Boost your career on a physiotherapy placement abroad
Go on a once-in-a-lifetime physiotherapy placement abroad with Work the World and you’ll get career-boosting clinical experience in an overseas hospital. Then in your free time, you’ll have life-changing travel experiences with new friends.
You are in total control — you tell us what you want to experience and we'll tailor your overseas placement to your specific interests. You choose everything from the destination right down to the individual departments you want to get experience in.
You’ll find the experience to be life-changing. And that’s true whether you’re a undertaking an elective for physiotherapy students or graduates.
Why go on a physiotherapy placement abroad?
- Unique experience that puts you ahead of your peers
- Stand out to employers when job hunting
- Strengthen your academic profile
- Build a network to tap into during your career
- Gain perspective that reframes your view of the NHS
- Build confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone
- Get inspiration around where you might specialise
"I gained insight into equipment and pathologies I had never even seen before." - Elly, University of Birmingham
Read more physiotherapy elective placement reviews here
Eye-opening clinical Placement
Getting clinical experience abroad is all about challenging your knowledge and developing a fresh outlook on physiotherapy. On your elective placement, you’ll quickly learn that things we take for granted in the UK - even basic gym equipment in some cases - are considered luxuries in the developing world.
- Some things you could observe include:
- Handmade and improvised rehabilitation equipment
- Uncommon conditions like leprosy
- Heavy reliance on manual therapies
- Extremely late presentation and advanced cases
You will also see major differences in the fundamentals of physiotherapy abroad too. For example, in many of our destinations, practises like ECT and TENS machines are widely used, and often a first port of call in treatment.
Tap into our hospital partnerships
Our long-established international hospital partnerships let us tailor your physiotherapy elective down to a level of detail that would be impossible if you were trying to organise your trip independently.
The partnerships also allow us to guarantee things like your hospital placement, supervision, and your choice of departments. You'll get detailed information on all of the above long before you head off on your physiotherapy elective.
You also get an exceptional level of flexibility should you want to amend your physiotherapy elective choices while you're overseas. All of this means you can create a physiotherapy elective placement suited perfectly to you, without the risk of your elective plans falling through.
Once-in-a-lifetime travel
As a physiotherapy student or graduate, your clinical placement is the focus of your trip. But your free time in the afternoons and weekends will be packed full of experiences like:
- Relaxing on palm-lined, white-sand beaches
- Getting close to elephants, lions and giraffes on safari
- Swimming with curious sea turtles on warm tropical reefs
- Hiking (or paragliding!) through the Himalays
- Spending a weekend hopping between paradise islands
But it's the people you share it with that really make your Work the World trip memorable. You'll live with other healthcare students and graduates in a big private house.
What's included?
The service you get with us is end-to-end. That means we will support you before, during and even after your physiotherapy elective.
You'll get:
- Pre-departure preparation with our UK team
- Structured, supervised physiotherapy placement abroad
- Private, catered accommodation
- 24/7 in-country team
- Airport pick up and drop off
- + more
Arrivals are every Sunday, 52 weeks of the year — travel on your physiotherapy placement abroad when it suits you. Durations of placements for physiotherapy students start from one week.
DESTINATIONS
Ghana - Takoradi
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On your physiotherapy elective in Takoradi, you’ll see how a sense of community can help patients on their way to rehabilitation. The department’s gym fosters positivity and this motivates both patients and staff. You’ll spend most, if not all of your time with outpatients, as the majority of patients have to self-refer. A big part of the rehabilitation process here is counselling patients so they can continue with their treatment plans at home. Straight away, you’ll see that the department is under-resourced. The funds aren’t there to replace broken equipment, so staff have to improvise, doing what they can with what they have. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Takoradi.
Sri Lanka - Kandy
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If you do your physiotherapy elective in Kandy, you’ll get experience with local staff who actively promote patient interaction. Compared to what you’re used to at home, equipment is outdated in Sri Lanka. But you’ll see how local physiotherapists have adapted to this by improvising equipment from everyday materials. The physiotherapy OPD here is busy, and local therapists often have to deal with three or four patients at a time. Spend time here and see advanced cases, some of which you might not have seen before. Kandy also has a dedicated sports medicine unit headed up by a sports medicine consultant and orthopaedic consultant. Here, you can see a range of clinics dedicated to sports rehabilitation.
