Most commonly reported Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Documenting/Recording Information Entering, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

The Work

As a sports physiotherapist, you could work with top professional sports people, amateurs or people who do sports as a leisure activity. Your work would include:

• examining and diagnosing injuries
• planning treatment programmes
• using methods such as manipulation, massage, heat treatment, electrotherapy and hydrotherapy
• keeping records of patient's treatment and progress.

If you deal with sports professionals, you would work in a team with coaches, other health care professionals and sports scientists.

You could specialise in a particular sport, or in a particular aspect of physiotherapy, such as rehabilitation.

You need to be able to work calmly under pressure, and to be able to make judgements confidently. You will be expected to give accurate timescales for when players may be able to start playing again, both to coaches and players themselves. There is quite a lot of lifting and carrying involved in this job such as packing kits, packing equipment, carrying equipment and setting up equipment.

Most commonly reported Work Tasks

• Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
• Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
• Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
• Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
• Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
• Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
• Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
• Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
• Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.

Further Information

• Physiotherapist - Sports - from: N.C.S. [UK]

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Social

The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.

Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.

Investigative

The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.

Realist

Realists are usually interested in 'things' - such as buildings, mechanics, equipment, tools, electronics etc. Their primary focus is dealing with these - as in building, fixing, operating or designing them. Involvement in these areas leads to high manual skills, or a fine aptitude for practical design - as found in the various forms of engineering.

Realists like to find practical solutions to problems using tools, technology and skilled work. Realists usually prefer to be active in their work environment, often do most of their work alone, and enjoy taking decisive action with a minimum amount of discussion and paperwork.

According to The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, the professional body representing physiotherapists in Ireland,  Chartered Physiotherapists have a four-year full-time degree and 1,000 hours of clinical placement in public health services as part of that degree programme and also have expertise in musculoskeletal, cardio-respiratory and neurological conditions. CORU operates a register for occupation and approved qualifications.

Training & Development Pathways 

FET Centre PLC Courses: Physiology and Health Science, Sports and Leisure Management–Pre University Physiotherapy, Sports physio, Sports & physical Therapy, Holistic & physical Thearpies, Recreation and Exercise, Physio Assstant NFQ level 5-6 Search FET PLC Courses 

Higher Education CAO entry: Nutrition & Health Science, Nutrition & Health Science, IT Carlow Physiology & Health Science, Health Science and Physiology, Physiotherapy, Sports studies physiology & massage, Health Physiology, NFQ level 6-8 Search CAO courses

Sports Physiotherapy is a post-graduate qualification.

• UCD offer a 2-year Graduate Diploma in Sport Physiotherapy which is open to physiotherapists eligible for ISCP registration with 2 years experience. A 2-year Master's programme in Sports Physiotherapy is also available at UCD.

• NUIG offer a 2-year Master's in Sports & Exercise Physiotherapy which is open to chartered physiotherapy graduates (BSc Physiotherapy NUI) or another university deemed acceptable, with a minimum of two years experience post qualification.

You must first become a Chartered Physiotherapist :

1. Complete a recognised three or four year undergraduate university degree course (or a 2 year accelerated entry to practice MSc) which includes at a minimum 1,000 hours of clinical practice

2. Be accepted as a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists/ CORU reg

Last Updated: August, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €41k - €93k

Salaries vary by employer, location, duties, role, experience, and sessional shift pattern & conditions.

Data Source(s):
HSE/ Indeed

Last Updated: July, 2024

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

Employment growth was below average for therapy professionals, with levels in 2022 remaining below that of 2020. Although LFS data does not allow for a detailed breakdown of employment in this group, Census data for 2016 and 2022 shows detailed employment as follows.

Despite the lack of overall employment growth in recent years, issues with recruitment resulted in a number of therapist roles (occupational, physiotherapists and speech and language) being added to the Critical Skills Employment Permit List in June 2022. A total of 53 new permits were issued in 2022, primarily for physiotherapists with a small number for occupational and speech & language therapists.

The delivery of the Sláintecare report, particularly in terms of community care and mental health services, will require additional staffing in these occupations and, while a combined total of 100 additional training places are planned for occupational, physio, and speech/language therapists in Ireland and Northern Ireland’s education system, given the duration of training programmes, recruitment difficulties for these posts are unlikely to ease in the short-to-medium term. However, as employment levels are not increasing and the data does not allow for detailed analysis, it is not possible to determine if shortages exist for this occupation at present.

• Sport Ireland

  • Sport Ireland National Sports Campus, Snugborough Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
  • (01) 8608800
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• CORU - Regulating Health & Social Care Professionals

  • Infinity Building, George’s Court, George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 E98Y
  • (01) 293 3160
  • [email protected]/ [email protected]/ [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists

  • Royal College of Surgeons, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
  • (01) 402 2148
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here