Growing sports physiotherapy experts takes a village—technical, creative and contextual learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum

MUSCLE is back at #sportfisio2023

“…Under the leadership of our committee member and IFSPT board member Suzanne Gard, we have recently launched the SSPA mentoring project. ‘Mentoring’ is part of informal (or non-formal) learning,2 that is, everything you do not learn in a course or conference, but through contact with other experienced colleagues and/or other experts. Combining different form of learning with reflective practice is an effective way to acquire new (practical) knowledge and to develop sport PT expertise 2.…”

“…‘Mentoring’ is part of informal (or non-formal) learning,2 that is, everything you do not learn in a course or conference, but through contact with other experienced colleagues and/or other experts. Combining different form of learning with reflective practice is an effective way to acquire new (practical) knowledge and to develop sport PT expertise 2. The SSPA developed validation statements and reflective practice documents so the mentors and the mentees can certify the time shared together, which is of a great value in a portfolio.…”

Do the International Competencies of the Sports Physical Therapist need Updating?

“…This international competency profile was implemented in many national health care systems, 2,3 has inspired many professional, academic and life-long learning educational programmes 4,5 and guided international sporting organi-zations in defining the roles and responsibilities of sports physical therapists in high performance environments. 6 So let's hope a lot of good things have happened to you since 2005.…”

Developing Sports Physiotherapy Expertise – The Value of Informal Learning

“…The authors have previously proposed a model of expertise development in sports physiotherapy. 6 In this model, learning is categorized into technical (scientific and skillbased), creative (adapting decision-making and techniques to clinical situation) and contextual (self-awareness and ability to adapt behaviors within wider cultural and situational circumstances). 6 Creative and contextual learning both improve with informal practical/experiential learning.…”

“…6 In this model, learning is categorized into technical (scientific and skillbased), creative (adapting decision-making and techniques to clinical situation) and contextual (self-awareness and ability to adapt behaviors within wider cultural and situational circumstances). 6 Creative and contextual learning both improve with informal practical/experiential learning. Novices typically have the technical knowledge to support evidence-based practice but lack the depth of experience on which to base their practice decisions, especially in complex situations.…”