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On the 11th of August I had the opportunity to visit the physiotherapy practice – Active health services – in Timaru. Timaru is a short drive (~ 2 hours) away from Christchurch, where I flew into New Zealand. In the greater scheme of things that is on all accounts a very short trip within the South island!!
On arriving in Timaru, I found the practice was very easy to find. The practice itself is right behind a small hospital which I think is very beneficial. To me this meant that not only does one treat the average client, but also has the opportunity to work with post op patients. I was quite apprehensive as to what I would see when I arrived at the practice, rehab wise.
However, when I was there, I found that the practice contained everything in general that would be utilised in a typical musculoskeletal outpatients setting over here. One thing I particularly liked was the fact that you did not have cubicles per se with curtains. There were proper individual rooms, which gave one both privacy and space. There was also a rehabilitation room, which contained plinths and a lot of tools to work with patients, including cross-trainer, pilates reformer, weights machines and other useful pieces of equipment for treatment.
As I was in Timaru I had the opportunity to talk with one of the Directors of AHS, namely Brett. I found Brett, to be incredibly friendly and helpful. I also briefly met the other physiotherapists in the practice, whilst touring the facilities and found them all to be friendly.
Whilst at the practice, I found it to be a very relaxing environment and the staff, were easy going. This really appealed to me, as on placements throughout my degree, I had many placements where the tension among staff was a nightmare.
Timaru itself I really liked. It is right by the sea, and the mountains are always in view. Within minutes one would find oneself in quiet, open space out in the countryside, which again really appealed to me, but to be fair, that is what most of the south island is like. Some of the main reasons I was so taken with Timaru in general, was the fact that the staff were very welcoming and friendly at the practice. The town is small, but yet not too small. It is easy driving distance to the south and north of the south island. One can go skiing down in Queenstown (~4 hours drive south), or whale watching in Kaikoura (~4 hours drive north) Also, there is so much opportunity for sporting activities in general.
I hope this information gave a little insight about the practice and Timaru in general. If anyone has any questions, do not hesitate to email me at hfoley22@hotmail.com.
Yours
Heather Foley Back to Recruitment Section
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