Vietnam - Hue
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15% of Vietnamese people live with a physical disability, so there’ll be no shortage of patients. Disabilities and injuries result from RTAs, stunted growth in childhood, some even from the Vietnam war. Many Vietnamese people strongly believe that exercise and mobility are directly linked to good health. Physiotherapy is a highly-respected profession because of this. Patients are much more likely to follow treatment plans too. Space is restrictive in the department, so local staff rely heavily on machinery as opposed to open movement. You’ll meet other student physiotherapists while you’re on the wards, adding another level to the learning experience.
Tanzania - Dar es Salaam
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On a physiotherapy placement abroad In Dar es Salaam, you’ll get the best of your experience in the physio department of our partner orthopaedic institute. In Tanzania, road safety and traffic etiquette are relaxed compared to what you’re used to. This has led to RTAs being Tanzania’s biggest cause of critical injury, so you’ll see plenty of RTA-related cases. You’ll see how long waiting lists can and do lead to severely advanced cases in the outpatient clinic. The hospital is actually a government institute, but it caters to private patients too. That said, you’ll see just how few patients can afford private care.
Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Dar es Salaam.
Nepal - Kathmandu
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Physiotherapy is quickly developing in Nepal, so you’ll find our physiotherapy student placements in Kathmandu eye-opening. The country’s focus on physiotherapy has shifted a lot over the last 10 years. To give you some idea, there were only 30 qualified physiotherapists in 2007. In 2012, there were 500. But even though physiotherapy is progressing, resources are still low. You’ll see improvised apparatus like makeshift wheelchairs and traction devices, but local therapists’ knowledge more than makes up for the shortfall in equipment. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Kathmandu.
Philippines - Iloilo
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On a physiotherapy placement in Iloilo, you’ll see all the contrasts between physiotherapy in the Philippines versus the UK. One example is how widespread the use of electrotherapy is — don’t be surprised if you see the vast majority of patients receiving this treatment. Another difference is that patients can often come for treatment more frequently. In our partner hospital patients can continue receiving treatment as long as they can afford to pay for it. Some stroke patients have been known to attend the clinic for more than two years. On the other hand, many patients don’t follow the prescribed home treatment plans — many simply can’t afford to take time off work. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Iloilo.
"Being able to talk and discuss experiences with my housemates was invaluable. Sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly is so important and cathartic when navigating your time spent here".
Daniel Payne, University of the West of England (UWE) 2024
Read more"Our head doctor was so accommodating and spent lots of time with us, teaching us different techniques and protocols they have in Vietnam".
Anna-Marie Reid , University of Sunderland 2024
Read more"The hospital and physiotherapy department were a stark contrast to what I am used to at home. Patients in Iloilo depended on FES, TENS and ultrasound machines".
Louisa Hulls, University of Liverpool 2024
Read more"The use of modalities such as electric shock therapy, TENS and passive movements are used on every patient, in conjunction with exercise prescription".
Hannah Kelly, University of Liverpool 2024
Read more"The social aspects were one of the best experiences of the whole trip."
Ella Bailey, University of Worcester 2024
Read moreWhat do our physiotherapy placements offer?
A Work the World physiotherapy placement gives you the chance to undertake a clinical placement in the developing world. You will spend time in a low-resource hospital and see unfamiliar practices and advanced conditions. You can even choose the departments you want to rotate through. Learn more here.
What are the benefits of a Work the World physiotherapy placement?
The benefits of our physiotherapy placements include:
- Expanding your clinical knowledge and skill set
- Becoming more confident, independent and resourceful
- Making yourself more attractive to employers
- Doing some proper travelling
- Building your personal and professional network
- Sharpening your language and communication skills
- Renewing your perspective on the NHS
What kinds of cases will I see on a Work the World physiotherapy placement?
You will see cases like:
- Clubfoot
- Hydrocephalus
- Paediatric spina bifida
- Post-amputation rehabilitation
- Post-eclampsia
How long is a Work the World physiotherapy placement?
A physiotherapy placement is as long as you want it to be. Our minimum placement duration is one week, but students typically travel on their physiotherapy placement for 4 weeks. There is no upper limit to how long you can travel for.
What is a physiotherapy placement?
A physiotherapy placement is a clinical placement that physiotherapy students undertake as part of their degree. If you want to undertake your physiotherapy placement overseas, get in touch with us today.