I have never not been a physiotherapist in a long and eclectic career that has seen me living and working on three continents and both within the profession (as a clinician, service manager, academic and researcher) and outside (in national disability policy, disability data development and as a non-government organisation advisor).
Throughout my career, the education at Addenbrooke’s Hospital School of Physiotherapy in the 1970s has been a sound foundation for lifelong education; both formal and informal. I started a degree in Psychology (Unfinished due to meeting my husband and migrating to Australia.) which led to a better understanding of the relationship between body and mind. An MSc in Rehabilitation Studies introduced me to the International Classification of Impairments, Disability and Handicap (ICIDH); revised to become the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). This, and practicing in occupational health and ergonomics led to a better understanding of the importance of contextual factors in achieving positive outcomes with the people/patients/clients. Working outside the profession led to a better understanding of the profession and how it relates to other disciplines, organisations (DPOs, NGOs, INGOs) and the wider world of government, policy and administration at local, national and international levels.
A short-lived idea of a career change whilst my children were very young found me doing librarianship studies. The course on classification was influential in the work I do on the development and maintenance of the ICF and, more recently, on the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). By organising information according to a principle enables the exploration of the subject and recognition of the gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies and thereby challenging assumptions and stimulating new thoughts, hypotheses, and research; leading to new knowledge, which in turn informs classification principles.
Eclectic by nature, I enjoy the challenge of new ideas and ways of thinking. The CPN provides many of those challenges and keeps me thinking critically.
Interests relating to critical physiotherapy: Thinking about what the profession has been, what it is now and what it could be and how to move forward so that all people who could benefit from physiotherapy do. Bringing thinking from other disciplines to enhance physiotherapy.
Any other thoughts about you and the CPN: I am enjoying having my knowledge and thinking challenged and extended and hope whatever I am able to contribute will be of benefit to others in the network.
Email address: crsykes@gmail.com
Location (city/town, country): Canberra, Australia; London, UK
Current position(s):
Senior Research Fellow, University of Sydney; Professional Policy
Consultant, World Confederation for Physical Therapy
Links
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/crsykes?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.