Bhanu Ramaswamy - 30 DoS - Day 15

Tell us a little about your current work and study, especially how you think and practice critically

I am a self-employed physiotherapist in a northern city of England; my specialist areas of practice during my three days of clinical work are with older adults and people with neurological conditions, especially Parkinson’s. On the other two working days, I spend time assisting with research submissions, reading/ responding to voluntary role requests and to professional networks, or in a mentoring role.

My current work in the voluntary and private sector (as opposed to when I worked within two large, hierarchical and boundaried organisations of health and education) has freed my approach to physiotherapy. I increasingly integrate a wider understanding of health and wellness of a person and their support network into my practice through discussions with my clients or just groups of people with different medical conditions.

When I read papers now, I am less judgemental about what they don’t tell me, as I realise many physiotherapists are being pushed to publish and the way we are taught still values the empirical style. I am however more critical about hidden or unexplored areas of the research that would give me a better appreciation of the why, how and what worked with a certain population. These gaps spur my conversations with ‘labelled’ people to gauge where they sit in response to the research intervention, and their thoughts into the longer-term, as opposed to fully financed/supported 6 – 12 week interventions, after which ‘trial subjects’ are abandoned. I love the idea of co-design and co-production, and any event set up for a local charity I volunteer for is now through this avenue.

What is it about critical physiotherapy that appeals to you?

I have attended the two CPN courses of monthly seminars held over the past years and enjoy hearing the diversity of what physiotherapists can offer in the areas of practice, education, research, and leadership. Many of the presentations or reading we are linked to from the CPN team make me consider points from theoretical or philosophical, as well as a practical standpoint — it keeps my thinking broader and more interested in the people I provide a service with or for.

What do you bring to the CPN?

A listening ear and contributions through a ripple effect as I pass on my learning or tweet information. I am not saying that I have nothing to share in terms of writing something, or giving a presentation to the group, but am still gaining a lot from just listening to the varied views from our professional colleagues, based on their cultural bias, educational and practice systems, and their interpretation of critical physiotherapy. Criticality from philosophical underpinnings still does not come easily to me, so I need a lot of listening time!

How would you like to see the critical physiotherapy community develop over the next few years?

I really enjoyed the series of seminars and gain more when I can listen and ask questions of live presenters instead of being directed to reading material; it helps me place what I am hearing into my working context. I guess I would like to see this area develop. I would also be interested if, for example, there were four talks on the same subject, but by different presenters each month. It would not matter if the presenter covered the same ground with some aspects each month, as that would help consolidate any learning from previous months or seminars, plus each presenter would bring their interpretation and means of using such philosophy into their working practice and setting — again widening the lens of the listeners, and broadening views.

How would you like to see the broader physiotherapy profession develop?

Through the sort of sharing I have outlined above. I am now over 30 years qualified and have noticed that the world of critical philosophising is less and less despised by the pure scientists within the profession; some are even opening small doorways in their own learning to allow some radical thinking in! We are going in the right direction, and as people outside the health system (e.g., collaborators, clients) ask for different, I see our professions opening up to new ways of working and thinking. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about some large changes in the habits of many professionals, and they are now thinking and practicing in ways they were blocked from acting before. This has the opportunity to influence the direction of the profession to envelop a wider understanding of what the term ‘physiotherapy’ encompasses.