Simon Cooke

About me

I was born/grew up in: St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

I now live in: St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

I completed my training/education at: University of Alberta

What I do at work

The key activities I am involved with each day are listening to people, watching how they move, determining their strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement, and then implementing a plan of action to help increase their function.

I use biology and physics routinely everyday to determine how to help an injured body heal and how to help someone move better.

I use medical equipment to assist in recovery from injury and in managing pain.

I engage in high level problem solving and decision making. Many decisions need to be made quickly and are based on a combination of my experience and my knowledge of what we call "best practice."

I consult, or ask questions of, my colleagues everyday. This helps me be a better physiotherapist.

My career path is

I was able to go into Physiotherapy school directly from high school. From there, I completed many different post-graduate courses to get to where I am today. I moved away from Edmonton early in my career to gain different experiences.

I was very lucky to find such a rewarding career and I have my high school guidance counsellor to thank for that. She recommended I look into physiotherapy further. Once I did, I was hooked!

I am motivated by

Interacting with and helping people function better keeps me motivated and excited at work. Also, each person I meet and work with is different. Thus, their injury or issue is different too. This keeps my day at work very challenging and varied.

How I affect peoples’ lives

I hope that the advice and knowledge I am able to share with people helps them to improve their function. Whether this means a personal best in a marathon or learning how to get in and out of bed without hurting their back, it is all important to each person. This is why my career matters; it matters to me that people can continue to do what they need or love to do as efficiently as possible.

Outside of work I

I am a father of 3 children and am very busy with them. I need to stay fit and active to be healthy; I enjoy swimming, hiking, and light weight lifting to help me with that. I also love to read!

My advice to others

Go for it! Listen to what others around you suggest are your strengths, combine that with your own beliefs, and take a chance!