The Shadow
Who is the shadow?
The Shadow is the all seeing, all knowing face of the Physio Students who will try to provide insight into Physio life at LaTrobe.
Feel free to ask The Shadow a question regarding LaTrobe Physio - shadow@latrobepsa.com
The Shadow - Picking the Grad Ball Awards
The 2009 Physio Grad Ball has begun preparation. And now we need you to help and make it a great night.
The Grad Ball Awards Nominations will be flying around on emails leading up to the Grad Ball (28th November), here are the current categories
Hottest Lecturer
Best Lecturer
Most likely to become a lecturer
Friendliest Person
Latest to class
Hairiest in prac class
Best past or present couple
Quiet achiever
Physio you would send your mum to
Most likely to crack onto their patient
Miss Physio (Best looking female)
Mr Physio (Best looking male)
Most likely to get together at graduation
Best gluteal folds (Male and Female)
Best pec major (Female)
The sculpt award (Best Guns - Male)
Biggest drunk
Most sleeps in lectures
Biggest nerd
Best dressed
Worst dressed
Most annoying
IT award (Most webct posts)
Incest award (Most intraphysio pickups)
Encouragement award
Everyone in 4th year is given the chance to vote on the awards in Brownlow style (3, 2 and 1) and the points will be tallied up to have an overall winner.
If you have any ideas on extra awards please send them to admin@latrobepsa.com and happy voting 4th years.
NB - expect nomination forms to be sent around via the La Trobe Emails in the coming months.
The Shadow Answers
What are the main differences between the Old and New Physio Course?
Anonymous
Up until entry level 2008 students were studying a 4 Year Bachelor of Physiotherapy Program where as now the 2009 entrants have a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Physiotherapy Practice.
The “Old” course was set up so that Students would slowly progress through Anatomy, Physiology, Biosciences, Behaviour and Basic Physio Skills from First Year and progress on each as the Years went on.
What this will mean as even though the students will not have done any “specific” Physio Subjects, they will be much more prepared for 2nd year and be able to retain more information from Anatomy and Physio/Exercise Subjects.
- First Years from other Health Science Courses taking the Common First Year to transfer directly into Second Year Physiotherapy (assuming their GPA allows and places are available) where as previously they had to start from First year
- A new entry point for students who have completed a relevant Batchelor degree directly into 3rd year
- A new exit point for students to Graduate with a Bachelor of Health Sciences at the end of 3rd year.
Please note: This is not official and for more information contact LaTrobe School of Physiotherapy or see
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/health/curriculum_reform/new_curriculum_reform_2009.html
The Shadow Reports
Ross Iles - 4th Year Co-ordinator
S: What were you like as a Student?
Hmmm, I’d like to say I always paid attention in lectures, kept fantastic notes and was always prepared for class. In reality lectures were a battle against the dreaded nanna-nap (yes, I know what 8 o’clock starts are like), my skills notes were unreadable and rarely made sense and I remember once (and only once) doing the pre-reading for a neuro prac class only to find out the timetable had changed and we were doing a different prac. I struggled with flexion and extension at the knee (those were early days!) and a friend laughing at me when I didn’t understand the difference between active and passive insufficiency. And I do remember a musc prac quiz where I swore I had never heard anything to do with a question - only to be told we’d had a lecture on that topic that very morning… Despite all that I did study a quite a bit once I had worked out what worked for me, and ended up doing quite well.
S: What got you involved working at the University in the first place?
Despite my friend laughing at me on the phone when I had a question, I really liked helping others out with the stuff I understood but they couldn’t quite get. It also dawned on me that the part of physio I really liked was the patient education bit. I managed to do well with my honours thesis and working at the uni was somewhere I could combine some teaching, research and physio all in one. Sometimes things just work out and now I have a full time position. Teaching physio students is great - everyone is intelligent and good looking.
S: Really? - Ok, How has the role of 1st and now 4th year co-ordinator changed you from being a 1st year tutor?
I wore shorts every single day I came to uni (there was one day where I had to come to uni straight after clinic - I had pants on then but that doesn’t count). Then when I worked in private practice I wore shorts everyday. When I changed to become a home physio the company I worked for had a uniform policy and shorts didn’t make the grade. As much of a crime as it is to cover up my shins (hello ladies) the bills had to be paid and I had to wear pants. At least being a tutor at uni I could feel the breeze on my gastrocs as God intended. However, I was finding I needed to head from uni to work and to recruit patients for my research projects - taking a change of clothes everywhere I went was getting ridiculous. Now my calves only get to graze on the weekends…
S: And lastly Ross, do you still see friends that you graduated with from Physio?
Not as often as I would like - life gets in the way. Heaps of my friends have worked overseas and travelled etc, but my path has been a little different. I still catch up with some regularly and that’s great, but some I have no idea what they’re up to now. When you finish physio make an effort to keep in touch! At least you know the people you nuded up with in 1st year (or later for the new course) will always be your mates.
