Three years ago, we spoke to Kim, a Lecturer from South Africa. She is a lecturer in physiotherapy. Her career is an interesting combination of work in physiotherapy and education. She currently teaches the Undergraduate BSc Physiotherapy and MSc Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy courses and also supervises students in their undergraduate research and Masters degrees.
1. Since you shared your STEM story with us, has anything changed in relation to your STEM career?
Since the last interview, a lot has changed! At the beginning of 2019, my contract at the University of Cape Town ended and they were not able to renew it. I was very sad to leave UCT as I had been affiliated there since starting my bachelor's degree in 2002... but I was able to keep supervising a few of my master's students and assisting with some teaching work for the next few months in 2019. Knowing that my contract was coming to an end, I had been looking for jobs for a few months. I wanted to remain in academia and not return to clinical work in physio at that stage. I knew it was going to be very difficult to find jobs in South Africa in academia so I started looking overseas, with continental Europe and Australia being my first choices. While looking for jobs I was continuing with my PhD research and doing ad hoc work at UCT. In September 2019, I moved to Luxembourg (a tiny country in Northern Europe) and started working as a lecturer at a small private university called LUNEX University. It is very different from UCT, as it is small and new. There are many opportunities to grow and develop our careers, but many challenges related to funding research. My work is primarily in teaching on the bachelor and masters programmes (in physiotherapy and exercise science). I finished my PhD at the beginning of 2021, so now I am starting to set up new research projects at LUNEX University.
2. How/why did the changes happen?
I think the change happened for me primarily due to necessity. I no longer had the job at UCT and needed to find somewhere else to work. I would love to still be in South Africa, but the opportunities there are very few in my field (Ex Science and Physio). To continue in academia and be able to do what I love, I had to move continents! I would highly recommend this to everyone if they have the opportunity... it has been extremely challenging (through Covid particularly), but it is such a great learning opportunity. Even though I had travelled a fair amount before moving, it is completely different to live somewhere else and be immersed in the culture. It is also very interesting to live in Europe surrounded by so many different languages and cultures... you don't see this side when you travel as a tourist.
Name: Kim Buchholtz
Role/Occupation: Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Cape Town
Country: South Africa
Kim Buchholtz is a lecturer in physiotherapy; her career is an interesting combination of work in physiotherapy and education. She currently teaches the Undergraduate BSc Physiotherapy and MSc Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy courses and also supervises students in their undergraduate research and Masters degrees.
Although Buchholtz was always interested in physiotherapy or sports science, she wasn’t sure what to study and so after high school, she spent a gap year in the United Kingdom (UK) working at a school. She knew it would be difficult to get into the program, but took a chance and applied and got in to study her BSc Physiotherapy from 2002 to 2005 at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She was convinced that she had made the right decision in her third year of study when clinical rotations through hospitals and clinics began. She has loved working with patients ever since.
Buchholtz’s vast career spans community service for a year at the Airforce Base at Langebaanweg, three years at a private sports and orthopaedic practice in Vredehoek, she started her own practice, Kim Buchholtz Physiotherapy, she completed a post-graduate certificate in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy and then completed an MPhil in Sports Physiotherapy at UCT by coursework and dissertation. She has also worked with IPL cricket players while they were in Cape Town, as well as a number of South African figure skaters. She has also been the head physiotherapist for the Australian Blind Cricket team for three World Cup tournaments, held in Cape Town (2014), India (2017) and the United Arab Emirates (2018). She recently started her PhD, which focuses on the investigation of injury and factors affecting mountain bikers, and sold her practice at the beginning of this year to allow herself a bit more time for the research, whilst also working her part-time job at UCT.
One of the things that Buchholtz enjoys about being a physiotherapist is “working with patients and watching them make progress and improve their quality of life as they heal from injury.” Although she no longer does clinical work, she gets “a huge amount of fulfilment in seeing young adults grow to love physiotherapy and learn... to train competent, well-balanced physiotherapists who will go out into South Africa and improve the lives of people around them.”
