This is a guest blog by Christian Abi Farah, BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy graduate.

Studying sports therapy at Bournemouth University presented me with many opportunities. One of the most valuable experiences was being able to work abroad in Bergen, Norway. This had me witness a completely different culture and way of living. People in Bergen are very active, especially when compared to the UK population. For the most part, I was assessing perfectly healthy individuals who could execute any exercise that I proposed with good form and a basic understanding of the proposed biological outcome. To put this into perspective, I assessed an 87 year old woman who could deep squat and goes to the gym six times a week as well as hikes daily!

Whilst I was in Bergen I was fortunate enough to gain a wide variety of experience in multiple professional environments. For example, I worked in a clinical setting (Nr1 Fitness) dealing with peoples aches and niggles from everyday activities with the occasional injury. I worked at Loddefjord Football Club consisting of both men, women and children. I screened athletes for their potential risk of injury and worked in professional handball (Fyllingen Håndball Elite), where I was able to lead a mobility session with the athletes and see the structure of elite level sport. This gave me an insight to sport at various levels and the expectations and demands of the therapist at each stage. It’s actually encouraged me and provided but this gives me the aspiration to achieve a career in elite level sport.

The whole experience made me realise how adaptable you must be in the industry and gave me the perfect opportunity to push myself and progress as a therapist developing many essential skills for the future as a sports therapist.