Students are part of the practical during the workshop.

Final-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students at Fiji National University (FNU) honed their expertise in vital areas through a specialized course delivered at the College of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences (CMNHS) Pasifika Campus.

The “Physiotherapy in Burns and Hand Trauma, Speech Pathology for Cleft Lip and Palate” course equipped the soon-to-be physiotherapists with the knowledge and techniques to provide targeted care for patients with these specific conditions.

Jenny Ball, Sarah Florisson, Hannah van Tuil, Akisi Dovibua, and Katie Anjou facilitated the course.

Ball, an award-winning Australian clinician with 41 years of experience in hand, upper limb, plastic, and burns physiotherapy, said the workshop had equipped the students more thoroughly for future challenges.

“We hoped to enhance the confidence of the students as they prepared to enter the workforce and treat patients in hospitals,” Ball said. “We ensured they knew they could apply their physiotherapy knowledge and skills throughout all stages of a patient’s care to improve health outcomes.”

“We taught them about burn injuries, how to prevent burn contractures, and how to follow up with patients after they were discharged from the hospital,” Ball continued. “We also taught them about managing broken bones, tendon and ligament injuries, dislocations, and additionally about their possible role for babies with cleft lip and palate, concerning feeding requirements and early language development.”

“The students demonstrated high engagement and interest in the workshop, actively participating and asking questions,” Ball said. “We delivered this course at FNU since 2014, as volunteers funded by Interplast and Australian Aid. I was impressed with the high standard of surgery and physiotherapy, and there were now champions across surgery and physiotherapy who had benefitted from undertaking this course.”

Year 4 Bachelor of Physiotherapy student John Moulongo said he was fortunate to be part of the workshop.

“I was excited to be part of the workshop,” the 21-year-old said. “It was very interesting, and a lot of information and learning was available.”

“The workshop helped me to explore different areas of physical activity, like burns and hands, and the interventions that were suitable for different situations,” Moulongo added.

CMNHS Head of Department Physiology and Physiotherapy, Irinieta Macunaqio, said Interplast had a long-standing history of collaborating with the Physiotherapy department of the Fiji National University (FNU).

“Fiji served as a hub for medical training across the Pacific,” Macunaqio said. “Interplast leveraged this to deliver training programs to a broad range of surgical trainees and physiotherapists from various Pacific Islands.”

“While Fiji progressed towards self-sufficiency in plastic and reconstructive surgery services, continued medium-term support from Interplast was necessary to bridge the gap at that time,” Macunaqio explained. “As more local surgeons and physiotherapists were trained, the need for external assistance would gradually diminish.”

“This platform provided an excellent learning opportunity for our final-year students, preparing them to enter the workforce,” Macunaqio concluded. “We were grateful for the support and voluntary efforts of the facilitators, especially Ms Ball, who dedicated their valuable time to educate our students. These students would play a crucial role in shaping the future of our community.”