Apply for our Graduate MSK Training Programme
What’s on offer?
In September 2025, we are aiming to recruit a couple of brand new graduates 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 the highest calibre people who are keen to learn and become part of small but growing team. We put an awful lot into this programme to give new graduates the very best start to their careers and we’re looking for people who will do the same.
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 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, lowering standards in professional conduct and a ‘dumbing down’ of course content (particularly around our specialty of MSK practice). There’s an increasing acceptance of physiotherapists being ‘gatekeepers’ to different pathways of care which removes any requirement for them to actually treat the patient. Most of our patients tell us that even if they get to see a NHS physio, they are left disappointed because the consultation can be 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 forced to work within the confines of the system and increasingly the core skills of our profession are being squeezed too. That has been apparent in our own experience during clinical interviews when practitioners with several years experience lack the hands-on skill and knowledge we are looking for.
So, our solution has been to set up a 2 year graduate training programme which has involved an intensive schedule of learning – theory and practical skills with regular assessment and a gradual introduction to clinical practice. We’ve had to navigate the obvious issues of paying patients and believe we have a model which overcome all the objections clinicians in private practice might raise. Our programme has so far resulted in 100% retention and led to a happy, integrated and fulfilled workforce.
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?
We’re hoping to recruit 2 new graduates to start in September 2025. So we’re looking for exceptional individuals who are passionate about working with patients to help them reach their goals. The selection process is staged with an initial selection process based on your written application. The second stage will involve an ‘in-person’ interview and, if successful, you will be offered the opportunity to become an ‘intern’ for a few (2-4) clinical sessions at the practice, shadowing clinicians and observing what it’s like to work here. At the end of this process, the successful candidates will be offered a 2 year graduate training contract (with good prospects beyond that).
So if you’re interested in applying for this position, you must provide the following:
– a covering letter explaining why you wish to be considered for this position (250 words max)
– an up to date CV which includes a personal statement highlighting your suitability
– a 12 month learning plan with your CPD aspirations (i.e. what are the areas of learning you feel you most need in the first year after graduation?)
– details of your availability (daytime/evenings) w/c 17th March 2025
You should submit your application to:
Mr Jonathan Cassidy
Clinical Director
The Physios Ltd
1 Beech Hill Road
Sheffield S10 2SA
email: [email protected]
Deadlines
Stage 1:
Your application must be with us by 10pm on Sunday 9th March
Stage 2:
Interviews will be conducted Thursday 27th March 2025
Stage 3:
Internships/shadowing will be arranged at a mutually convenient time depending on your location/circumstances.