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What is a 'treatment toolbox'? Depending on where you studied physiotherapy, this may or may not be a familiar term - a quick web search provided mixed results! If the term is new to you, a physio's treatment toolbox is not really about physical equipment - goniometer anyone? The term relates to our personal skills, knowledge and experience that we utilise when it comes to treatments. What are the benefits? Whilst it can be easy to fall into a routine of using a few preferred treatment methods, building a metaphorical toolbox of physio treatment options can provide many benefits... open up opportunities and career progression stand out as a job applicant and interviewee support meeting work-based competencies add variety to treatment sessions improve effectiveness and outcomes of physio treatments easier to personalise treatment plans able to offer newer or up-to-date treatments supports personal development confidence builder opportunity to develop usable skills outside of work role Why might we feel less confident about our experience with physiotherapy treatments? Seeing patients/service users and receiving their feedback and that of our peers, is key to building treatment experience but this takes time and requires suitable opportunities. Unlike some other areas of physio, gaining treatment experience is one of the areas most limited by time. We can’t hurry a tendinopathy or ACL post-op recovery, or guarantee that the same conditions will arrive in the same week so we can get all our practise in at once! For newer graduates, there may be requirements to complete a certain amount of time as a qualified physio for entry to post-graduate courses and it takes time to complete post-graduate qualifications whilst balancing work. On the other hand, for those who are more experienced, there is the requirement to remain current throughout our careers as treatment approaches evolve with updated guidelines and research. With this in mind, it is understandable that our treatment skills may not feel as strong or varied as some of our other areas of practice. Where to start – Identifying treatment areas to develop If you're unsure of where to start, here are a few points to consider when identifying areas of physiotherapy treatment you may want to develop: Work or career requirement - in your specialism, rotation or practice, are there any skills that you are required to learn for meeting role specific competencies? Or is there a technique regularly used that you’d like to learn, such as cardiac/pulmonary rehab , hydrotherapy , manual therapy or taping ?   Interest in a particular area or specialism - do you have an interest or passion in developing a particular treatment style, such as electrotherapy , vestibular rehab, hydrotherapy or massage and manual therapy ? Career changes, rotations and interviews  - maybe you have an upcoming rotation such as  neuro rehab , paediatrics or   w omen's health  that requires specialism specific treatment skills and knowledge? Or perhaps you need to learn about different treatment styles for an upcoming interview or career change? Gaps in knowledge/experience  - is there a treatment technique you're unsure of, feeling anxious about, or routinely asking for support with? Plugging the gaps in your knowledge, turning a weakness into a strength, or just reducing some of the anxiety around a certain area is a confidence builder and great personal development technique. Confidence building  - as noted above, gaining experience in areas we feel weaker can be a confidence builder. If assessing and diagnosing are your strengths, why not round your abilities with further work on treatment?   Feedback - reflecting on any treatment feedback you've received from peers, patients/service users, management etc may help highlight areas you wish to develop. Diversifying your skill set, complimentary skills and side hustles  - many treatment styles such as yoga , Pilates , acupuncture and manual therapy  are suitable for a variety of physio specialisms, but are also suitable to run as stand-alone businesses or side hustles. Don’t forget to look into the correct insurances if you’re branching out on your own. Transferrable skills  - sometimes it's easy to narrow our focus to the areas we work in, but some skills and qualities are not only transferrable but also beneficial to most physiotherapy roles. Areas that are particularly beneficial include people skills and leadership , mental health and wellbeing , pain management and working with elderly populations .   Expand core knowledge  - maybe it's time to build on your core knowledge, there is a wealth of strength, stretch , balance , cardio , mobility/functional movement and general rehab exercise resources out there. There's also a variety of free and paid subscription sites and apps for exercise prescription and exercise handouts  for gaining inspiration to help add to your existing treatment methods. New research and techniques  - whether you're keeping up with students, current guidelines or research, the frequently evolving world of physio is likely to require updates and changes to your treatment skills and techniques over time. Has there been any recent updates in your field or scope of practice? Hobbies or passion  - some physios have hobbies, interests and leisure activities that can be incorporated into physio treatments, such as sports, dance, virtual reality, gaming, therapy animals, crafting, the list goes on. This can be especially relevant when working in rehab, the community and with paediatric  and elderly populations. Treatment methods that inspire, motivate and uplift with an element of fun, or that relate to peoples interests, can be particularly effective and are adaptable to include family, friends and support networks. Don't be deterred if your workplace does not currently have any suitable projects. Some of the most inspiring physios have introduced projects like these into their workplaces, if pitching an idea to safely incorporate something new is possible, why not give it a try?   