Every day, Cheng Bijun helps people “get back on their feet”.

The 24-year-old physiotherapist with Alexandra Hospital has been helping athletes get back to the sports they love since she joined the hospital last year.

The Hwa Chong Junior College alumnus applied for the National Healthcare Group Health Sciences Scholarship after her A-level examinations, opting to pursue a Diploma in Physiotherapy at Nanyang Polytechnic and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) at Sydney University.

“The scholarship gave me lots of exposure, since I studied in Singapore, followed by Australia. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to work in hospitals locally and overseas.”

Bijun did a five-week stint at a Hong Kong hospital, as part of her three-year diploma programme. She was based in a clinic where she witnessed treatments combining western medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In Sydney, she helped the elderly during hydrotherapy sessions and learnt how to make temporary prosthetics, which she pointed out is “not something physiotherapists usually do”.

The daughter of a nurse, Bijun has always been interested in physiotherapy and attributes her passion for her profession to her mother.

“My mum is a nurse, and she has a big influence over my decision to be a physiotherapist. As I grew up watching my mum care for people, I knew early on that it was something I wanted to do as well.”

Now, as a therapist at the hospital’s Exercise and Sports Centre, Bijun is tapping on all of her previous experiences to help her patients.

“My classes taught me what to do, but they were mostly hypothetical. In reality, it’s more complicated and that’s when the hands-on experience I gained from those placements come in handy.”

And Bijun is enjoying every challenge that comes her way.

“It’s a think-on-your-feet type of job. Every day is different and every patient is different,” she said. “Sometimes you have to play detective, to find out the root of the problem. For instance, when a patient says that his or her knee is in pain, the cause can unrelated to the leg.”

Although she has been on the job for only a year, Bijun is already reaping the rewards of her labour. Patients, whom she has seen through from post-operation therapy to full recovery, have been expressing their gratitude in myriad ways.

Last Christmas, two of her patients gave her an elaborately-framed poster, complete with their photographs and words of thanks.

But the humble Bijun cheerfully plays down such tokens: “It was very sweet of them but I don’t need such gifts. The job satisfaction I get and their recovery are rewarding enough.