Physiotherapists in demand but no jobs

A startling 59 percent of graduate Physiotherapists failed to find jobs as Physiotherapists last year.  Physiotherapy is a four year degree course with CAO entry points of 555.

The job options for Physiotherapists who do not find employment are few.  Working as a Health Care Assistant is one option, and many Physiotherapists work as HCA’s as students.  There is really nothing else even vaguely related that is left open with the qualification.

A particularly frustrating element of this situation is that Physiotherapists are in demand.  Patients have to wait anything up to a year to get an appointment.  The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) have sought to get recognition of their services for the GMS scheme.  This would mean that private Physiotherapy practices would be accessible to patients who cannot afford private treatment.

With the current HSE theme of massive cutbacks it hardly seem likely that this will happen in the near future.  It is in fact purely budgetary constraints is causing the low employment numbers of Physiotherapists.  Medical jobs in general are under assault. This is not without consequence for the patients.

The population in general tend to think of Physiotherapy as being for sports injuries.  This is only a tiny part of the usfulness of Physiotherapists.  Their job is vital to those recovering from strokes for example.  Unfortunatley these patients receive less than ideal levels of treatment in Ireland because there are too many patients spread throughout too few Physiotherapists.

Recovery time after a knee or hip replacement is absolutely linked with the levels of physiotherapy received.  More importantly the quality of the recovery from such procedures is reliant on good and reqular physiotherapy. The phrase “use it or lose it” springs to mind.  A little harsh perhaps, but that is what Physiotherapists do. . . . they ensure that a new knee will be a new knee and not a frozen joint that is more trouble than it was worth.  Physiotherapy often makes the difference between major outcomes such as whether a patient will walk or be confined to a wheelchair.

Physiotherapists need jobs.  Patients need Physiotherapists.  The HSE can’t create those Physiotherapy jobs because of budgetary constraints.  It would be foolish to advise any school leaver to choose Physiotherapy as a career for the forseeable future.