Victoria Hunt

After graduating in 2017 with a BSc in Sport and Exercise for Health, Victoria Hunt pursued a second degree in Physiotherapy at London South Bank University, qualifying in 2020 amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now a Senior Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapist at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, she specializes in caring for patients with acute cardiac and respiratory conditions while mentoring newly qualified therapists.  
Tell us about your career path since graduation.

After I graduated from Kent, I then went on to study another BSc but this time in Physiotherapy at London South Bank University. I studied in London for an additional 3 years, before qualifying as a Physiotherapist in 2020, just as the COVID pandemic happened. I was quickly thrown into the world of healthcare during COVID, and completed rotations across a range of specialties including general medicine, cardiorespiratory, surgical, vascular, critical care, elderly care and emergency department, before realising that my passion was with cardiorespiratory care and chose to specialise in this area. I am now working as a senior cardiorespiratory physiotherapist as an acute allied health professional and absolutely love my job and all of the surprises that each day brings!

What does a typical work day look like for you?

A typical work day for me consists of screening multiple wards where patients with acute general medical, cardiac or respiratory conditions are admitted and require inpatient physiotherapy. Working as a Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapist involves reviewing very poorly patients that require emergency respiratory physiotherapy for sputum clearance, tracheostomy care, or assessing and advising cardiac patients post-pacemaker insertion, plus much more! As a senior therapist, I support newly qualified therapists on my team with developing their clinical skills, working closely with other healthcare professionals, and creating and delivery treatment plans for patients.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

A professional highlight from my career so far would probably be being asked to participate in a research project with respiratory consultants that I work closely with that aims to improve patient care nationally. We should hopefully finish data collection this year, before the data will be published as a research article.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

My time at Kent helped me to build a solid knowledge base to develop my knowledge and clinical skills for future learning. It also allowed me the opportunity to participate in a research project that interested me, which was ultimately published online as a research article. Gaining my qualification at Kent allowed me the opportunity to go on to study Physiotherapy at a London University, which ultimately led me into my dream career now.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

Look out for and actively seek opportunities to grow your network both personally and professionally, participate in research projects where you can, and don’t ever give up! It doesn’t matter if it takes you twice as long as someone else, everyone’s journey is unique and you’ll get to where you’re meant to be when you’re supposed to get there.

Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?

I regularly attended, participated in and led exercise sessions that were facilitated by Kent on a weekly basis. These exercise classes were Stroke Rehabilitation Exercise classes and Parkinson's Exercise classes. I helped my lecturer start up the Parkinson's exercise class and assisted in the initial data collection of participants of both classes.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

My favourite memory of attending Kent would definitely include attending the exercise classes that we ran for individuals affected by strokes or Parkinson’s disease - I absolutely loved meeting and working with these populations to help improve their quality of life and enable and encourage independence within their lives. 

My second favourite memory from Kent would definitely be my graduation - there really is nothing way to describe that feeling. It was such a fun day to celebrate with my friends and peers.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

There isn’t much that I would do differently as I genuinely had a great experience. However, I would probably try to get more involved in the social aspect of attending university, such as joining clubs, sports teams or societies, as I lived at home and commuted to university so missed out on the opportunities to meet more people that you would expect when living on/off campus!

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

I am still in touch with a couple of friends that I made at university, and often catch up with an academic that I worked closely with when running the exercise classes during my time at university.

What are your future ambitions?

My future ambitions are to continue developing within my career, developing my clinical skills and sharing my knowledge with others. I also hope to teach the next generation within a higher education environment!