By Véronique Yeon

My interest in physiotherapy began about six years ago. Coming out of high school, I decided to do an undergraduate degree in Human Kinetics. I was not sure that I wanted to settle into a profession right away. Over the years, I drifted away from the idea of physiotherapy as a career because I had found other interests and I wasn’t eager to spend another four years in school. But in the last year of my bachelor degree, they turned the four year physiotherapy degree into a two years masters program. This was my chance.

Health was always one of my passions, because to me it is the most important thing in life. I knew that I to work in a place where I would have to sit at a desk all day would not suit me well since I need and enjoy to interact with people. Physiotherapy caught my attention because it was a profession where I could have a direct impact on someone and teach them the knowledge that I, myself, had acquired. In the final year of my bachelor’s degree I did a placement with a physiotherapist, which convinced me that this was what I wanted to do. So I applied to do my Masters in Physiotherapy.

The more I learn about this profession the more I like it. There is an infinite amount of opportunity and the profession is constantly developing. I love it because it is a profession where you are always learning new things and helping people. You can change a person’s life.  Physiotherapists help patients in every aspect of their existence, whether it be their health, confidence, or even overcoming obstacles that seemed insurmountable. As a physiotherapist, you can inspire the people you come in contact with to live a healthier life and to persevere.  Every patient will become stronger in their own way. You can help them mentally, physically or in their everyday environment. I get satisfaction when I see that someone feels stronger and they feel that they can now conquer anything that comes their way.

To help someone get stronger is to give them the tools and guidance they need to achieve their goals. As a physiotherapist, I am not there to simply provide care and have patients depend upon me. I want them to be able to be independent and functional by themselves. I am simply a person in the background that can help and encourage them along the way. They are essentially the key to their own successes.