February 2003
News

The Right Touch

Physiotherapy Admissions Tutor Judith Hinton has been on a one-woman crusade to increase student recruitment from the Isle of Man.

Judith has built up contacts at Ballakermeen High School over a number of years. After attending the higher education fair earlier this year, however, she realised that although the students on the island were keen on pursuing a career in physiotherapy, many of them did not fully understand the scope of the profession.

Judith therefore used her existing contacts at the school to set up a trip aimed at delivering careers seminars. Deputy Head at the sixth-form Ian Kaye organised a programme and arranged for students from five schools across the island to attend the seminar where Judith spoke about physiotherapy, career opportunities and entry qualifications.

The students were then given the opportunity to take part in an activity, considering the effects of ice on the human body and how this information was useful to physiotherapists.

Over the next two days, Judith spoke to a parents' evening about applications to university, giving a short presentation on 'What we look for in a personal statement' and met with sixth-form heads of a further two schools. In addition, she met the course leader for the Health and Social Care course at the Isle of Man College and negotiated clinical placements with the island's main hospital, Nobles Hospital, and with a private practitioner.

Judith said: "Following the trip, we recruited one student to join this September's intake and had a very favourable response from a number of other sixth-form students who attended the seminar. We have now received the UCAS forms from five of them. The Deputy Head of sixth-form and a group of students from Ballakermeen High School have also visited the University so we are looking forward to receiving more applications in the future."

11 February 2002

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