Working Abroad: USA.

Do you have a desire to wake up looking out onto The Big Apple, The Golden Gate, Grand Canyon or Niagara? Maybe the United States has what your looking for!

The USA has been a popular destination for Irish Emigrants for centuries. No matter where you go in America you are sure to find an Irish community who will welcome you with open arms.

Irish physiotherapists are popular in the USA and highly sought after. Irish Physiotherapists often avoid the USA because of their registration process. I hope to explain the registration process with some helpful links!

Physio-pedia has some very helpful websites posted which I investigated further.

There are many job opportunities for Irish physiotherapists in the USA, these can be found on the American Physical Therapy Association webpage. Starting salary for a basic grade physiotherapist is around $60,000. ($45,000/€34,000 after tax.) 

Requirements to begin your registration process:

• Your college must release transcripts to FCCPT.
• Proof of licence to practice from ISCP.
• Copy of your degree, which must be signed by a notary public. (Your solicitor may be a notary public.)
• A declaration form stating that all information provided by you is correct.
• A passport photo signed by a notary public.

Registration process:

This is divided into 5 sections. 

Step 1: Prior to registration you must attain 30 additional credits.

This can be attained via CLEP(College-level examination programme). This allows you the opportunity to get college credits for subjects you already know. For example: Human growth and development. Most exams correspond to one semester modules and are mainly MCQ style exams. They are 90 minutes in duration and cost $80 each. The good news is that there are 4 test centres in the UK, so there's no need to travel to the USA for this!

Step 2: You must receive vetting from the APTA, which is made up of 53 jurisdictions.  Each jurisdiction has its own vetting process.

For example: In Illinois the Illinois Physical Therapy Association has no information for individuals looking for license who have a license to practice in another country. But there is a requirement for a minimum of masters degree in physiotherapy. 

In Massachusetts there is no information for foreign members, but degree needs to be equivalent of US programme.

You should contact the  PT association in the jurisdiction you are interested on working in for more detailed information. A list of the jurisdictions can be found Here. 

Step 3: You are required to apply online via Foreign credentialing commission on Physical Therapy for a type 1 review (for Irish looking for visa.).  This is recognised in all 53 jurisdictions by the licensing agencies. All applications may be made online through www.fccpt.org. You will be provided with an advisory report deciding if your education and training is equivalent to US standards. Applications are usually processed in about 8 weeks.

Step 4: Permission to work in the USA must be applied for through the US citizenship and immigration services. More information can be found at USCIS. 

Step 5: Licence to practice can be gotten through sitting the national physical therapy exam (NPTE). this may be sat in any jurisdiction but you cannot schedule an exam until the jurisdiction you are applying to approves your registration. Exams are help 4 times a year. With all the information you need on FSBPT.

Costs of registration:

CLEP exams: $80.00 per exam.

FCCPT registration: $750.00

Individual state fees: $60-245.00.

APTA registration(optional): $295.00.

NPTE Exam: $400.00.

An example of a reputable physiotherapy company who has accepted Irish students for clinical placement in the past is Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers. This company has over 200 outpatient facilities in 8 states across the USA. They provide an excellent service and have wonderful physiotherapists and clients who welcome Irish physiotherapists wholeheartedly.

We hope this will be of help to anyone interested in going to the USA. Feel free to comment below!

LS.

Physiotherapy in your community

The Health Service Executive (HSE) defined primary care as “an approach to care that includes a range of services designed to keep people well, from promotion of health and screening for disease to assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation as well as personal social services.” Primary care teams (PCT) are multi-disciplinary teams that work together in order to manage patients. This team will serve a population of 10,000 people based on the HSE Primary Care Strategy. The team will comprise a general practitioner, public health nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, social worker, health care assistant, home help team, receptionist, clerical officer and administer. Network support will include a pharmacist, dentist, dietician, psychologist, speech and language therapist, early Intervention team and a community welfare officer. There are 10-20 PCTs in each of the 26 Local Health Offices around Ireland. Check out the HSE website http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/healthcentres/ to find your nearest primary care centre. 

 The development of primary care aims to relieve pressure from the secondary services. As a result of this aim, the government will be opening more physiotherapy positions around the country in the coming year. Keep an eye on the HSE jobs website http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/jobs  as well as the other job websites previously mentioned by AOS. 

Until these positions become available, you could find out what services are available in your local area and decide how to enhance these services. Many primary care centres currently have limited resources. By setting up exercise classes, you can create another resource for your local physiotherapist to draw from. Visit your local primary care centre and establish what gaps there are in the services being offered. 

Setting up exercise classes is a great way to get involved in your community as well as promoting health and well-being.

