Physiopedia Top Contributor May 2020 – Dr Jenny Setchell

Top Contributor May 2020 – Dr Jenny Setchell

Dr Jenny Setchell PhD BSc (Pty) Grad Cert (Clin Pty) APAM is a SeniorPhysiopedia top contributor Research Fellow in Physiotherapy at The University of Queensland, Australia. Dr. Setchell has recently contributed to a new page on Physiopedia, which explores the human dimension of illness experience, which included the “Cards for Humanity” – an output from a 3-year project investigating how clinicians did (or did not) attend to the human elements of living with muscular dystrophy.  These outcomes are important, because we can often become over-focussed on the physical aspects of client’s lives.

“Cards for Humanity” were designed for clinicians working in children’s neuromuscular outpatient settings, but have been useful in many settings including education and mentorship across several disciplines.  We are very grateful to Dr. Jenny Setchell (and the CDARs lab she did this project with, led by Prof Barbara Gibson) for her selfless sharing of content with the global physiotherapy profession via Physiopedia.

You can read more about Dr. Setchell’s project here.

Click here to print Cards for Humanity (Office Printing)

Click here to print Cards for Humanity (Professional Printing)

On a very cool note, Dr. Setchell has also been an acrobat and a human rights worker. Please keep reading to learn more about her!

 Your name: Dr Jenny Setchell

 Time active with Physiopedia: 6 months.

Current role with Physiopedia: Content contributor to Physiopedia pages.

 Where did you go to university/college? I have a BSc in physiotherapy from Curtin University in Perth (Australia). I gained my PhD in psychology at The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia).

Where do you work? I am a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia.

Describe your role: I mainly work as a researcher but also teach undergraduates and PhD students.

What is the most rewarding part of being a physiotherapist (PT)? Being a PT has been many things for me. I have worked clinically in many roles, including in public, private and community health – across continents and contexts (I have worked in a prison, in central London with bankers and lawyers, with a lot of acrobats, as the only PT in small rural hospitals, in a TV station…). And now I research and teach. The variety is wonderful.

What are some of the more challenging aspects about being a PT? I have often felt like the profession lacks reflexivity – deep thinking into who we are and what effects we might have on the world. We do think about the treatment techniques that we do and what is within our scope of practice or not, but there is less consideration of social, cultural or existential elements.

What are some of your professional passions? Working to understand the things I mentioned above, challenging our assumptions about physiotherapy, working to make physiotherapy work well to enhance all people’s lives. Working to reduce stigma and marginalization in healthcare.

What are a few of your personal passions? I love interesting food – seriously, show me a fruit I haven’t tried and it will make my month! Also, good wine!

What would be your advice to a newly graduating PT? There are many paths PTs can take, you may even be able to have concurrent careers. Explore what works for you.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?I hope that I will be somewhere unexpected!

What are the best things about being a Physiopedia volunteer?Sharing my work with others.

 How has being a Physiopedia volunteer helped your professional development/career progression? Physiopedia has provided a platform for me to share my resources that I developed with a wonderful team of researchers at the CDARS unit, which is directed by Prof Barbara Gibson  in Toronto, Canada. The multidisciplinary team works with children and families to better understand the social, cultural and ethical dimensions of children’s health and rehabilitation including examining how prevailing policies, practices, and values affect health, identity and participation.

The project I worked on with CDARS researchers produced tarot-sized cards (Cards for Humanity) designed to prompt clinicians to think outside of the box about the complexities of the lives of their clients who are living with disability. The cards can be worn on lanyards, used as prompts for professional development session discussions, discussed with clients etc.  They can be downloaded and printed (see the links above).

What are your hopes and aspirations for Physiopedia? I hope that Physiopedia can increase its focus on working towards more equitable outcomes for all physiotherapy patients and towards a more socially-just physiotherapy, that considers who potentially misses out of the full value of our care.

Learn more about Dr Jenny Setchell:

Contact Dr Jenny Setchell at:  [email protected]