We recently finished another round of the increasingly popular Physiopedia Volunteer Orientation Course. As part of the final assignment members were tasked to write an original piece of work to share with the profession, the contributions were of the highest quality. Below is a reflection of the volunteer course written by Lynda Chukwu.
Physiopedia has remained a reliable resource since I became a clinician. Especially because in my initial years of practice I have had to make most clinical decisions all by myself, with little or no input from more experienced clinicians.
Interestingly, I have been aware of the volunteer course for a while now but had assumed it was reserved for clinicians or academics with more experience and vast knowledge. Since I didn’t regard myself as possessing all that yet, I often over looked it. This assumption was corrected by a colleague who informed me that volunteers on Physiopedia were of differing experience levels and included students – this was a wow moment for me so I signed up. Honestly I didn’t know what to expect with the course but I did know that whatever came I was going to push myself to do it.
Week 1 was a jolly ride, getting to put up my profile and meeting other participants was cool but nothing prepared me for week 2. Not that the task was too tough but I hadn’t written any original work for a long while so it wasn’t easy. Can I pause to say that for the first time I got the real picture of how much content Physiopedia had because not until the third try of choosing my own page to create did I get a topic that wasn’t already on the site. The real challenge with writing an original page was ensuring my references were recent and determining the licencing issues with images and videos.
Once I understood what week 3 was all about, armed with the knowledge gained from week 2, it was pretty easy. This week was about editing current pages so I had to be considerate of the original editor’s effort.
Week 4 was also fair however I think that writing is not my forte. Writing regularly really pushed me beyond my comfort zone and that is fine. On this note, it is safe to say that the course amongst other things ensures we all became better writers.
What I’ve Gained from the Course:
- Self-confidence
- Improved IT skills
- Improved research skills
- Improved writing
- Critical evaluation and editing
- Teamwork
I am not certain yet which direction my volunteering for PP will take but I am certain of my commitment to contribute to the PP vision. Thanks Team PP for the opportunity and to Kim Jackson, Selena Horner and everyone else who made it possible.