Here are some examples of exercise classes:

-Pilates

-Chronic pain circuit based classes

-Falls prevention

-Bone health

-Disease specific classes: Multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation

-Mental health

-Ante/post-natal education and Pilates

-Swimming classes/Hydrotherapy

-Post Stroke rehabilitation

Local sports clubs are another great way of getting involved in your community and enhancing your skills. http://www.localclubsireland.com/ offers links to 5,858 sports clubs around the country. Find one in your area and contact them to see how you could get involved. It could be providing physiotherapy/first aid to a team during a match or organising fitness training to facilitate health promotion or providing physiotherapy to club members as required. Sports clubs and events are also great ways to get networking!

Although some of these positions may start as volunteering, they can easily become a full-time paid position if you demonstrate your dedication.

Spinal Injuries Ireland are always welcoming volunteers. Check out their website for more information: http://www.spinalinjuries.ie/ Garda vetting is required.

Childhood obesity is now an epidemic in Ireland and as exercise experts, we should be using our skills to educate parents and children alike on how to combat obesity and the risks it poses. Contact your local primary schools to see if you can get involved in P.E. classes and sports promotion. 

We must spread our knowledge to empower the public. 

As you can see there are many ways to get involved in community physiotherapy. There are so many options to build on your skills so don't hesitate to GET INVOLVED!!!

SOF

Physiotherapy in Dubai!

Fancy working in a land of desert, riches and Arabian nights?!
Well Dubai has all this and much more to offer!

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates located in the Middle East. Home to the tallest building in the world (The Burj Khalifa), this city thrives on innovation to improve its business and tourism industries. The official language spoken here is Arabic but English is also widely used. The city is a highly cosmopolitan city with a large community of expatriates and a high quality healthcare system. The Dubai Healthcare city (DHCC) was launched to meet the demand for high-quality, patient-centred healthcare. Today, DHCC is home to two hospitals, over 120 outpatient medical centres and diagnostic laboratories with over 3700 licensed professionals occupying 4.1 million square feet in the heart of Dubai.

In order to work as a physiotherapist in Dubai, physiotherapy graduates must have at least two years experience working as a physiotherapist. Senior physiotherapists require minimum 7 years work experience, or 5 years with a Masters degree.

The requirements for registration with the Dubai Health Authority are as follows:

• Bachelor degree in physiotherapy
• Proof of work experience (minimum 2 years)
• Licence to practice – obtained through the Dubai Health Authority online
• Completed Dubai Health Authority assessment (An online application for professional licensure must be completed in order to book an exam)
• Certificate of good standing – application may be filled in through the Dubai Health Authority online
• Sponsorship is required to work in Dubai – a hospital may act as a sponsor once employment has been gained
• Dubai working visa

The total cost of the registration process is €525 and the breakdown of costs can be found below:

Licensing Assessment Fee: €50
Credentialing fee: €40
New Licence fee: €205
DHA assessment test: €130
Certificate of good standing fee: €100
Total: €525


The assessment can be a computer based exam or an oral exam. The results are valid for one year after completion of the assessment and it can be sat a maximum of three times. Further information can be found on:http://www.dha.gov.ae/EN/SectorsDirectorates/Directorates/HealthRegulation/MedicalComplaint/Documents/Chapter6-DHA%20Assessment.pdf

The salary of a physiotherapist varies depending on one's nationality and university of study. European degrees are highly regarded and you could earn up to €8,275 per month. 

The working week is on average between 40 and 48 hours, with Friday as the Muslim day of rest.
Although Dubai has a very diverse society, Islam is the predominant religion. This must be respected and expatriates must be mindful of local traditions.

Some useful websites include The Dubai Health Authority: http://www.dha.gov.ae/EN/SectorsDirectorates/Directorates/HealthRegulation/HealthProfessionals/Alliedhealth/Pages/AlliedHealth.aspx
The Dubai Healthcare City: http://www.dhcc.ae/
Definitely Dubai: http://living.definitelydubai.com/facts-a-figures

 

So when you've got your two years experience, consider moving to Dubai for an incredible adventure and sun all year round!

SOF

Working in the UK

Hi There

Just a quick work on working in the UK as a physiotherapist:

Working in the UK

There are two ways that exist for people who wish to work in the UK as a physiotherapist.

The first one for is for those who fall within the European Economic which includes all the EU countries plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

The second is for those living outside the European Economic Area, this includes all other countries.

This blog will mainly deal with information that is in relation to people from the European Economic Area, but there will be links at the bottom of this page with information for anyone that is from outside the European Union.

The first thing that you must do is to get registered by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They are the regulatory body for the physiotherapy and a number of other healthcare professions in the UK.

The HCPC also are the body that will verify and credit you qualifications. The registration route that all new graduates must use is the International registration route; the application progress has four steps which are out lined below.

Step one: Application received by the HCPC – at this stage if your application is accepted for processing they will take the scrutiny payment at this stage and send you a receipt for that.

