Alexandra Balz, APAS sports instructor, CHUV

During my Bachelor's degree in sports science and physical education, I thought I'd go on to do a Master's degree in teaching. But I realised that I wanted to help, to feel useful to children in need, and teaching didn't really appeal to me. So I chose to do a Master's in Adapted Physical Activities and Health (APAS), which was more in line with my plans and desires, even if the job opportunities weren't very clear at the time. During my Masters, I had the opportunity to do a work placement at the CHUV, which went very well. The placement was an opportunity for me to put to the test the theoretical knowledge I'd acquired on the university benches and to get to grips with working in the field. I did my dissertation in paediatric oncology. During my second data collection for my Master's thesis at the CHUV, my supervisor, with whom I always get on very well, told me about a position that was about to be created and asked me if I was interested in it. I admit that I was lucky, but I'm convinced that the investment, motivation and skills that you can demonstrate during your placement can pay off.

I began my professional career wearing several hats and accumulating several small percentages in clinics, with people aged from 5 to 90, and in hospitals in the fields of obesity and hospital paediatrics. After a while, my position developed and I now work as an APAS sports instructor, with 60% in the paediatric obesity consultation and 20% in diabetology at the Hôpital de l'Enfance (CHUV). As part of a multidisciplinary approach to the outpatient care of children and adolescents, I lead physical and sports activities, working alongside the physiotherapists. On a day-to-day basis, my work also involves organising session schedules, sending out registrations for therapeutic groups and booking the sports facilities I need. We work with the cantonal "Ça marche ! Move more, eat better" programme to enable overweight young people to take sports classes adapted to their abilities. In collaboration with the City of Lausanne's Youth and Leisure Department, we have developed a project that aims to offer a week of physical activity and sport for overweight teenagers four times a year. Another part of my professional practice involves giving various lectures to a professional audience and acting as a lecturer for the interdisciplinary Youth and Sport module on 'physical and sporting activities with overweight or obese young people', as well as at the Haute Ecole de la Santé de La Source for the optional module on 'Child and Family Health' for 3rd year Bachelor students and at the University of Neuchâtel at the Faculty of Sports Science and Practice, 'APA module'. I have also contributed to various publications on the subject of overweight children. So my work has many varied and stimulating facets! To date, I've taken quite a few further training courses, which enable me to enrich my practice for the children I work with. What I love about my work is the variety and diversity of the encounters I have every day. Alongside the programme I set up with the youngsters, I do a lot of work promoting movement with parents, to raise their awareness of physical activity in general and of the small everyday things that everyone can do to keep fit: taking the stairs instead of the lift, and so on. These meetings are not always easy to manage, especially when the people in front of me don't speak French very well, but they are always very rewarding.

Don't worry, jobs aren't just found through the grapevine! The field of adapted physical activities is very new on the job market and will develop enormously over the next few years. Many people think that we're competing with physiotherapists, but that's not the case. The role of APAS is more educational, although it can be therapeutic at a later stage. You just have to find a place for yourself! At the moment, my post is the only one of its kind in French-speaking Switzerland that is funded by the state and not by private foundations, but I'm convinced that opportunities will arise and multiply, particularly in the field of chronic illnesses, mental illnesses and so on. APAS really have their place in the healthcare system. You need to be open-minded, motivated and flexible, because working hours are not always easy, especially in hospitals. You also need to be dynamic, be able to work as part of a team, have good organisational skills and be rigorous in your work. I'd say that the most important thing is to keep yourself informed: the theoretical knowledge you acquire during the Master's course is excellent, but you have to keep yourself informed, ask questions and seek to develop your knowledge at all times.