Beatrice grew up in Switzerland and moved to Portland to pursue a chiropractic degree. At the time the requirements in Switzerland were such that she had to do degree studies in the US, which were preceded by a year at medical school and followed by two years of residency in Switzerland. Beatrice has been living in South London (UK) now for nearly 20 years. After graduation she worked as a chiropractor over a number of years, but her interests slowly shifted to a much more movement and rehabilitation based practice and eventually also sports specific coaching and strength & conditioning. And that shift eventually brought her back to UWS for her Sport & Performance Psychology degree.
What brought you to UWS?
UWS was one of about 10 chiropractic colleges we could choose from coming to study from Switzerland. The location in the beautiful PNW, where I had traveled to before, was also a big decider. Finally, recommendations from chiropractors who had graduated UWS and the evidence based focus of the university.
I also graduated with a MSc in Sport & Performance Psychology from UWS much more recently in 2023. When it became clear I wanted to go down the route of getting a degree in this field it made sense to look at UWS first, the faculty for the program is outstanding with lots of real life experience outside of teaching. Being familiar with the processes and the university itself from my DC degree made this a really easy decision in the end.
What is most rewarding about your field/work? / What is most surprising?
What I enjoy most is working with people and contributing to them making big changes in their lives. When I was working as a chiropractor, I was always very rehab based so empowering patients to take charge of their own health and seeing them succeed is priceless. This is also very similar to my current work around performance coaching.
What do you now appreciate about your education?
The size of the various programs is such that faculty and instructors were always really approachable and willing to support us students. I think that’s a big plus and something current students should take advantage of as much as they can. A lot of instructors in both programs I pursued are practitioners as much as they are academics. That real life experience is so valuable as a student. UWS gave me a very good base to grow and expand my practice from.
Is there anything you would tell your younger (UWS/early career) self?
The DC program is very demanding and from what I could gather this hasn’t changed much in the 25 years since I graduated. I was very focused on school and maybe could have relaxed a little bit more, not everything has to be perfect. Also, you don’t realize until after you graduate how much you really know, the application in real life practice is what gives you that confidence that you’re sometimes lacking as an intern.