My internship at Diamond Physiotherapy 🇲🇶 🇬🇧 🇨🇦

I am grateful for the learning opportunity the Diamond Physiotherapy team has given me.

Born and raised in Quebec City, I spent my first four years doing an undergrad degree in kinesiology, and then took a year off to work at a clinic in Barrie, Ontario , where I met and worked alongside Jamie. I left Canada after that year to study abroad at Brunel University in London, England.

Studying those 2 years in the UK provided me the opportunity to live within a different culture and support my passion for travel. ( I visited 10+ countries!) At that point, I had finished my studies and then moved on to my placement obligations. I remained in the UK for the first two, which were hospital and home care rotations where I worked with chronic fatigue and respiratory patients. One of my takeaways was learning how important home care visits were to patients with COPD, or emphysema. We provided them the care they needed without the stress that movement puts on their breathing when they would otherwise need to go into a clinic.

I now find myself back in Canada for my third placement, but first one in orthopedics. And because I enjoyed working with Jamie, I sought out the opportunity to once again have him share his knowledge and tricks of the trade! I have quickly found an important takeaway early in my time with Jamie, which is appreciating the fact that no patient comes in with the perfect text book injury. They seem to carry underlying challenges that Jamie has helped me to understand and implement beneficial techniques that he himself has learned and proven to be very successful.

As a mentor, Jamie ensures that I understand every patient's condition and why they present a certain way. He consults with me and together we come up with the best program and care we can provide to the patient. Jamie also appreciates the different techniques I bring to the discussion by having studied in another country. He is helping to make my transition from student to practitioner very positive and not too overwhelming.

I am grateful for the learning opportunity the Diamond Physiotherapy team has given me.

To Jamie, I thank you for your patience and insight and providing me the chance to learn something new every day I come into the clinic. My takeaways are invaluable.

Shanahan Sauvageau

Physiotherapy Intern