Understanding the impact of volunteering at the London Marathon on the confidence of physiotherapy students

Purpose: This study aims to explore how voluntary experience at the London Marathon impacts Physiotherapy students’ confidence for their future clinical practice.
Methods: An online focus group was conducted using four final-year Physiotherapy students from Coventry University (CU) who volunteered at the 2024 London Marathon and the data was analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Three overarching themes were identified from the analysis: (1) Varied roles of the Physiotherapy students at the London Marathon: a number of roles were described, including providing advice and encouragement to the runners at the finish, collaborating with other healthcare professionals through MDT working and delivery of sports massage and taping interventions. (2) Increased short-term confidence after the event: related to their clinical ability, patient interactions and rapport, developing adaptability and teamwork. (3) Increased confidence for future clinical practice: foreseen in four key areas: future MSK outpatient experiences, clinical approach and skills, transferability of skills and in seeking future opportunities. Although the consensus was improved confidence, variation in how much confidence improved by could be attributed to previous experiences and learning styles of the participants.
Conclusion(s): This is the first study to evaluate the experiences of Physiotherapy students volunteering at a major marathon event. These results show that Physiotherapy students volunteering at the London Marathon benefit from improved confidence in the short-term and for future practice through opportunities to enhance transferable skills, multidisciplinary working and building rapport with a diverse population. This may be explained by this voluntary experience allowing students the opportunity to take on a broad range of roles throughout the event. Future Physiotherapy students should consider volunteering at the London Marathon as a beneficial educational opportunity for their professional development.
Impact: This study demonstrates the benefits of engaging in voluntary opportunities, such as the London Marathon, for Physiotherapy students. By understanding the impact these opportunities have on professional development, organisations may be able to understand their role in supporting the future Physiotherapy workforce to develop their confidence and clinical skills. Experiences, such as those provided by the London Marathon, contribute to developing confident and competent Physiotherapists.