Betsy Ann arrived in Canada in 2014 with a dream of working as a physical therapist in acute care in a hospital.
She had left her family – a husband and two-year old twin girls – at home in India to settle in a new country where she didn’t know anyone.
Back in India, she completed a Master’s degree in cardiorespiratory fitness and had worked for four years in a cardiac ICU managing patients on respirators before taking a break to raise her daughters.
After arriving in Canada, Betsy Ann learned that she would need to go through some steps before she could work as a physical therapist in Canada. She found the Department of Physical Therapy’s bridging program and enrolled in the upcoming session.
Though she hoped enrolling in the program would open up doors, she faced doubts. “People told me I wouldn’t be successful – that I would never work in a Canadian hospital. But the bridging program told me the opposite. They told me I would be successful in not just finding work as a physiotherapist in Canada, but I would succeed in getting a job at a hospital,” says Betsy Ann. “I especially received great support from Sharon Switzer-McIntyre, the Program Director. She said the physical therapy profession would be at a loss if I wasn’t part of it. Her words really motivated me.”
Betsy Ann says the bridging program opened up many doors and the people in the program and the connections she made have helped her in many different ways. “Not only did the program help me to pass the licensing exam, but it helped me increase my network. I entered the program not knowing anyone here in Canada and I made friends from all around the world. Once my family joined me here in Canada, we were learning how to settle into life here. I met other people who shared about their immigration journey, and I learned more about Canadian culture,” she says. “I met others who were raising kids, who had kids in school, and who were balancing work with family life, just like me. It was a blessing to make these connections.”
Since graduating from the bridging program, Betsy Ann has been working as a physical therapist in the cardiac unit at Scarborough Health Network. She says, “I love working in Scarborough because I get a variety of patients. The population is very diverse so you see different families.”
Betsy Ann continues to give back to the physical therapy program, volunteering as a clinical educator to supervise student physical therapists. “As a physiotherapist, I add quality to life. If I can give back in any way to this profession, I will take the opportunity to do so,” she says. “When I gained so much through the program, it doesn’t seem fair to keep it all for me. Giving back is important to me and if I can help one student – that student is going to change so many lives and I’m grateful to be part of that.”