Buchholtz feels that despite physiotherapy being a female-dominated field, sometimes female physiotherapists are still seen merely as massage therapists or carers, but believes “as more women move into research in this field, our credibility is improving.” Although she is not sure if “female researchers are taken as seriously as the male researchers just yet” and has heard of some females being treated badly at conferences in spite of being guest and keynote speakers.
Her advice to young women aspiring to enter the field of physiotherapy is “to take opportunities as they present themselves” regardless if they pay well as they give great exposure. It is most important “to build a network… Sometimes this means attending courses or conferences and introducing yourself to leaders in your field… The more people that you know globally in your field, the more opportunities will present themselves.”
With regards to her opinion of physiotherapy in Africa, she feels that funding is always a problem, unfortunately, and particularly in the area of sports and exercise medicine which is still seen as an ‘elite’ field.” But she also believes that this will change with time as “an understanding of the true benefit in using physical activity for disease prevention and management will open doors for funding.” Buchholtz believes “that physiotherapy is really well placed to improve the quality of life of our population, not just in treating injuries, but in offering physical activity programmes to improve overall health.”
Read more about Geeky Girl, Kim Buchholtz’s vast diverse career spanning over 12 years in the insightful interview below.
1. Describe what your work entails.
I am a lecturer in physiotherapy. Currently, I teach on the Undergraduate BSc Physiotherapy and MSc Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy courses. I also supervise students in their undergraduate research (as part of the undergraduate Physiotherapy degree) and Masters degrees. My job is currently a combination of work in physio, but also education, which has been really interesting.
2. Describe your STEM journey.
I studied my BSc Physiotherapy from 2002 to 2005 at UCT. I had taken a year off after school and spent my gap year in the UK working at a school. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, although Physio or Sports Science had always been in the back of my mind. I knew it would be difficult to get in, so I decided to apply and to see what happened. I only really knew that I had made the right decision by the time I was in 3rd year and we started our clinical rotations through the hospitals and in the clinics. I have loved working with patients ever since. After graduating, I completed my community service year at the Airforce Base at Langebaanweg and then moved back to Cape Town. I worked in private sports and orthopaedic practice in Vredehoek for almost 3 years, before starting my own practice (Kim Buchholtz Physiotherapy) in September of 2009. I completed a post-graduate certificate in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy in 2009 and then completed an MPhil in Sports Physiotherapy at UCT by coursework and dissertation in 2013. I started my PhD investigating Injury and factors affecting Mountain bikers at the beginning of 2017, and hope to complete it in 2020. I have been extremely lucky to work with IPL cricket players in 2009 while they were in Cape Town, as well as a number of South African figure skaters. I have been the Head physio for the Australian Blind Cricket team for 3 World Cup tournaments, held in Cape Town (2014), India (2017) and the United Arab Emirates (2018). This year I am working part-time in my job at UCT while focussing on my own research and PhD and trying to grow my academic profile in the research world. I sold my practice at the beginning of this year to allow myself a bit more time for the research.
3. What excites you about your job? What motivates you to get out of bed every morning?
I have always really enjoyed working with patients and watching them make progress and improve their quality of life as they heal from injury. While I miss my patients from the practice now that I am no longer doing clinical work, I get a huge amount of fulfilment in seeing young adults grow to love physio and learn. I really hope that I am helping to train competent, well-balanced physios who will go out into South Africa and improve the lives of people around them. I feel that physio is really well placed to improve the quality of life of our population, not just in treating injuries, but in offering physical activity programmes to improve overall health.
4. How would you describe your experience as a woman in the STEM space?
Physiotherapy is a female-dominated field, so it’s far more unusual to have men around. As a result, sometimes we are still seen as massage therapists or carers, but as more women move in research in this field, our credibility is improving. I am not sure that the female researchers are taken as seriously as the male researchers just yet, and I have heard more than one report of females being treated badly at conferences in spite of being guest and keynote speakers. There is a very positive and public move away from ‘manels’ at conferences and recently I have noticed a call to boycott conferences that are made up of all white, all-male speakers and experts. I think this is a really positive move in the right direction.
