The Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy (BSc (Hons) PT) programme of the S.K. Yee School of Health Sciences of the SFU aims to train professional physiotherapists with international visions, therefore the programme provides students with the opportunity to undertake overseas practicum in addition to the local practicum. The programme has welcomed its first batch of graduates this year, and some students have had the opportunity to undertake clinical practicum in Australia and Singapore before graduation.
The BSc (Hons) PT programme arranged a six-week overseas clinical practicum in Brisbane, Australia and Singapore for four students in June this year. Cloris and Erica spent the summer break of their fourth year in Brisbane, Australia, where they were exposed to the Pediatric field by visiting the homes and schools of infants and children for assessment and physiotherapy treatment. They said that the clinical supervisors there taught them a variety of practical techniques, case management and communication skills.
Cloris said, "This trip not only enhanced our clinical experience, but also broadened our horizons and gave us a deeper understanding of our future professional development". Erica said that the experience gave them the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Australian culture and the way of life and thinking of the local people.
Two other Year 4 students, Ben and Kipper, spent six weeks in a community physiotherapy centre in Singapore, where they worked with local physiotherapists to provide home visiting services. This enabled them to better understand the expectations and needs of patients from different cultures, and to put into practice the knowledge and skills they had acquired from the programme as well as during their practicum in Hong Kong public hospitals.
Students expressed their heartfelt thanks to the generous support from the scholarship funded by the Joyce M Kuok Foundation, and also the SFU for organising this trip, describing it as an invaluable opportunity that will be of great benefit to their future careers.