When to start – Make a list and prioritise Once you’ve identified what you’re interested in, it may be helpful to construct a list and prioritise items based on your current needs and circumstances: Short term: Make a list and prioritise where to start - if you're unsure of where to start, try making a list of treatment areas, skills or qualifications that you're interested in pursuing. Next spend some time prioritising. Start with your full list and prioritise items which are time critical, such as meeting role competencies, or skills required for an imminent rotation or new job. Midterm: Get planning - once the time critical items have been accounted for, spend some time finding relevant webinars, courses, resources etc for each item on the list. (See the next section for tips on finding methods and resources) . If they are currently affordable for you (time and money wise) these can stay as midterm goals. Start a calendar of webinars, courses etc that you have signed up for throughout the year, but keep it realistic. If there's too much, stick to the essentials and the rest can be moved onto a longer-term goal list. Completing CPD records and a personal development plan throughout the year, will make it easier to get a sense of how booked up you are. If your workplace has a training or CPD budget make sure you are prepared with the details of which course/s you're interested in, why they will help develop your practice and how this will benefit your workplace. Longterm:  Future goals - unfortunately not all the courses and qualifications we wish to complete are financially possible at this point in time, or you may require a certain amount of prior experience, or free time before it's logical to pursue them. Often these goals can make a big difference, such as promotions, becoming more prominent in your organisation or field, starting to work for yourself or making a big career change. Understandably it may take longer working towards them. Keep these listed as longer term goals, but make sure you're aware of the costs, potential financial gains, payment options and entry requirements. Revisit these goals as part of completing your CPD, appraisals (if relevant) and personal development plans, to review if you're in a position to begin one of these longer-term goals.   How to start – Methods for achieving your goals Once you're ready to start working on some of your items from your list, the following methods may provide some helpful options:   Physioing directory of physio resources – if you're looking for resources, the Physioing online directory of physiotherapy resources for studying and CPD is split between specialism and treatment styles . There's a variety of recommended providers relevant to physio treatment styles, offering free and paid for resources including apps, online and face-to-face courses, webinars, books, websites, podcasts, guidelines and journals. The treatment directory has dedicated pages for the following treatment styles:   Work place allowances or budgets  – some workplaces provide dedicated CPD time or training budgets. If you’re making a bid for your workplace to fund training, ensure you’re got the necessary information prepared before submission deadlines and can provide a case for why the training benefits your workplace and your role. In service training – if you’re in an organisation that carries out in service training, why not use your in-service training presentation as an opportunity to learn and present or discuss a new treatment skill or style. Take advantage of freebies  - whilst some qualifications can be costly, many sites and organisations provide free short sessions, online courses and webinars. It's worth having a look at organisations and sites in the areas you’re interested in to see what is available, as they’ll often be advertised there and on their social media channels. Staying up-to-date - this is where reading up-to-date physio books, magazines and journals can be particularly helpful. However, when you’re pushed for time, social media can be a great source of up-to-date information. Often physio, medical, sport, health and social organisations, and personalities in your field will feature articles and information of interest in their content and point you in the right direction of where to start directing your research. Shadowing and volunteering – if you’re looking to gain experience and potentially network in areas that are new to you, look out for shadowing and volunteering opportunities.   Join organisations of interest – there are specialism specific branches of the CSP often providing subject specific knowledge and research with networking and learning opportunities. Many areas of healthcare are supported by charities and research organisations, whilst sport and other activities may have their own accrediting organisations and awarding bodies. In Conclusion... Whilst there are many professional and personal benefits to developing a physiotherapy toolbox of your own unique experience, skills and knowledge, it can feel like an overwhelming task. Hopefully using these top tips will be helpful in getting you on the right track: identifying areas to develop prioritising what to work on methods to achieve these Promotions & Affiliations: Please note whilst it is free to appear in the directory, this site includes some promoted products, services & sponsored articles which will be clearly labelled. As an Amazon Affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Tracking down physio resources and educational materials for studying, CPD and career advancement can be time consuming. With the variety of information online, sometimes we don't know what's out there waiting to be found, or where to start looking. Welcome to Physioing , a newly launched, online directory of physio resources developed by a UK physio, for physios and physio students. Physioing's mission is to bring useful and relevant resources together into one online directory , to make it quicker and easier to find what you're looking for and use the links to get straight to the site. Physioing is suitable for students, newly qualified and experienced physios; the main directory is split between specialisms and treatment style . Specialisms include most common areas of physio, such as MSK , neuro and respiratory and more niche areas, including palliative and mental health . Treatment styles are categorised by method of treatment, such as balance , strengthening and stretching exercises, Pilates , taping and vestibular rehab . There's even a list of providers of exercise handouts and exercise prescription libraries . Each resource is labelled to show if it includes relevant content for more than one specialism or treatment style. Categories can be further refined by type of resource, such as face to face courses, online courses, exercise handouts, webinars, websites, etc. It is completely free to appear in the online directory (any ads, affiliate links and promotional posts will be clearly labelled and will be in addition to the main directory). We are working hard to include as many physio specialisms and treatment styles as we can and are regularly searching for relevant providers of physio educational materials and resources. We also take recommendations. If you would like to make a recommendation for a specialism, treatment style or resource, or have a query about the directory, please get in touch via the  online contact form . What does the future hold for Physioing? This is just the start of Physioing, we will be adding more sites and resources and introducing, apps, books and podcasts recommendations and more content over the next few months. We hope you find the site helpful and thank you for your support as we continue to develop.