Essential Skills for Physiotherapists: A Personal and Professional Development Framework

Essential Skills for Physiotherapists: A Personal and Professional Development Framework explores the vital intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that physiotherapists need for continuous growth. These are rarely taught in academic courses, clinical training, and other physiotherapy textbooks - but they make all the difference for our patients! Non-clinical, ‘soft’ skills are crucial ingredients for a successful and exciting career in physiotherapy - and are transferable to other walks of life, and other professions. This book introduces the reader to trainable skills such as leadership, wellbeing, career mapping and habit building. Other topics range from building a personal brand, interdisciplinary thinking, communication, networking, and relationship building. The real challenge in our profession is often integrating knowledge and theory to practice - and this book unpacks how to implement these skills in different settings, to support clinical practice and professional development. This unique resource is based on the curriculum from the successful education and mentoring platform, The Learning Physiotherapist (TLP), which compiles life lessons from a diverse range of world-leading international physiotherapists. Learn from elite professional sport, public and private healthcare practitioners, researchers, and academics from environments such as Liverpool FC, Cirque du Soleil, Isokinetic Medical Group, San Antonio Spurs, NHS, Aspetar and the IRFU. Learn directly from these renowned industry leaders as they share priceless knowledge, learnings from mistakes and invaluable insights…plus ways to seamlessly weave these into your own practical scenarios. Provides actionable, practical advice on essential soft skills - an invaluable tool to enhance your practice and career Encompasses core principles of interpersonal skills that are often not covered in academic courses and clinical experience Packed with stories and anecdotes from various experts in real-life work scenarios, as well as tailored networking techniques for today's healthcare professionals Research-backed content, innovative methods, and high-level academic rigor to improve your own high performance and wellbeing Reflective key points and introspective questions to facilitate deeper understanding and useable takeaways Contributions from TLP mentors and students with experience in professional sport environments, private practice, public healthcare, research, and academia In the relentless pursuit of healing, amidst therapy rooms and locker rooms, and the battles against pain, one truth stands unwavering: mastery of these essential skills is the linchpin between a physiotherapist’s ambition and their patients’ recovery. Enjoy diving into this journey of personal and professional transformation with Essential Skills for Physiotherapists: A Personal and Professional Development Framework, where the path to excellence begins, one skill at a time. As Seth Godin, New York Times best-selling author of ‘Purple Cow’ and ‘The Dip’ and marketing thought leader said - "Let’s stop calling them soft skills. They’re real skills. And, they’re learnable".

Table of Contents:
1. Your Wellbeing 2. Purpose and Values 3. Habits - Sleep, Nutrition and Recovery 4. Better Communication - Intentional Listening, Empathy and Feedback 5. Seeking Mentorship Consistently and Network Building 6. Cohesive Working 7. Curiosity, Learning and Reflection 8. Goals and Motivation 9. Personal Brand Design 10. Mental Fitness - Resilience and Facing Challenges 11. High Performance - Leading Yourself and Others With Purpose 12. Life/Work Alignment 13. Dealing With Stress 14A Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Wayne Diesel 14B Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Ian Horsley 14C Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Ritchie Barber 14D Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Deepak Agnihotri 14E Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Evert Verhagen 14F Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Roisin McNulty 14G Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Evangelos Benatos and Andreas Gatzoulis 14H Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Chris Jones 14I Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Jacopo Mattaini 14J Setbacks, Success, Personal Stories and Reflections - Carl Gombrich

About the Author :
David is a successful and experienced chartered physiotherapist with clinical, consultation, pitch side and research experience in diverse settings. He has significant sports medicine practice with high-performance culture, professional athlete and non-athlete populations using evidence-based methods, accompanied by strong international research ties in industry and academia. He has worked with Isokinetic Medical Group in Harley St., London - and in professional soccer, rugby, and private practice. He was the European Head of Medical Care and Performance Services for the Brooklyn Nets and the San Antonio Spurs (NBA). He has experience in learning and development roles with the Houston Texans (NFL) and Cleveland Guardians (MLB) and is involved with Maccabi Great Britain Football for the Maccabiah Games 2022. He has had a research position in Royal College Surgeons Ireland and is currently a faculty member and external lecturer for Florida International University (USA). He has had articles published in peer-reviewed sports medicine publications and presented at international conferences. David is the co-founder of The Learning Physiotherapists and Director at Hauora, a Performance Wellbeing consultancy organisation. David writes regularly and has had opinion articles published in The Times (UK) and The Limerick Leader. He is passionate about high performance, learning, inclusion, and sports medicine. Amelia (Amy) J.H. Arundale, PT, PhD, DPT, SCS, is a physiotherapist at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Thalgau, Austria. She is also a visiting researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System, in New York. Amy's research interest center around primary and secondary knee injury prevention, rehabilitation and return to sport/performance. Ciaran Dunne is a chartered physiotherapist with a diverse experience in clinical care and sports medicine. Following a BSc in Health & Performance Science in University College Dublin, Ciaran completed an MSc in Physiotherapy in King's College London. Since then, he has operated in a range of settings including elite sports medicine in English Premier League football, to acting senior in the NHS and large private hospitals in Ireland. He has a particular interest in behaviour change/management and has completed a PGDip in Leadership for education, sport and business from Maynooth University. He is currently undertaking an MSc in Sports and Exercise Psychology. Ciaran is an accomplished sports person having played elite Gaelic football and currently works with Gaelic Players Association to support and promote player wellbeing and development in Ireland and abroad. Ciaran is the co-founder of The Learning Physiotherapists and director at Hauora a Performance Wellbeing consultancy organisation.