THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO GIVE A SHORT PRESENTATION ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS IN MY COUNTRY BELGIUM. WITH THE HELP OF MY DUTCH FRIENDS THOM MAY AND KASPER BOS I WAS ABLE TO HITCHHIKE FROM BELGIUM TO NANCY. ONCE WE ARRIVED, WE IMMEDIATELY HAD TO JOIN LUCAS BRINK AND ANNA RICKEN WHO WERE INFORMING THE FRENCH STUDENTS ABOUT THE RECENTLY CREATED AND UPCOMING PHYSIO COUCH CONCEPT. EVENTUALLY THE INTERNATIONAL TEAM CONSISTED OFF 7 STUDENTS (ANNA, LUDMILLA, LAURA, KASPER, LUCAS, THOM AND MYSELF) FROM 6 DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES.
FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED I INSTANTLY BECAME POSITIVELY INSPIRED BY THE VERY WARM AND WELCOMING MENTALITY OF THE FRENCH STUDENTS. SELDOM HAD I SEEN SUCH ENTHUSIASM AND COHERENCE AMONGST PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS FROM THE SAME COUNTRY. I AM VERY HAPPY AND THANKFUL THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SOME OF THE LOCAL STUDENTS AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF FNEK, WHICH IS SIMPLY AMAZING. IN MY OPINION IT IS HARD TO FIND NATIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENT STRUCTURES THAT ARE SO WELL ORGANIZED AS THE FNEK. ALTHOUGH THERE IS VERY LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT ON PHYSIOTHERAPY EDUCATION IN FRANCE, THE FNEK SUCCEEDS IN CREATING A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION WHICH CONTAINS AROUND 2000 MOTIVATED MEMBERS FROM AROUND ALL OF THE REGIONS IN FRANCE, HOSTS ALMOST EVERY MONTH A NATIONAL EVENT AND IS EVER PRESENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. THEY EVEN CREATED THEIR OWN PRIVATE ONLINE PLATFORM ‘BRE@K’.
I FOLLOWED A WORKSHOP ON THIS HOME GROWN STUDENT PLATFORM AND WAS SIMPLY BAFFLED BY THE CREATIVITY IT ADVERTISED AND THE POSSIBILITIES IT CREATED. BRE@K WAS CREATED A FEW YEARS AGO BY RAPHAËL GRELLET AND MAX EMBRIION CAB. THIS ELECTRONIC STUDENT PLATFORM IS COMPLETELY EXCLUSIVE FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS AND CONSISTS OF 5 COMPONENTS: A SOCIAL PLATFORM, AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF FRANCE WHERE YOU CAN FIND INTERNSHIP LOCATIONS, A FORUM WHERE DIFFERENT PHYSIOTHERAPY TOPICS CAN BE DISCUSSED, THE ‘PHYSIOTECH’ EXERCISE GENERATOR AND A VIDEO DATABASE WITH EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE GIVEN COURSES. AS A CO-HOST FOR THE UPCOMING PHYSIO COUCH EVENT IN GHENT IN MARCH OF NEXT YEAR, I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE INTERACTIVE MAP CONCEPT. THIS INTERACTIVE TOOL ALLOWS THE FRENCH PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS TO SEARCH FOR AN INTERNSHIP ANYWHERE IN FRANCE, BASED ON THE AVAILABLE LOCATIONS THAT CAN BE FOUND ON THE MAP. EVEN FILTERS CAN BE ADDED ON AVAILABLE ACCOMMODATION OR ON PATIENT POPULATION THAT IS TREATED IN THE LOCAL FACILITIES.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS TOOL CAN BE A VERY HELPFUL ADDENDUM IN EXPANDING THE PHYSIO COUCH CONCEPT IN ORDER TO HELP AS MUCH PHYSIO’S AS POSSIBLE FIND A COUCH IN A WAY THAT IS AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. HOPEFULLY IN THIS WAY THIS EVER-GROWING STUDENT NETWORK CAN KEEP ON EVOLVING, MORE PEOPLE CAN SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IN A WAY THAT IS TOTALLY OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND THE PHYSIOTHERAPY WORLD BECOMES YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD.
LOUIS DESMET, ECPTS REPRESENTATIVE OF BELGIUM
FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED I INSTANTLY BECAME POSITIVELY INSPIRED BY THE VERY WARM AND WELCOMING MENTALITY OF THE FRENCH STUDENTS. SELDOM HAD I SEEN SUCH ENTHUSIASM AND COHERENCE AMONGST PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS FROM THE SAME COUNTRY. I AM VERY HAPPY AND THANKFUL THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SOME OF THE LOCAL STUDENTS AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF FNEK, WHICH IS SIMPLY AMAZING. IN MY OPINION IT IS HARD TO FIND NATIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENT STRUCTURES THAT ARE SO WELL ORGANIZED AS THE FNEK. ALTHOUGH THERE IS VERY LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT ON PHYSIOTHERAPY EDUCATION IN FRANCE, THE FNEK SUCCEEDS IN CREATING A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION WHICH CONTAINS AROUND 2000 MOTIVATED MEMBERS FROM AROUND ALL OF THE REGIONS IN FRANCE, HOSTS ALMOST EVERY MONTH A NATIONAL EVENT AND IS EVER PRESENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. THEY EVEN CREATED THEIR OWN PRIVATE ONLINE PLATFORM ‘BRE@K’.
I FOLLOWED A WORKSHOP ON THIS HOME GROWN STUDENT PLATFORM AND WAS SIMPLY BAFFLED BY THE CREATIVITY IT ADVERTISED AND THE POSSIBILITIES IT CREATED. BRE@K WAS CREATED A FEW YEARS AGO BY RAPHAËL GRELLET AND MAX EMBRIION CAB. THIS ELECTRONIC STUDENT PLATFORM IS COMPLETELY EXCLUSIVE FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS AND CONSISTS OF 5 COMPONENTS: A SOCIAL PLATFORM, AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF FRANCE WHERE YOU CAN FIND INTERNSHIP LOCATIONS, A FORUM WHERE DIFFERENT PHYSIOTHERAPY TOPICS CAN BE DISCUSSED, THE ‘PHYSIOTECH’ EXERCISE GENERATOR AND A VIDEO DATABASE WITH EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE GIVEN COURSES. AS A CO-HOST FOR THE UPCOMING PHYSIO COUCH EVENT IN GHENT IN MARCH OF NEXT YEAR, I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE INTERACTIVE MAP CONCEPT. THIS INTERACTIVE TOOL ALLOWS THE FRENCH PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS TO SEARCH FOR AN INTERNSHIP ANYWHERE IN FRANCE, BASED ON THE AVAILABLE LOCATIONS THAT CAN BE FOUND ON THE MAP. EVEN FILTERS CAN BE ADDED ON AVAILABLE ACCOMMODATION OR ON PATIENT POPULATION THAT IS TREATED IN THE LOCAL FACILITIES.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS TOOL CAN BE A VERY HELPFUL ADDENDUM IN EXPANDING THE PHYSIO COUCH CONCEPT IN ORDER TO HELP AS MUCH PHYSIO’S AS POSSIBLE FIND A COUCH IN A WAY THAT IS AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. HOPEFULLY IN THIS WAY THIS EVER-GROWING STUDENT NETWORK CAN KEEP ON EVOLVING, MORE PEOPLE CAN SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IN A WAY THAT IS TOTALLY OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND THE PHYSIOTHERAPY WORLD BECOMES YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD.
LOUIS DESMET, ECPTS REPRESENTATIVE OF BELGIUM