What about it?
- Ge(n)t in motion
Physio Couch event
The 'Physio Couch event' is an annual event for Physiotherapy students and teachers, organised by students. This year it takes place at the Physiotherapy Department (Health Sciences) of Ghent University, Belgium. Ge(n)t in motion !
This two-day-lasting event can be a learning environment, inspiring all participants to learn in different ways. Its program provides expected and unexpected events. The expected part consists of practical experience, short ‘pitch’ lectures, fun, peer interaction, formal and informal meetings. The unexpected part, well why should we want to tell you already?
No formal division exists between the roles of students, graduates and teachers. All will be learners through sharing information and experiences.
In order to facilitate this the program will consist of client cases accompanied with ‘pitch’ lectures, given by experts which will highlight useful information.
Briefly said this experience exceeds more than physiotherapy itself.
Couchsurfing principles
Students and Alumni from abroad sleep on couches of local students.
This is an opportunity for international students to be part of an unique event, meeting new people, sharing experiences, gaining new knowlege, having a cultural experience and ofcourse to have a great time.
Physio Couch Concept
Physio Couch is a couchsurf network for international physiotherapy students/alumni. Our goal is to facilitate experiences abroad and an informal way of learning based on connecting, sharing, 'out of the comfort zone' and having fun. Physio Couch connects international students with couchsurfing. This basically means to sleep on a couch of another student. Students like to go abroad and Physio Couch makes it easier, cheaper, much more fun and you will learn a lot. Students are connecting in different ways. Not only in a formal way, within a program, but also in an informal way. This is just as important!
Key features of physiotherapists are communication, flexibility, to be open-minded and to be able to connect easily with different people with their own idea’s. People who have another view on life. Meeting people who live in another country and speak another language will enhance your understanding of other people and cultures. We believe students will profit from an experience abroad. Next to having a lot of fun, it will help you to enhance your skills, awareness, consiousness and become a more complete and empathic physiotherapist.
The idea of couch surfing and Physiotherapy was first postulated by Roeleke Schepers in 2009. The idea evolved over time and in Mai 2013 Roeleke Schepers and Anna Ricken (Both HAN University students) turned the idea into the concept of “Physio Couch”. The concept turned into an actual platform and was first presented during the ENPHE 2013 Conference in Lahti, Finland.
Next to the Physiocouch platform a “Physio Couch event” was designed in collaboration with Joost van Wijchen. The first two Physio Couch events were held at the HAN University of Applied Science s in Nijmegen, Netherlands. This year a third edition takes place at Ghent University, Belgium. A blueprint was constructed by the first edition. The concept of “Physio Couch event” can be organized by different student / teacher teams across Europe (and beyond ).