03 Nov 2022

My name is Olivia Parham, Liv for short, and I am a second-year student at University of the West of England, Bristol studying BSc (Hons) Sport Rehabilitation.

I studied at Elmhurst Ballet School, a Birmingham-based ballet boarding school, where I completed their eight-year vocational training programme in pursuit of becoming a professional ballet dancer. I graduated in 2020 having secured a contract with Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida in Miami, a Trinity Diploma Level 6 in Professional Dance alongside my GCSE and A-Level qualifications however decided to explore new career opportunities as a knock-on effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet in their productions of the Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardée and Coppélia as well as representing the United Kingdom in ballet competitions across Italy, France, and the US.

My aspiration to study and pursue a career in Sport Rehabilitation stemmed from my time working in the Jerwood Centre at Birmingham Royal Ballet after acquiring a foot injury whilst on tour with the company in 2019. It was here where I first observed medical professionals working with rehabilitating dancers form injury which sparked my curiosity within this field of work. Their passion to support and shape resilient dancers amplified my motivation to one day work with like-minded individuals who equally want to inform and educate dancers on the latest research in dance medicine and injury management.

With the support of family and friends, I started my undergraduate degree in 2021 and joined the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT) under student membership. I have acquired a sports massage qualification within my first year of study and completed over fifty hours of massage in the university’s onsite clinic as part of my first-year placement. I have administered pre and post event massage courtesy of the Bristol Pitbull Ice Hockey team curtesy of the university’s external opportunities, additional to gaining my Level 1 Pitch Side First Aid qualification, further to a Sports Taping qualification. I currently volunteer with Next Steps Group Exercise Class for people with Stroke at Glenside Campus and will soon begin my second-year placement at Birmingham Royal Ballet administering manual therapy and observing the professionals at work. Second year placements are typically sourced by the university in a variety of settings from pitch side first aid to private practise, however, should a student want to explore a specific avenue like myself, the university are accommodating to make that happen. Placement hours are accumulated across the three-year programme totalling 400 of which 200 are completed in the final third year placement sourced independently and specialised to the area you aspire to pursue a career in. My day-to-day routine involves attending practical skills sessions and in-person seminars surrounding anatomy, exercise prescription and athletic therapy to name a few. I particularly enjoy the anatomy element of the course and being able to put said knowledge into practise, ultimately helping patients return to full function whether that be in everyday living or sport specific. Practical skills sessions are an essential part of the course as this is a Sports Rehabilitator's bread and butter so to speak, learning how to assess, diagnose and treat patients’ problems. Alongside my academic commitments, I run the social media content for the Sports Rehabilitation Society and compete on the university’s Level 2 Non-tumbling Competition Cheerleading team. I am an avid gym goer however I do enjoy my downtime socialising with the girls, whether that is going into town on a night out or an in-house Mario Kart tournament!

Sport rehabilitation is an incredibly rewarding career path with a multitude of employment avenues across the NHS, military, within sport or private practice. Studying at UWE so far has been an absolute blast and I could not recommend the course enough for anyone wanting to pursue a career in injury prevention, management, and rehabilitation.