Gary,
Was there anything in my original post that was incorrect?
I have grown to become VERY pessimistic about the Sports Therapy industry! Me and probably thousands of others! Lots of promises have been made to lots of people who have parted with lots of money. As you have said again....... apparently things are happening behind the scenes which I don't know about. I've heard that alot on HP and until these things are in the 'public domain' then I will take it on face value.
Believe me if these things happen then great. This thread was created to discuss one day training courses. Its a step in the right direction to raise standards and to try and sort issues with existing TP's and PA's etc but the one day training providers need more attention either to assist them in producing courses in line with everyone else or to stop running them. Lots of changes can be made but until they are brought into line, one day training providers will remain and keep churning out practitioners with who may not be equiped to provide acceptable treatment. That is not good for the industry, students or clients. It makes a mockery of all you guys have achieved if they are able to continue now as they have done for years.
Gary,
Was there anything in my original post that was incorrect?
I have grown to become VERY pessimistic about the Sports Therapy industry! Me and probably thousands of others! Lots of promises have been made to lots of people who have parted with lots of money. As you have said again....... apparently things are happening behind the scenes which I don't know about. I've heard that alot on HP and until these things are in the 'public domain' then I will take it on face value.
Believe me if these things happen then great. This thread was created to discuss one day training courses. Its a step in the right direction to raise standards and to try and sort issues with existing TP's and PA's etc but the one day training providers need more attention either to assist them in producing courses in line with everyone else or to stop running them. Lots of changes can be made but until they are brought into line, one day training providers will remain and keep churning out practitioners with who may not be equiped to provide acceptable treatment. That is not good for the industry, students or clients. It makes a mockery of all you guys have achieved if they are able to continue now as they have done for years.
The problems occur when people blame the industry for the short comings of one PA that has exploited its members for years, proper research by prospective students and truthful information published by STO IS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE, Admittedly we still have work to do but I attended a fully subscribed ST course yesterday to present to the new students.
The problems occur when people blame the industry for the short comings of one PA that has exploited its members for years, proper research by prospective students and truthful information published by STO IS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE, Admittedly we still have work to do but I attended a fully subscribed ST course yesterday to present to the new students.
I'm not posting about degree vs diploma. Its admirable the work that is being done in raising standards but you have a major (I didnt say leading;)) PA who doesnt recognise anything that is being done and TP's that are continueing to run apparently sub standard courses that are a day long. They are major hurdles to overcome for the progression of sports therapy. When will they be addressed? It appears that they are being avoided in the hope that they will quietly disappear.........they won't!
Who would I direct the above issues to? The SRTC?
I guarantee that there are people out there running successful business's who have no more than a collection of distance learning and one day qualifications.:(
Personally I don't know anyone who has been able to build a good business purely on distance learning/one day qualifications. But if a therapist has developed the skills to keep clients coming back and earn a living in the current environment then good for them!
The vast majority of us need hands on training over a decent period of time to have a hope of developing the skills needed to work safely and successfully. I agree lots of distance learning/one day course providers mislead their students and paint unrealistic pictures of future employment opportunities but to be fair so do many "respectable" massage schools.
Respect the work going on to regulate the industry but right now I would encourage students to check out the reality behind any course before they hand over their cash. We see far too many people on here & elsewhere who have done training at whatever level then find they can't make a living.
Lots of promises have been made to lots of people who have parted with lots of money. .
This is what makes me really angry 😡
Total exploitation of (with all due respect) a gullible / mis-informed student base
"Someone" (and we all know who) really has got a lot to answer for
IMHO the "Sports therapy" industry is no different to PT and it should be approached in the same manner ie:
[LIST=1]
Therefore Sports (massage?) therapy courses should be marketed in a similar manner without all the bull which appears to be rife in certain sectors
Some of the things I have heard that "aspiring" sports (massage) therapists have been told are, IMHO, nothing short of criminal
I agree with Gary the work is out there but you need to know how to approach it
(certainly more more than when I started in 1994!)
Feeling stressed? (general comment which is not directed at anyone in particular)
Denial - One day the title will be protected and I will have a queue of NHS / referrals waiting to see me
Anger - I think I've been conned, what they told me doesn't seem to be true
Bargaining - Perhaps if I wait a bit longer things may get better, the Scottish Parliament / Olympics / CNHC/ (insert your choice) may change things
Acceptence - Nothing is going to happen unless I make it happen
Commitment >>>>>>>>>>>>
ps
I know I missed out depression but no need to dwell on that
Personally I don't know anyone who has been able to build a good business purely on distance learning/one day qualifications. But if a therapist has developed the skills to keep clients coming back and earn a living in the current environment then good for them!
The vast majority of us need hands on training over a decent period of time to have a hope of developing the skills needed to work safely and successfully. I agree lots of distance learning/one day course providers mislead their students and paint unrealistic pictures of future employment opportunities but to be fair so do many "respectable" massage schools.
Respect the work going on to regulate the industry but right now I would encourage students to check out the reality behind any course before they hand over their cash. We see far too many people on here & elsewhere who have done training at whatever level then find they can't make a living.
I think my "LIKE" button just exploded ! 😮
I think my "LIKE" button just exploded ! 😮
Thanks! I was worried it was a bit of a rant.
Denial - One day the title will be protected and I will have a queue of NHS / referrals waiting to see me 13 years on and it still hasnt happened. Maybe time to take head from sand?
Anger - I think I've been conned, what they told me doesn't seem to be true Trades Description - if you havent been provided what you have been sold, sue!
