Meeting standards in a changing workforce

With a little help from Open Learning, it took Graeme Beverley just under three years to discover more about his British heritage than he had in the 20 years his feet were rooted in UK soil. Amazingly enough, this rich educational experience was simply a side benefit of his true purpose for study with Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning (TRU-OL).

Beverley began his TRU-OL journey intending only to obtain a Health Science degree and thus satisfy his personal and professional need to be educationally equal to his peers. Achieving this goal meant more than mere overtime but yielded more than a mere degree.

Only four short days after moving from Newcastle, England to British Columbia in April 1983, Beverley began his Canadian physiotherapy career. In order to legally practice here, he had to join the College of Physical Therapists of BC. All physical therapy practitioners, from foreign and home soil alike, must be registered with the College in order to practice physical therapy in BC. Adding credence to the credentials, in 1993 it was provincially mandated that all new foreign educated physiotherapists practicing in BC must be able to prove their education is equivalent to a Canadian degree in physiotherapy.

Having practiced physiotherapy in Canada for about 11 years prior to the legal amendment, Beverley was not affected by the new provision. However, his personal resolve led him to beat BC’s credentialing bullet and in 1992 enrol in the Health Science degree course.

“I was still training students who appeared better qualified than I was and that didn’t sit right with me,” Beverley said. “I had a graduate diploma in physiotherapy from the UK but the majority of physios in BC have degrees… I felt I should be able to do this myself.”

And achieve degree status Beverley did, although not without some challenges and, some unexpected benefits. After more than a decade away from the school environment, Beverley returned but this time he shouldered much more responsibility. It wasn’t just the strain of entering into a student mentality in a new country and in a new learning format; it was also the challenge of doing so with a young family and full-time job. With these commitments in tow, Beverley knew his course work would have to be very flexible so that it could be organized into his minimal amount of ‘free’ time. “Face-to-face learning doesn’t have that flexibility,” he explained. In order to fit education in, Beverley utilized time when he could, like early mornings and evenings after the kids were tucked tightly in bed.

Despite his tenacity, Beverley initially found the course work difficult to adjust to. “From my first introduction, courses seemed quite difficult,” he said. However, Beverley said that communication with Faculty members provided the guidance required to understand the format coursework was expected to be in as well as the nuances inherent to course expectations.

“Contact with the Faculty member was important as they were able to direct me towards the course goals and they were quick to push me to learn more and express myself in more eloquent terms.”

Tutor communication and guidance as well as the straightforward layout of course instruction, added to Beverley’s positive and successful experience; as did his ability to gain credit for courses he previously gained at the College of New Caledonia. Beverley simply had to send his course transcripts to Open Learning in order to transfer credits toward his OL degree, reducing his total course load.

Open Learning not only offered Beverley the ease of study that allowed him to quickly realize his goal, it also awarded him social awareness. Course content not only satisfied degree requirements, it also opened his “eyes to some of the disparities in our health system and the cultural diversities which exist in BC health care.” This awareness was further embellished through his course electives.

Being from Britain, Beverley was drawn to a fine arts elective on English history which encompassed the industrial revolution and rise of the British Empire. “I learned more about my heritage during this course than I had during my 20 years of living there,” Beverley said.

Learning and self realization were the most notable outcomes of Beverley’s Open Learning journey. “I felt more professional and better able to carry out all the aspects of my work,” Beverley said of his position as Professional Practice Leader for the Physical Therapy department in Merritt, where he has been practicing for the last 20 years.