This article was written by Simisola Ajeyalemi, who took part in the recent volunteer orientation course. The aim of the course is to prepare individuals to become a part of the Physiopedia volunteer team.
I came across this course while searching for some other information on Physiopedia and I’m glad I did. Initially, when I registered my interest for the course, I presumed all that was in it for me, alas, I was wrong. Over the weeks, it became obvious my editing skills were not honed and my knowledge base limited.
Undergoing this course helped develop my editing skills as I became more acquainted with wiki text and adding media to text whilst gaining more knowledge on the topics I worked on. I was opportune to create a new page and edit an existing page. After I created a page, I wanted to create more and more pages because it is rewarding to know how useful the information would be to students and practicing clinicians.
The tasks were challenging at first but the help tutorials, course mentors and co-volunteers made it a lot easier. Good time keeping is a great skill that came handy for the course. The course is well structured in that the tasks each week prepares you for the task of the week ahead. Physiopedia is also well designed to make editing easy and fun. My editing skills were so sharpened that by my final write up, it was excellent.
Networking is another added advantage on the course as volunteers are from different parts of the world. There’s a communication channel that brings everybody together to discuss and help each other out. Great stuff!
I would recommend the volunteer orientation course to both students and clinicians as it helps to improve web editing skills, helps to keep abreast of current clinical practice and offers the opportunity to be a part of the team that circulate clinical information to healthcare professionals around the world. I can assure they’d have a great and rewarding time on the course.
I’m delighted to have completed the course and I look forward to a fabulous time with the volunteer team, contributing to PP and making Physiopedia a greater resource.
Thank you Simisola and welcome to the team!
The volunteer course runs twice a year in the spring and the autumn. It is 4 weeks long and at the end you will become confident with creating and editing content for the worldwide community. Not only that, you will have the opportunity to develop key professional skills such as digital skills, social media skills and professionalism. It is suitable for any Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist, all we ask in return is your intention to commit to a volunteer role.