What inspired you to pursue the Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree at UBC?
I love people and I love hospitals so I wanted to find a career that would allow me to have both but also with a work-life balance. Physiotherapy is such a huge field, and it is truly your oyster, you can do community exercise classes, work in a private clinic, teach in a physiotherapy program, visit people in their homes, create programs for seniors, see outpatient clients, see patients in the ICU, patients in a rehab setting, the list is never-ending. I cannot wait to further explore this field, and I know I will never be bored or tired of one thing because of the vast variety.
I came into this program after completing my bachelor’s degree in biology from Vancouver Island University, where small class sizes are the norm. It was something I valued so UBC offering smaller cohorts was very appealing to me.
How was your experience in the MPT program?
My experience was so great, and it was mostly due to the fact that I was in the Northern cohort, I would choose that cohort over and over again. Prince George teaches you a lot of things about physiotherapy of course, but also life. For example, you cannot put -20 degree antifreeze fluid in your car on the Island and then drive it up north for school during winter because your radiator will freeze….
We truly did everything together in PG, we were a family. We did class together all day, then went to the gym together, met up on the weekend to study in groups, hung out and explored PG with the same crew, and then also played intermural sports together. You become very close with your class, and it just makes the learning experience that much more enjoyable because everyone has your back, if you miss a day, 20 people are offering to catch you up on a random Saturday. If you’re stuck in the snow, everyone will give you a ride.
The community in Prince George and the faculty at UNBC are elite, and the facility itself is gorgeous.
What do you want to tell new physical therapy students about what they can expect during the program?
The first two blocks are so hard but so worth the struggle because once you get to your first placement, you start to imagine what your post grad life will look like and it all becomes very real very fast. These will be the fastest yet slowest two years of your life so enjoy every moment of it.
How did you enjoy the community(s) you visited while on placement?
Out of all of my placements, the one I did in Salmon Arm really stuck out to me because that was when I first realized the scope and magnitude of the physiotherapy field. My preceptor, Laura Paiement, taught me so much and she is such a rock star. She fueled a fire in me to do more, because there is so much, and I will forever be grateful to her. I was also very fortunate to have stayed with a local doctor’s family in Salmon Arm, they made me feel at home.
Where are you hoping the MPT program takes you? What’s next?
I am very fortunate to be working at the Advanced Sport and Health Clinic in Nanaimo, BC. They are one of the best teams that I have come across in my journey, and they were the reason that I was inspired to apply to physio school in the first place, so I am very excited to get going and start learning from the best.
Along with private practice, I hope to be working at the hospital in Nanaimo because acute care has a special place in my heart. Eventually, down the road, I would love to explore running exercise classes for patients with Parkinson’s disease as well as running classes for my Punjabi community in Punjabi.