Community outreach and community service is integral to the discipline of Physiotherapy as the university is encouraging community engagement as part of its outreach and community interaction. Community outreach aims to service and empower local communities in the areas of disease prevention and health promotion, with a focus on people living with disability and HIV.

Presently we are using the St Mary’s Hospital (Marianhill) and the Cato Manor Clinic (Mayville) as the community sites for third and fourth year students, with plans in 2015 to expand the number of community sites to include facilities in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Fourth year students are also encouraged to spend their elective period (one month in July) at a primary health clinic or rural community site. During the year students are also invited to assist with sports events and sports injuries and some of these events are the Midmar Mile, the Comrades Marathon, the Thomas Moore Walk and the East Coast Big Walk.

Our students are also involved with a number of local rugby, cricket and soccer clubs and volunteer for The Extra Mile initiative, a charity assisting people living with disability, co-founded by two of our lecturers, Verusia Chetty and Saul Cobbing.

Physiotherapy Students Coach School Children http://ow.ly/YRJyR