Bargaining - Perhaps if I wait a bit longer things may get better, the Scottish Parliament / Olympics / CNHC/ (insert your choice) may change things Carrots being dangled for a long time, some of it is happening, some of it will never happen
Acceptence - Nothing is going to happen unless I make it happen Too true, instead of saying - do! You only get out what you put in
Commitment >>>>>>>>>>>>
I still love this industry, which is why I put the effort in, despite a lot of disappointment. I know there are huge amounts of opportunities, and will continue to work hard at creating more. It does seem to be a bit thankless at times, but if we were in it for the glory I think BGFL and I would have given up long before now.
Regarding some of these courses, we have been told to take it to Ofqual, but as you know yourself DFNU, they are pretty useless and dont want the hassle.
PAs have to be more pro-active at taking AOs to task. It isnt easy, and they can send you round in circles, but there comes a point where the seriousness of what they are doing becomes such an issue that you need to 'go nuclear'.
IMO some students are getting ripped off and its just bad form. It needs to stop.
PAs have to be more pro-active at taking AOs to task. It isnt easy, and they can send you round in circles, but there comes a point where the seriousness of what they are doing becomes such an issue that you need to 'go nuclear'.
IMO some students are getting ripped off and its just bad form. It needs to stop.
Nail hit head! (I know some very unhappy bunnies :() (I can supply the bullets but someone else needs to fire them 😎
Now where's my "like" button again 🙂
However the flip side is WHY should PA's have to spend time and not inconsiderable expense on checking that Ofqual requlated bodies are doing what they are supposed to do?
Nail hit head! (I know some very unhappy bunnies :() (I can supply the bullets but someone else needs to fire them 😎
Now where's my "like" button again 🙂
However the flip side is WHY should PA's have to spend time and not inconsiderable expense on checking that Ofqual requlated bodies are doing what they are supposed to do?
I agree, and Ofqual do need to be doing more where QCF qualifications are concerned.
I'm going to have to re-read this thread, as I have just spotted lots more postings that I have missed!
Picking up on what Aspire has said, shoddy qualifications appear in all industries, you only need to look at the huge diploma mill that produces things like stock trading, parapsychology, Post traumatic stress disorder, Pet grooming, I could go on, they have over 600!
You cannot legislate againsts this as they aren't doing anything wrong and the fact they are turning over well over a million pounds per year tells me that there are LOTS of people doing these paper courses.
I was sat contemplating our industry the other day, and I agree with BGFL, it is getting better. Yes there are lost of unemployed BSc sports therapists, but there are lots of unemployed physios too, if you want to compare. I will say it again, having a sports therapy degree does not make you more employable, if it did I would be teaching at university instead of running my own business. As it is we are producing some excellent therapists who are going out there, getting lots of work opportunities and creating lots of referrals for us.
From where I am sitting, this industry is great! I have very few of my grads who want to work full time in sport or the NHS, for relatively low pay, compared to what they can earn themselves.
Get yourself to the STO conference in September and you will see a lot of very happy STs!
Going back to one of the previous posters, and one day courses, these are a great way of gaining CPD, and new skills, and even a way for people to dip their toe in to see if they like a subject, before spending lots of money on a proper course.
Nail hit head! (I know some very unhappy bunnies :() (I can supply the bullets but someone else needs to fire them 😎
Now where's my "like" button again 🙂
However the flip side is WHY should PA's have to spend time and not inconsiderable expense on checking that Ofqual requlated bodies are doing what they are supposed to do?
Ray,
This should have been addressed a long time ago and it needs to be done now! Who do we complain to ? Ofqual or do we pursue it through the Srtc? Getting this situation sorted out will do no end of good for the industry.
Ray,
This should have been addressed a long time ago and it needs to be done now! Who do we complain to ? Ofqual or do we pursue it through the Srtc? Getting this situation sorted out will do no end of good for the industry.
It was addressed and lead to the name change of one of the AO's 😉
Ofqual is your best bet, and I suppose the more people that complain, the more likely they will be to act. One of the problems is when you have government guidance, and the AO interprets it differently to what was originally meant, as in the case of guided learning hours.
Complaints passed on to the PAs can help too. If you want to contact SRTC it's quicker just to contact FHT directly though we are already raising issues that aren't going down too well, so don't expect too much from them!
It was addressed and lead to the name change of one of the AO's 😉
Gold star to anyone (apart for ST and BGFL) who knows the "before" name 😎
Re: who to complain to...
If I had been sold something (product or service) which was later shown to be not "fit for purpose" or I felt was "misrepresented" at time of purchase, I would ask for my money back. If that didn't work I'd go to Trading Standards
re:
GLH
from paragraph 59 of Funding guidance for fur ther education in 2006/07 (Learning and Skills Council, April 2006):
Guided learning hours are defined as all times when a member of staff is present to give specific guidance towards the learning aim being studied on a programme.
GLH therefore represents only those hours in which a tutor, trainer or facilitator is present and contributing to the learning process : QED
How can this be "misinterpreted"?
Gold star to anyone (apart for ST and BGFL) who knows the "before" name 😎
Re: who to complain to...
If I had been sold something (product or service) which was later shown to be not "fit for purpose" or I felt was "misrepresented" at time of purchase, I would ask for my money back. If that didn't work I'd go to Trading Standardsre:
GLH
from paragraph 59 of Funding guidance for fur ther education in 2006/07 (Learning and Skills Council, April 2006):
Guided learning hours are defined as all times when a member of staff is present to give specific guidance towards the learning aim being studied on a programme.GLH therefore represents only those hours in which a tutor, trainer or facilitator is present and contributing to the learning process : QED
How can this be "misinterpreted"?
I kid you not - that exact wording was put up on a big screen for all to see yet the AO expert said it was just a guide for them to use, but it wasn't a requirement. I'm sure you can guess which AO it was!