A once in a lifetime opportunity

By: Lucy Hughes - Stanton, Physiotherapist, Cambridge University Hospitals

I am currently working at Addenbrookes hospital as a rotational Band 6 Respiratory Physiotherapist. I have been working at CUH for the past 2 years and prior to this I have worked in South Wales, Dublin and Guildford. Outside of work I have a huge interest in travelling, baking, cooking and keeping fit and active.

In March of this year we were sent an email from our managers outlining an exciting opportunity to work with the Rama Foundation in India this summer. As somebody who loves to travel and aims to better understand healthcare in different settings and cultures, I was very interested in the volunteering work and expressed my interest almost immediately! Time seems to have flown since my first meeting with Artika and suddenly I will be on a plane in less than a week!

The Rama Foundation hasn’t travelled with a Physio to India before and so I feel I am going into uncharted waters. My aim this summer is to explore and understand what Physiotherapy as a profession looks like in Rishikesh - India, in a variety of healthcare settings. Following our trip this summer, I hope to have a better understanding of the areas that we as Physiotherapists from CUH can best help and assist the physiotherapy teams we will be visiting, in order to progress and promote the profession. I intend this to be a two-way learning opportunity whereby I can also learn about their practises, so that we can share and discuss areas of Physiotherapy from both CUH and the healthcare establishments we are visiting. I have pre-made some presentations based around; Rehab Principles, Spinal Cord Injuries, Basic Bed, Chair, Strength and Balance Exercises and Respiratory Physiotherapy.

I have previously visited Nepal and so I feel I have a flavour of what might be to come in terms of the culture, food and climate. I am really excited to experience everything about the country and region that we are visiting.

This is going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am extremely grateful for and intend to put all that I can into the trip in order to get the most out of it from both a personal and professional point of view.