Exchanging Oslo for the Tees Valley

Following several sporting injuries in his native Norway, Svein Kristiansen became interested in Physiotherapy as a career. He crossed the North Sea in pursuit of his goal, and this year has graduated from the Middlesbrough-based University of Teesside with a BSc (Hons) degree in Physiotherapy.

Svein, 24, is originally from Greaker, a small town south of Oslo. After finishing college he completed a year’s national service, then decided to move to the UK. He said: “I’d always been into sport, particularly football, but had a few ligament injuries and this helped me to think about Physiotherapy. It’s a rewarding career, you can see how you are helping people and can see them getting better. You can also get to work with all sorts of people. I’d been to the UK quite a few times, to Manchester and London, and wanted to study there full-time.”

The British weather was a surprise to Svein. He added: “At first it seemed like winter was followed by half-winter. Despite that, I really enjoyed the course, particularly the practical side, my favourite module was anatomy, seeing how the body works and how people react to different problems. The placements were invaluable, you learn so much in just four weeks of a hospital placement.”

In addition to placements at the University hospital of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Durham, Svein also chose to apply for a summer placement in a South African bush hospital, the Bedford Orthopaedic Centre in Umtata. He applied to seven hospitals before choosing the Bush hospital. He added: “It took over fifty hours to get there but I wanted to see the real Africa. It was a real challenge, my personal and communication skills really developed, as only a few of the nurses could speak English, and none of the patients.”

Back in the UK Svein continued his love of football, going to see Manchester FC play regularly, and joining the University’s Inter-Departmental Football league. Svein scored the goal of the season for the 2001 winners, the Sixth Team.

Svein is the first in his family to graduate from university and the son of Bjorn and Astrid Kristiansen. After a summer break in Greece, Svein will return to the UK to apply for his first Physiotherapy post.

For more information on the BSc (Hons) degree in Physiotherapy please ring 01642 384110 or 384113 or check the University of Teesside’s web site at www.tees.ac.uk

---