I’m Samu Kauppila, a 30-year-old physiotherapist, and I work as a strength and conditioning coach in football. I have worked for a long time on alternate days in football clubs and as a sports physiotherapist. Currently, I work as a strength and conditioning coach and physiotherapist of the football club FC Honka’s women’s National League team and as a physiotherapist of the men’s Finnish national futsal team. At the beginning of next year, I will be moving to Sweden to work in physio and coaching duties in the field of football.
What made you apply for Jamk’s master’s programme in Sport Physiotherapy?
Primarily internationalisation and expanding and deepening my degree. I had been looking at job opportunities in football abroad for a long time, but I felt that my basic education wasn’t enough for many positions. I also felt that the programme was a good addition to critically broaden my approach to the field and its practices.
How was the education carried out, and how long did the studies take?
My studies lasted for three years, and I completed my studies alongside my own work. In the beginning, there were more contact lectures, often 1-2 times a week, but towards the end, there was more room in the studies for own and freely chosen solutions. I liked that international congresses were included in many study modules and that studying was project-like in many situations. A Master’s thesis was a major part of my studies.
What was your group like?
Our group was small and compact, originally with approximately 10 Finnish people and a few people from abroad.
What is the added value of this education in your work?
My skills related to research data and its handling before and after the education are like night and day, which has been a very essential added value. I am more confident in my approach to the phenomena and trends in the field, and I am better at searching for information for my everyday choices. Studying in English gave significantly confidence to express myself at work and in work-related projects in Finland and abroad. An internationally recognised Master’s degree diploma provided the desired competitive advantage for job hunting abroad as well as the possibility to continue to PhD studies later.
Who would you recommend this programme to?
For someone dreaming of an international career as a sport physiotherapist, for someone considering a career in research or interested in researching the field, and for someone who is eager to develop the field and oneself as a professional.
What was the most rewarding/challenging part of studying?
It was rewarding to network with people working in the same field. I had the opportunity to present my Master’s thesis work in seminars and international journals in the field, which was great. The most challenging part was organising my own calendar to enable both studying and work. The degree didn’t definitely come without a price, and sometimes it required overloading yourself, but I think that the study workload didn’t get inhuman at any point, especially because the study contents were often extremely interesting.
