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Society Member Nick Short has recognised very early on in his career that his Society accredited degree has given him the tools to work in a number of different areas. We caught up with him (virtually distanced of course) to find out about his career to date.
Nick, tell us a little about yourself.
I am qualified Sports Therapist and a Sports Coach, with a particular interest in youth development, graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a BSc Sports and Exercise Therapy in 2017. Since then I have been able to use the skills I gained in a variety of roles. My current roles include, Academy Sports Therapist at Leeds United FC, Sports Coach in both schools and private settings and finally, a mobile Sports Therapist for private patients.
How long have you worked at Leeds United and what does your role involve?
In August 2019, I began my role at Leeds as an Academy Sports Therapist, working with the youth development phase. Working with a brilliant medical team, we are responsible for conducting injury clinics, developing rehabilitation plans and providing pitch-side trauma management for training and matches. Although my time there has been brief so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far working with an excellent team and I look forward to hitting the ground running next season.
You mentioned your work in schools. What age range have you worked with?
Throughout my time working with children, the ages have ranged all the way from our 3-4 year old nursery students within school to our 15-16 year old athletes at Leeds United FC. Although the environments I work in differ, it has given me a good understanding of how my skills as a Sports Therapist can be used in two contrasting areas. Prior to lockdown, the vast majority of my time is spent working with children, whether that’s conducting clinics for the youth development athletes or delivering coaching sessions to students, which has allowed me to continually develop whilst doing a job that I get so much enjoyment from.
Schools are a great area for a Sports Therapist to work in. What made you want to work in that setting and how did your first school role come about?
I think now as we see more Sports Therapists going into areas of employment that had not previously been considered, for me it makes perfect sense that as a profession, we can have an impact on physical education and child development within schools, especially now we understand the importance of physical activity in children’s development. For example, my first role within schools was with a company that specialised in providing physical development programmes for children between the ages 4-11. Using my knowledge of anatomy, physiology and rehabilitation I would deliver tailored sessions to an intervention group, targeting areas of physical development such as balance, strength and coordination in children with complex physical, psychological and social needs.
I found out about the role from a friend working for the company, who mentioned that they usually employ sports coaches. After speaking in detail to him, it became apparent that my skills were transferable and that, in fact, I could use my previously learned knowledge to help develop the programme. Over my two years there, I was able to help over 200 children and provide CPD sessions for over 50 staff on how to identify and develop these students.
What is your favourite aspect of your career as a Graduate Sports Therapist? What have you found is your biggest challenge?
The thing I enjoy most about my different roles is how varied they are, meaning that no two days are ever the same. Throughout a normal week, I can encounter so many different injuries, personalities and professionals that I am able to constantly develop skills specific to Sports Therapy, as well as generalised skills that are more transferable.
The biggest challenge for me is finding a perfect work life balance as, I’m sure many professionals in sport will agree, it can be difficult. Alongside working in schools, doing weekends and evenings, it can be challenging to find time to switch off until the off-season and, initially, that made managing multiple roles stressful. However, this is something that I have been able to manage more effectively over the last year and just takes practice and delicate planning.
How have you been spending lockdown?
Lockdown for me has meant that all my roles have been suspended, and with schools and academies re-starting gradually, it’s been important to limit the number of staff in those settings. Luckily, there has been plenty of material online to continue learning and at Leeds United we have a platform to share any CPD we think may be helpful, so the staff there have
been brilliant at keeping that updated. On the other hand, as I mentioned previously, it can be difficult to find time to unwind in a usual busy schedule and although this is an uncertain time for all of us, I have tried to use it for the important things like staying in contact with my family and focusing on good mental health, which I think is really important right now.
Do you have any tips or advice for the next generation of Graduate Sports Therapists? Is there a piece advice that you would have benefitted from hearing either before or as you were graduating?
My advice to new Graduates would be, explore as many new opportunities as you can and approach graduate life with an open mind. In the modern day industry, new roles are being created all the time and your skills as a Sports Therapist are transferable, don’t be disheartened if you don’t find your perfect career path straight away.
I think many of us when graduating focus too much on an end goal and forget to enjoy the time between reaching that target. I, like many other Graduates, entered the world with the aim of working within professional sport and felt that anything else wouldn’t be right for me. Although it’s great to have a target to achieve, I feel it’s important to explore different areas and enjoy the time you spend reaching that goal.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]