If your application is not accepted for processing, it will be returned to you along with your scrutiny payment and reasons why you application was not accepted.

Step two: Initial processing – this normally four weeks from receipt.

During this period they will contact your education provider, any relevant regulatory or professional bodies and any professional referees. This is to verify the information that you have provided.

Step three: Assessment of qualification – this normally twelve weeks from the end of stage 2.

The next stage is the assessment of your education, training and experience. Your application will be sent to two assessors. Who will consider all of the information that you have submitted before making their recommendation. When the assessors have given their recommendation it will then be reviewed by the Education and Training Committee (ETC) who will send you their final decision.

Step 4: Feedback from the assessors

At this stage you are able to get specific feedback from the assessors on you applicant if needs be.

Then following your acceptance for admission to be registered, you have to pay a registration fee of £76 per year.

Cited Source: Health and Care Professions, available at http://www.hpc-uk.org/apply/international/ accessed: 13/05/2013.

Following registration of the HCPC you can also register with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, but it is not compulsively for any physiotherapist in the UK to join it and you are still able to work in the HSE without being a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. If you want more information on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy UK, Please follow the link at the bottom of this page.

The last part of today’s post is just a quick breakdown of the stranded salaries of physiotherapist working in the NHS. Band 5 = basic grade physio, Band 6 = 3 year or more experiences, band 7 = senior grade physiotherapist.

The starting salary for a physiotherapist in (NHS) is £21,176-£27,625 (Band 5). This can rise to £25,528-£34,189 for specialist physiotherapists (Band 6) and £30,460-£40,157 for advanced physiotherapists (Band 7).

The NHS offers a generous amount of annual leave of 27 days to newly qualified physiotherapists.

Physiotherapists typically work 37.5 hours a week. The hours are usually during daytime between Monday and Friday. Some weekend and night duty on a rota basis may be required and newly qualified staffs are not exempt.

Cited Source: prospects.ac.uk, available at: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/physiotherapist_salary.htm accessed: 13/05/2013.

 

Useful Websites:

Health and Care Professions Council

www.hpc-uk.org

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy UK

www.csp.org.uk

Physiotherapist - NHS Careers

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/allied-health-professions/careers-in-the-allied-health-professions/physiotherapist/

HM Revenue & Customs: Coming to work in the UK

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/

Important websites for Non European Economic Area

UK Border and Immigration Authority

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/

UK - Workpermit.com

http://www.workpermit.com/uk/



DW

Keep your eyes open

And most importantly: Don't Panic!!! 

There are always options....

Volunteering: VSO

VSO Physiotherapy Volunteer Opportunities Website

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers working with local organisations that serve poor people. They help give children a future through education. They improve the standards of care in hospitals. They train poor people in the skills they need to earn a living.

VSO work in the world’s least developed countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

We help people escape poverty by:

• improving health and education services
• helping people access enough food and income
• making governments and service providers accountable to communities

VSO are occasionally looking for experienced physiotherapists to develop rehabilitation services in hospitals and community-based clinics.

Roles are generally longer term, ranging from one to two years, but they also sometimes have short-term assignments for up to six months.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Registered Physiotherapist
• At least five years' post-qualifying experience including experience of working with disabled people and, ideally, experience of managing or training others. 
• Experience in a community setting is an advantage for many roles, which involve creating services to support disabled people outside of a hospital setting.

This would be a great opportunity to help people, as well as increasing your skills and challenging yourself. However, because they require experience, it would be a better idea for further down the line in your career.

There are a few step to follow in the registration process too, all of which can be found on their website (How to Apply)

SOM

Volunteering: YWAM Medical Ships, Australia

YWAM Medical Ships Australia Website

Volunteering on YWAM's Medical Ship is an adventure filled opportunity where you can make a real difference and experience the beautiful Papua New Guinea culture. 

They offer volunteer positions for: 

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Midwives
• Physiotherapists
• Pharmacists
• Dentists
• Dental Assistants
• Optometrists
• Ophthalmologists
• Ophthalmic Scrub Nurses
• Orthoptists

The vessel is fully equipped with an on-board clinic. They partner with local health care providers to provide quality training and medical care to some of the world's most remote areas. 

Their placements are for a minimum of three weeks at a time.

They offer a range of Outreaches of which you can choose the one that suits you best. Here is the list of their Outreaches for 2013:

Outreach 1: May 9 to May 26 - Gulf Province
Outreach 2: May 30 to June 16 - Gulf Province
Outreach 3: June 20 to July 7 - Gulf Province
Outreach 4: July 20 to July 28 - Port Moresby
Outreach 5: August 1 to August 18 - Western Province
Outreach 6: August 22 to September 8 - Western Province
Outreach 7: September 12 to September 29 - Western Province

SOM