Stretching into an osteopathy career

For Mark Higginson, osteopathy combines his love of sport and a desire to help people live their lives to the fullest. He shares how VU has helped him kickstart a rewarding career.

“I did an arts degree first when I left school and I loved it. I love reading and writing and history – they are my passions and hobbies, but I realised there was nothing there I really wanted to pursue as a career.

“I played rugby union for years and years, so I was always around sports and physios and I was very interested in it. Then someone mentioned to me that maybe I should look into osteopathy, and when I did it seemed more and more like something I’d enjoy.

“Once I started the Bachelor of Science (Osteopathy)/Master of Health Science (Osteopathy), I fell in love with health and helping people live their lives to the best of their ability.

“I am also a people person. Meeting new people and hearing their stories is something I thrive on, so getting to do that every day with my patients is just a dream come true.”

Focus through the VU Block Model

“I chose VU because, of the two osteopathy degrees in Melbourne, the VU course was the more highly recommended one.

“It had excellent resources and placement experiences available, and the VU Block Model to me sounded like a brilliant way to learn and study at university.

“I never struggled in my arts degree, but with the Block Model at VU I just became a way better student. It was really great being able to just focus on one thing at a time. “

Real-world experience & state-of-the-art facilities 

“Working with patients in the VU osteo clinic was really amazing. All the clinicians there have a lot of experience and knowledge to impart on us, and having them there means you’re always getting mentor feedback for every appointment with a patient.

“It also meant we didn’t have to go out and find our own internships. It was through the university, so it made the whole placement process a bit easier and it felt like a safe environment.

“In the last month of my Masters we moved to the new clinic in the VU City Tower. It was a really great environment to be in – a nice, new building with big glass windows everywhere, lots of light, and really big, clean treatment rooms.

“I think being in that new environment also played into how the patients saw us. It made us feel a bit more professional, and I felt like they treated us more like professionals too, so that was a really great experience.”

Starting a rewarding career

Luckily enough, on my last day of classes I had a job interview, and by the end of that interview I had a job. I’m going to be working with a health care company that outsources to residential aged care homes and does home care and NDIS services.

“It’s really rewarding working with elderly patients. For example, if you have an 80-year-old who has just had a broken hip, and you can get them walking an extra five minutes a day – to those of us who are younger and fitter that might not seem like much, but to them it might mean an extra five minutes they can walk with their grandkids or with the dog.

“It’s those little things that can mean something so much bigger, and I want to help people live as well as they can, for as long as they can.”

Interested in a career in osteopathy?

VU offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in osteopathy, getting you on the path to a fulfilling career in health.

Browse our osteopathy courses now.