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Kerrie Roberts studied Physiotherapy at the University of Liverpool. After graduating in 2006 she took part in a two month physiotherapy volunteer project with Projects Abroad. 
Choosing my gap yearI took part in a physiotherapy project based in the Nepal Orthopaedic Hospital in Kathmandu. I chose this project because I needed to gain experience in physiotherapy. As the job market in physiotherapy is very competitive I felt that the extra experience would be very helpful. I decided to go with Projects Abroad because they had a good reputation and offered projects that were perfect for my needs. They also offered a broad range of projects and were very flexible towards individual travel plans, My gap year experiencesDuring the two-month project I worked in Nepal Orthopaedic hospital Monday to Friday and travelled around Nepal at weekends. Travelling to the hospital on the local bus service was certainly an eye opening experience!! During the week I helped and learnt from a team of four physiotherapists working the in hospital in both an in and outpatient setting. This involved working on the wards and with patients who attended the hospital solely for physio treatment. I was also lucky enough to go and watch surgery taking place at the hospital. The most rewarding part of the experience was helping to put a smile on faces of the younger patients who had to spend many weeks in hospital with complicated fractures and problems. The biggest challenge of the work was communicating. I took a language course during my time in Nepal but trying to explain what I was doing during treatments was difficult! Every weekend we would go somewhere either inside Kathmandu or further away, we went to the jungle and took an elephant ride into the jungle to see rhinos. I completed a bungee jump high in the Nepalese mountains, I travelled to Tibet for one week in 4x4s after my placement and I went to Pokara to see the Annapurna Mountains. All the staff at the hospital were very friendly and the whole experience was fantastic. I really felt part of the physiotherapy team during my time in Nepal and the experience also helped me secure my first physio job back home in the UK. The project gave me experience that no one else had that I was able to talk about in my interviews when I returned home. My adviceI would advise other students and graduates considering a gap year to go for it. Life experience is invaluable and if that experience is relevant to your future profession even better! Also utilise your time during your projects to travel as much as possible with your spare time as there will be other volunteers wanting to do the same. Further information: | 
