On September 2023, 9, Kio University held its first ``Physical Therapy Department 15nd Year x Alumni Exchange Meeting'' with the aim of creating an opportunity for early graduates to think about their future physical therapists.
The "Physical Therapy Department 2nd Year Students x Alumni Exchange Meeting" was attended by 1 graduates working as physical therapists in their first to third year after graduation and approximately 3 current students aiming to become physical therapists.They were divided into groups and deepened their interaction in a roundtable discussion format.Kio University's Department of Physical Therapy is the first private university in the Kansai region to become a four-year university physical therapy department, and has produced over 11 graduates to date.Taking advantage of the vertical connections that are unique to our long history, we aim to develop a rich career outlook through interaction between recent graduates and current students, and to enrich their career development at the university.Another purpose of this project is to provide not only current students but also graduates with an opportunity to return to their roots and encourage them to take further leaps forward as physical therapists.
Graduates work as physical therapists in a wide variety of areas, including the acute phase, recovery phase, sports, and pediatrics.The graduates shared with the students a variety of their past experiences, including the characteristics of their respective hospitals, work content, and current work content, as well as the rewards of being a physical therapist and university life. .The students, who seemed a little nervous at first, gradually warmed up as they interacted with seniors close to their age, and were even seen discussing their current school life and study-related concerns.
Participating students said, ``I got an image of what it's like to actually work,'' ``I felt relieved knowing that what I feel is difficult now is a path that everyone can take,'' and ``I was able to hear more about the field that I'm interested in.'' ``It was great to hear about the rewards of being a physical therapist, which made me realize once again that it's a wonderful job, and increased my motivation to study.'' Graduates said, ``It was an opportunity to reflect on myself while talking with current students.'' It seems like it was a meaningful time for both parties.
