Former student Jono Bruce is one of ACPE’s shining stars and an example of how a course with us, coupled with determination and hard work, can lead you to great things.
Jono finished his Bachelor of Health Science with us last year (2017). He was part of the first intake of the course available at ACPE. Jono applied himself and was very determined. Due to the competitiveness of the field, he knew he needed to do well in all subjects in order to do a post graduate degree, which was his end goal.
He certainly met and exceeded that as he was a College Medal Winner (Dux) at ACPE obtained a scholarship at Macquarie University for his Doctorate in Physiotherapy!
Here we talk to Jono about his journey and why he chose the ACPE Bachelor of Health Sciences.
What attracted you to studying at ACPE?
“I’ll be honest, my ATAR wasn’t the greatest and the fact the course is non ATAR dependent meant it was open to me. I also had a couple of gap years after high-school and had completed by certificate in fitness before I enrolled into the ACPE Bachelors. I liked the smaller classes, which made it easy to transition from high school to a tertiary education.”
What gravitated you towards the Bachelor of Health Science (Exercise)?
“From the outset I was determined to be a Physiotherapist. With that goal in mind I planned out what I needed to study to obtain this dream. I researched, looking at all the subjects I would need to study and the Bachelor of Health Sciences at ACPE covered everything I needed. I always intended to then continue on to do my post-graduate degree, which this Bachelor set me up perfectly for.”
Upon finishing your degree what sort of career and post graduate opportunity did you find?
“I had no intention of working straight after my degree and always planned to continue studying so I didn’t really try to find work. But some of the opportunities that were open to me included going into clinical placement, clinical labs or as a good fall back the Australian Health Organisation. There are definite career opportunities with just having the Bachelor of Health Sciences degree, but I was keen to do more. Perhaps you can say I got the study bug!”
What advice do you have for future students looking to follow the same/similar career path?
“Be determined to do something with your qualifications. Work hard for yourself, not for the post-graduate degree alone. It is the application that makes the difference, not the piece of paper (though that also helps!). Work hard for yourself!”
What made you decide to go on to do a Physio post graduate qualification?
“I realised with more study, I could help more people. The body has always been of interest to me and the more I learnt the more I wanted to learn”
How did ACPE set you up for your post graduate studies?
“Everything in the degree was useful for getting me into my post graduate degree. What I studied applied and was relevant to further studies in Physiotherapy. The tailored availability of the lectures meant I did much better and helped lead me to receiving my scholarship and award.”
Why should prospective students’ study at ACPE?
“I recommend ACPE due to the smaller class room environment and the tailored availability of the lecturers. The course you do doesn’t have to be your end game – it can springboard you to greater things. You’re not sitting in a classroom of 300 people who don’t know each other, the smaller group of students at ACPE means you get more support from your peers. Having the availability of the lecturers is definitely one of the things that will help you go further”
