Meet Joanne Cardona, Sports and Exercise Medicine tutor. Joanne is a physiotherapist from Malta working in the musculoskeletal/sports field, with a special interest in individual sports and outdoor sport. She has a love for outdoor activities such as kayaking and trekking, and a passion for travelling. We recently spoke to Joanne about her background prior to studying, Sports and Exercise Medicine, and what it takes to succeed on the course.
What was your background prior to becoming a tutor?
Joanne: I was working as a full time physiotherapist within the national hospital in a musculoskeletal outpatients and private practice, when I felt I needed to upgrade my knowledge within the field. I started looking for a fully online masters in the area towards the end of 2014. SEM with Diploma MSc. was the perfect choice with regards to module content, length of study and flexibility. I started my Diploma in 2015 and completed my MSc in 2017 before being offered a tutoring role with Diploma MSc. I started tutoring in 2018.
What makes studying with Learna | Diploma MSc different? Why is it better/who is it best for?
Joanne: My greatest worry was to stop my private practice to study, however with the MSc format offered by Diploma MSc this didn’t happen. I managed to fit in my studies well within my very busy working schedule. I also managed to travel quite a lot whilst studying including following and completing modules whilst skiing in Italy, accompanying the Netball team in the UK and beach breaks in summer. Anyone with a hectic schedule but eager to develop in his/her career should consider a postgraduate program with Diploma MSc.
How has the course helped you/your students?
Joanne: As a student it helped me to go a step further in helping patient’s return to sport and rehabilitation. It allowed me to gain more knowledge through discussion with other students. We were a very small group in 2015, residing in 4 different continents. This allowed us to explore different approaches within our different setups. As a tutor we give a lot of opportunity for peer discussions when dealing with a number of issues in Sports medicine. Self-directed learning allows students to read and explore the latest literature available and its implications to our practice.
How can students apply the knowledge gained to their daily practice?
Joanne: Cases presented for discussion are very practical and knowledge can easily be applied within our daily practice.
What does it take to succeed on the Sports and Exercise Medicine course?
Joanne: Good time management and eagerness to explore new literature.
What’s your favourite topic within your field of work?
Joanne: Return to play and end stage rehabilitation.
Do you recommend any specific research tools and websites for students?
Joanne: USW library is a rich source of literature and got all that’s needed to complete the course. Try to get well acquainted with it within the first couple of weeks.
If you are interested in studying our Sports and Exercise Medicine course, you can find more information on our website.