Apply for our Graduate MSK Training Programme
What’s on offer?
In September 2026, we are aiming to recruit a brand new graduate for our 2-year Graduate MSK Training Programme. We’ve already proven its success by training physios who graduated in 2023 and they are now integrated into our team (you can read their ‘Missy story’ later in this blog).
An opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often and we’re keen to ensure we reach high-calibre graduates who are keen to learn and become part of a small but growing team. We invest a great deal of time, energy and expertise into the programme to give new graduates the very best start to their careers, and in return we’re looking for people who are equally committed to making the most of the opportunity.
Why are we doing it?
Good question. In private practice it is hard to build a business case for doing it. In other words, we’re not doing it for the money!! There are no government grants or any kind of institutional support or initiative either so, whilst there’s widespread acceptance that there’s a problem, no one seems particularly interested in doing anything about it!
The truth is – we care about what we do and we care about the future of our profession. And it’s not looking great, is it? You don’t have to look very far to see poor recruitment into the profession, concerns about clinical standards and a ‘dumbing down’ of course content (particularly around our specialty of MSK practice). There’s also an increasing acceptance of physiotherapists being ‘gatekeepers’ to different pathways of care, which can remove the expectation that they actually treat the patient. Many of our patients tell us that even when they do get to see an NHS physio, they are left disappointed because the consultation can feel cursory and invariably ends with a generic exercise sheet and discharge.
We know that wouldn’t be good enough for our patients, and that’s why we want to do our bit to inspire and train the next generation to aim higher and provide ‘gold standard’ care for patients.
We’re not the only ones who’ve spotted the problem
The CSP and those within the profession itself have already identified the many issues facing new graduates as well the problems with retention in the early years particularly. These include staff shortages [1], lack of career support [1], limited career progression [1], difficulties in transitioning from student to practitioner [2], poor workplace support [2] and the need for additional experience to fulfil certain roles [3]. This is a daunting prospect facing graduates and, even if they’re lucky enough to find employment in the profession, they can be overwhelmed by professional malaise caused by the environment they find themselves in. Unable to advance and develop their skills, they become disillusioned and drift out of physiotherapy. As well as a lost asset to the profession, the cost of reproducing this cycle of waste is phenomenal.
Our solution – a 2 year Graduate MSK Training Programme
The independent sector may have been guilty in the past of recruiting highly skilled practitioners from the NHS, but this rarely happens these days. And perhaps rightly so. But as NHS provision is increasingly squeezed, physios are inevitably forced to work within the constraints of the system and, increasingly, some of the core skills of our profession are being squeezed too. We’ve seen that in our own experience of clinical interviews, where practitioners with several years’ experience sometimes lack the hands-on skills and knowledge we are looking for.
So, our solution has been to set up a 2-year graduate training programme involving an intensive schedule of learning – combining theory and practical skills with regular assessment and a gradual introduction to clinical practice. We’ve had to navigate the obvious challenge of integrating graduate training into a busy practice where patients are paying for their care, and we believe we’ve developed a model that addresses many of the concerns clinicians in private practice might understandably have.
So far, the programme has resulted in 100% retention and, more importantly, helped us develop confident clinicians who have become happy, integrated and valued members of our team.
The ‘Missy’ story
Mia and Issy recently completed our 2 year graduate training programme during which time they adopted a collective name ‘Missy’! Here’s their story in their own words ….
As we reached the end of the second year at university, we had a growing concern about our future careers in physiotherapy. We were COVID students who had experienced non-clinical placements, reduced contact hours, endless hours of online lectures and accrued £27,000 of dept. Lack of experience in the classroom and clinical contexts had left us feeling under equipped for starting as band five physiotherapists.
As good friends on the course, we decided to try and find some learning opportunities outside of the university context and contacted The Physios – a private practice in Sheffield – seeking some MSK experience that would equip us for 3rd year placements and graduate employment. Our initiative paid off because we were offered a 4 week summer internship which gave us the opportunity to shadow clinicians and learn so much in the process. We saw a range of clinical practice including some things we’d never covered at uni like injection, manual and shockwave therapy. We were invited to join in team CPD sessions and were introduced to a whole new way of practicing physiotherapy. The thing that struck us most was the importance placed on accurate diagnosis and the clinical reasoning between the clinical assessment, diagnosis and best treatment options. At the end of the internship, we were offered a graduate training programme to start once we had finished our final year and in September 2023, we started our employment at The Physios.
Over a year on, our passion for a career in physiotherapy has been reignited! Instead of being thrown into the deep end, we have been taught how to swim (MSK style!) through structured diary planning – gradually transitioning from clinical shadowing to fully autonomous musculoskeletal practitioners.
What’s next?
This autumn, we’re looking to recruit one exceptional graduate to join The Physios on our 2-year Graduate MSK Training Programme. We’re looking for someone with first-class honours who is ambitious, keen to learn and, above all, passionate about working with patients and helping them reach their goals. The successful candidate will be offered a 2-year graduate training contract working 30 hours per week. The working pattern includes Fridays off and one Saturday morning per month.
The closing date for applications is 30 September 2026, with first interviews taking place on the afternoon of Thursday 8 October.
How to apply
Please send us:
– A covering letter explaining why you are applying and why you would like to join The Physios
– Your CV
– A 24-month CPD plan identifying your key learning needs and how you would like to develop during the first two years of your career
Applications should be sent to:
Mr Johnny Cassidy
Managing Director
The Physios
1 Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2SA
Email: [email protected]
We’re putting a lot into this programme and we’re looking for someone who wants to do the same. If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
