposed to a different culture and learnt some different aspects of msk. It also made it unique and not repetitious. I was able to travel somewhere every week and that was exciting. The landscape of Tom Price is amazing. I was able to climb mount nameless and look out over Tom Price and the surrounding region. Karijini national park is absolutely amazing. One of the most beautiful spots I have seen. I was able to get along and see some of the gorges and despite being rescued by the SES it was a very good experience. I think that was my favorite part of the placement, was getting along to karijini. The placement was an excellent networking opportunity. I was able to work alongside Beth Rogers for 5 weeks. I learnt so much about work and working in rural areas. I learnt about the pay and different incentives, and different tips for finding work. A lot of these things you can only learn from people with experience so that was something I found invaluable. So overall it was a great experience and I learnt so much. I now know what working in rural areas are like and its been a great preview to help me in deciding whether I want to work in a rural area at all at some point in my professional career. I would recommend to anyone to put Tom Price at the top of their priorities for future placements.