What is it like to be a student at Longevity Exercise Physiology?
Being a second year masters of Exercise Physiology student at the University of Sydney, this is our second clinical placement block, where we are directed towards developing a holistic picture in terms of the role of an exercise physiology in chronic disease, neurological and musculoskeletal disorder management. From day one of our clinical placement block, we were straight in to shadowing sessions with EP’s at Longevity’s Edgecliff location – located inside Regenesis Fitness. This gym in itself is a busy gym open up to the public in a traditional membership-based format.
‘What it means to work at Longevity: provide services that aim to improve, treat, manage, prevent, maintain and optimise health, provide a supportive community, take a client-centered approach and demonstrate professionalism’
Our supervisor Angela unpacked what it means to work at Longevity: provide services that aim to improve, treat, manage, prevent, maintain and optimise health, provide a supportive community, take a client-centered approach and demonstrate professionalism. Angela spent time with us on our first couple of days showing us the way that Longevity service their clientele – right from the level of their initial assessment. The EP sits down and takes time to un-pack each individual concern and what they want to achieve from the service. Clients (with the assistance of their EP) are asked to set short- and long-term goals relevant to the betterment or maintenance of their condition, as well as a strategy to help with achieving the goals set out. From there, the EP lays out a plan for the client, which includes an evidence-based exercise prescription and then they continually re-assess the client over time to track improvements in their overall health and wellbeing. Longevity takes a person-centered approach, considering their lifestyles, social circumstances, values and family situations for example. Longevity adapts a flexible method to ensure that their services meet the needs of the individual in the best possible way for them.
It has been an amazing experience to first witness, and then assist in the prescription and intervention side of conditions relevant to the clients at Longevity. Having clients that have continually showed their loyalty to Jarrat and the rest of the Longevity team (some for over a decade..) speaks volumes of the way that Longevity go the extra mile in achieving the goals set out initially. Being able to sit and talk to all the different EP’s at Edgecliff has taught us that each practitioner has their own ‘flavour’ and that there are MANY ways in which an effective intervention can be carried out. It was great for the EP’s to trust us enough to assist in being more independent during exercise sessions and even letting us as students take the lead of the sessions. Whilst this did start as daunting (there’s a lot of pressure when you’ve got to follow up after such a great service has been delivered), it certainly got a lot easier to perform and put your own spin on the intervention.
In our time away from clients, we were given the reigns of programming for clients that we had sat in with and got really great feedback on how to be better at forming an effective prescription that is unique and specific for every different condition or pathology that we see.
We cannot thank Longevity Exercise Physiology enough for hosting us over the 6-week placement block. We both had a great time learning from all the EPs here at Longevity Edgecliff and enjoyed being part of a welcoming and supportive community.
Written by Mitchell O’Brien and Sophie Forlico