5. What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter the STEM field?
You need to take opportunities as they present themselves. Sometimes in the early days of your career, you may take jobs or roles that don’t pay what you feel you deserve, but they give you great exposure and allow you to make contacts. The most important career move you can make is to build a network. Sometimes this means attending courses or conferences and introducing yourself to leaders in your field, which is incredibly daunting. The more people that you know globally in your field, the more opportunities will present themselves. I recently noticed an advert on Twitter looking for research assistants for a study run from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. It is in telerehabilitation which is a fascinating concept that we can potentially use in South Africa to provide services to outlying areas. I am now working with the team in Australia on this study which has opened up a number of opportunities and different working relationships overseas.
6. As a STEM woman in Africa, how do you foresee the growth and progress of STEM on the continent? Is Africa a “land of opportunity”?
In Health Sciences particularly, we are perfectly positioned to improve the health and quality of life of the general population. Funding is always a problem, unfortunately, and particularly in the area of sports and exercise medicine which is still seen as an ‘elite’ field. I’m sure that over time an understanding of the true benefit of using physical activity for disease prevention and management will open doors for funding in my area of interest
7. Have there been any milestone moments or eureka moments in your career?
In my 3rd year of working, I was feeling a bit bored and wasn’t sure if physio was the right career for me. I was considering doing a business management course part-time with a potential move into that area. My boss at the time suggested I do the OMT course which is an advanced practice course to hone your treatment and assessment skills. During the course, completely changed my outlook… I realised that I knew more than I thought I did, but also that there was so much more to learn. It really inspired me to study further and to keep up to date with the current evidence-based practice. Without having completed that course, I may have left physio and would definitely not have followed the academic pathway that I find myself in now. Last year I had a minor argument with a tenant who was renting from me in my previous practice, as well as having a minor health scare (that had the potential to become major). Those were really the catalysts to me analysing what I was trying to achieve and where I wanted to go. After that, I decided to try and reduce some of the stress and workload so that I was able to be more focused and less drained.
8. How do you maintain a work-life balance?
It has been very difficult in the past, especially as you are trying to build your name and reputation in the early career years. My career growth has definitely negatively impacted my social life and my health. After 12 years of working almost non-stop, I have significantly reduced my workload this year in order to catch my breath a bit. I have definitely missed out on social activities and overseas travel as it is very difficult to leave practice for a few weeks, but in the long run, I am happy to be where I am now at 35 years old.
9. Who is your role model? Who inspires you?
We are really lucky in physio to have many great researchers, both male and female: Gwendolene Jull, Alison Grimaldi, Mark Laslett, Peter O’ Sullivan, Karim Kahn… the list goes on and on. They have also made themselves very available to the public on Twitter and are happy to debate and discuss different components of their work.
Locally we have amazing physios like Dr Janine Gray, Helene Simpson, Michelle Swart, Megan Dutton, Chris Allan, all working in Sports and Exercise Physio and I admire and appreciate them. They are also great colleagues, willing to discuss anything, and extremely knowledgeable.
I have an amazing mentor, friend, colleague and supervisor who has been with me for most of my physio journey. Dr Theresa Burgess joined UCT as a lecturer in my final years and has supervised me through my undergraduate, Masters and now PhD research. I am very lucky to be able to work in the department with her as well. She has always guided me in my career and has been exceptionally supportive of any decision I make. I suspect that my career would have been very different if I had not had her guidance and friendship.
10. Where can more information or insight into your work be found?
Information on the physio courses can be found on the university websites. For UCT the URL is: http://www.dhrs.uct.ac.za/dhrs/divisions/physiotherapy/about
For physiotherapy in general, the website of the South African Society of Physiotherapy is: https://saphysio.co.za/
Twitter: @kimbphysio
Kim Buchholtz interviewed by Dhruti Dheda
Dhruti Dheda is a Chemical Engineer with a strong interest in media and communication. She is the editor of the Engineers without Borders South Africa Newsletter and the Community Manager – South Africa and Regional Outreach for Geeky Girl Reality. If you wish to collaborate or network, contact her at [email protected] or find her on Twitter @dhrutidd
