Sports enthusiast, Fraser Scott, moved to Edinburgh from the Scottish Borders to build upon the knowledge he gained from his HND Sports Therapy course at Edinburgh College. Fascinated by his own journey to recovery after obtaining a debilitating sports injury from rugby, Fraser developed a keen interest in health, rehabilitation and performance and after two years on his college course, he articulated directly to QMU to study the final two years of BSc (Hons) Sports Rehabilitation – the only accredited course of its kind in Scotland.
This unique degree (two years at college followed by two years studying a QMU degree) provides the training needed to pursue a career as a Graduate Sports Rehabilitator, and is delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College and City of Glasgow College. Fraser tells us about how this specialised course helped him shape his new future goals.
What attracted you to the Sports Therapy course at college and the Sports Rehabilitation course at QMU?
I originally dreamt of becoming a professional rugby player. I was involved in the Scottish Rugby Development Programme and had enrolled in the Rugby Performance course at Edinburgh College in 2012 while transitioning into senior rugby at Melrose Rugby.
Unfortunately, I sustained a nasty ankle injury while playing rugby over in Ireland. This injury put me out of the game for just over three years, due to complications with the healing process. After two surgeries, I eventually got back to playing rugby, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I had done prior to the injury.
However, I had become absolutely fascinated with rehabilitation while going through my own healing journey. Since then, it has been an area in which I have been deeply interested in.
I didn’t realise I could pursue Sports Therapy and then Sports Rehabilitation at the time. I ended up becoming a butcher for five years, then went out to live in Australia for two. I was planning on going out to New Zealand until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so I decided to stay in Scotland. I decided not to do butchery, so I had a good think about what I was passionate about and interested in. I remembered that while I was on the Rugby Performance course at Edinburgh College, we would receive sports therapy treatments from the students in the clinic there, so I investigated this course and decided to apply!
After two years at college, I was then able to transfer straight across to the Sports Rehabilitation courses at QMU. I’ve not looked back since!
Why are you particularly interested in Sports Rehabilitation as a career?
"Sports Rehabilitation is a new and exciting profession. A combination of clinical work and being able to work with athletes is a major draw. The way I see Sports Rehabilitation is a hybrid of Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy – which focuses on muscles, joints, posture and movement - and Strength and Conditioning - dynamic or static exercises used to improve physical performance - both of which I am really interested in."
How have you found the transition from college to university?
Fairly challenging, however, our lecturers were brilliant in assisting with the transition. I think the biggest thing would be the step up in academic reading and writing!
What have you most enjoyed about your course at QMU? What has been the highlight?
The highlight is the internship with Edinburgh Rugby. Being able to learn from the multidisciplinary team responsible for looking after the players was invaluable. It was also pretty cool coming from a rugby background and working with players I used to watch growing up! It was a great experience and I learned so much during my time there. One of the senior physiotherapists at QMU was my placement supervisor and we had one-to-one sessions about any areas that particularly piqued my interest. My duties ranged from organising the medical stock cupboard, to observing training sessions both in the gym and on the field, to development and administration of rehabilitation programmes from point of injury to return-to-play.
Have you participated in a course activity you found especially interesting?
I have really enjoyed the MSK modules - the lecturers have been incredible. I particularly enjoyed the Pain Science lectures, as I find it such a fascinating topic. The Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Management module was also a highlight!
How have your lecturers supported your learning?
The lecturers have been great, especially when considering my transition from college. They have arranged academic writing skills drop-in sessions to help me get to grips with it.
I am also a Student Representative for my course, and it is clear that student feedback is taken seriously. Whenever I receive feedback from the class regarding certain areas in which they feel they need a bit more assistance with, I relay this back to the Course Leader, and things are always quickly put in place to address those issues.
What’s your ‘top tip’ for making the most out of being a student?
I’d probably say be organised. The sheer volume of work can be quite tricky to get used to off the back of the HND, so ensure you make the time to do your pre-reading as typically it will be discussed in class, and you’d be expected to have read up!
It is also so vital to make the time for you as well - it is very easy to get caught up in the number of deadlines - so to avoid burnout, make yourself a priority.
What has been the most valuable lesson that you’ve learned at university?
At 25 years old, I thought I was too old, or not academic enough, to go to university, as all my friends went straight into university from school. However, I quickly realised that I could excel at university, and this was thanks to my keen interest and passion for my chosen degree.
Do you have any advice for students who might be interested in taking up a Sports Rehabilitation course?
Go for it! It is a challenging course, but extremely rewarding. The field of Sports Rehabilitation is still very new, and I think soon there will be lots of opportunities for people with this degree. An entrepreneurial spirit will be very beneficial.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
"For me, the dream would be to own my own gym or clinic - being able to provide Sports Rehabilitation services to people from all walks of life."
