Help Fund My Physio Dream

I have always been involved with a diverse range of activities from the performing arts, volunteering with disability sport and providing training programmes to clients that encourage healthy functional mobility patterns. I grew up with my older sibling, Daniella-Jade, who was born with Spina Bifida and I observed her occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, and physiotherapy sessions over many years. Her improvements intrigued me and from a young age I created personal exercises to help her to become stronger and independent. I wanted to help her enjoy life despite a wheelchair. Looking back, I had no idea that my aim to help Daniella-Jade would be the foundation of my future ambitions for a career in Physiotherapy. My personal experiences of helping my sister made me realise my passion for helping others who need support to regain strength and ability to independently go about daily life. In an effort to gain more knowledge and experience within the physio industry, I completed multiple work placements within clinics and hospitals around Bermuda. In 2012 I graduated from Berkeley Institute and moved to the UK to pursue my dreams of becoming a physiotherapist. Soon after I arrived in the UK, I found out my applications for three undergraduate courses in physiotherapy were all unsuccessful due to my high school qualifications not being compatible to the UK schooling system. This was frustrating, however, I decided to resolve the situation by enrolling myself into a UK college where I completed a BTEC in Sport & Exercise Science. Completing this course gave me the qualifications I needed to continue on to university. Again, I applied for multiple physiotherapy courses, only to be told I was unsuccessful due to a lack of NHS work experience. However, I was not deterred. I did lots of research into other ways I could achieve my goals and after finding out about pre-registration MSc physiotherapy courses (where you are not required to have a physiotherapy undergraduate degree) I enrolled on BSc Sport & Exercise Science and vowed to gain NHS work experience during my study. In September 2017, I graduated from my BSc Sport & Exercise Science degree and have finally been accepted to study MSc pre-registration Physiotherapy in January 2018 after 5 long years of hard work and persistence.
Funding the upfront costs for this course will be difficult to achieve on my own. I applied to all healthcare scholarships and non specific scholarships that accepted postgraduate studies on the Bermuda Scholarships website and emailed private clinics and charities in Bermuda but have been unsuccessful this year which I believe is due to the abnormal start date of the course and lack of funds available. I have applied for the U.K government postgraduate loan which they are willing to loan £10,280. but this will be split over the two years so I will get £5140 to cover tuition/accommodation/placement fees each year. This helps with some of the cost .Tuition is £12,700 a year, plus placement fee of £3,000 over the 2 years = £28,400 for the course. The National Health Service bursary has been cut and the only help I would be allowed is £1000 but I wouldn’t be able to get that support if I have the U.K government postgraduate loan. Unfortunately my parents are unable to support me financially. I have also decided to create a go fund me page to see if there is anyone out there able to support in any little way possible. I have asked for advice from qualified physios to see how they funded their courses and they were able to work alongside their studies and I will be doing the same as much as I can. I have come so far and I am thankful for all of the support I have received thus far .If there is anyway you can help toward any of my fees I would be so grateful for it , any little helps!
After I qualify as physiotherapists I want to work in the NHS to develop, build my experience and then open a clinic of my own. This would include physiotherapists who have specialised in different areas to promote client health and wellbeing once treated. I also have the aspiration to create a program collaborated with local and international clinics where aspiring physiotherapists like me will be welcomed and given work experience opportunities since work experience is hard to get in this field without the experience at any age. The plan of getting straight onto a physiotherapy course at the start of my journey didn’t work, I changed my plan but my goal of becoming a qualified physiotherapist will never change and I will continue to keep on working hard until I achieve this goal .

Kind regards,
Patience
Aspiring Physio