u/Slight-Forever-1383

Hey all,

I’m a 4th-year physiotherapy student in Australia and I’m about to start my first orthopaedics placement in an acute hospital setting. I've been through a few placements so far (MSK/NEURO/GERIATRICS) so I have a gist of what to expect generally going into a placement.

I would really appreciate some advice from educators/physios/students who have been through/work in orthopaedics:

• Are there any textbooks, guidelines, websites or resources you would recommend reviewing beforehand? - I've got a firm grip on Clinical Sports Medicine (Brukner & Khan) since my MSK placement, great book
• What clinical skills would you prioritise developing during placement to both perform well as a student and make the transition into being a new grad easier?
• What separates an average student / orthopaedics physiotherapist from a great one
• If you could go back to your first week of an orthopaedic placement (or your first month working as a physio), what’s one thing you would do differently or prioritise from the beginning?

Don’t feel like you have to answer all of these, everyone’s busy these days. I’d genuinely appreciate any advice, resources, tips, maybe some interesting stories or things you wish you’d known going in.

Cheers