Heba Felimban

About me

  • Senior Physical Therapist at Saudi Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia
  • Studied: BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, 2014 and MA Physiotherapy, 2016

About my career

My first job after graduating was as a Physical Therapist, which was a compulsory post after finishing my scholarship studies.

I am now a Senior Physical Therapist and am currently in the process of starting a new service in the hospital where I work. This service is to launch an outreach team to educate patients in physical therapy sub-specialities for pre and post-surgeries, women’s health, cardiopulmonary and stroke patients. The purpose of this new service is to lower the caseload of chronic patients and the waiting list, therefore, patients can be seen more quickly. It is also a valuable opportunity for other professionals to understand the role of physiotherapy sub-specialities that can effectively contribute in a patient’s activity in daily life and facilitate early discharge.

I was assigned for leadership positions two months after, deputy head of the physical therapy department, President of Saudi Physical Therapy Association of Jeddah branch, Head of Education and Development Affairs of the Medical Rehabilitation Administration at Jeddah Health Affairs. Then after that, I became the Deputy Head of Medical Rehabilitation and Long Term Care Administration at Jeddah Health Directorate. Eventually, I intentionally went back to the frontline to make another change in the field.

As well as this, I have been active in serving different development approaches for the community, especially for the knowledge economy, social responsibility and sustainable development. I am also an executive member of the Direction Board. Direction is the corporate social responsibility arm of Special Direction, a well-known business consultancy house in Saudi Arabia.

In 2019, I was selected by the Personalities Corporation to be listed within the directory of the most prominent personalities of the Arab World.

My top tip for students is

My first tip is to keep updated and enrich your knowledge, skills and experience by taking courses and shadowing expertise in the area that you feel most interested in. In other words, find your passion in the profession.

The second thing I highly recommend is to market your professional qualities. Your way to this is through volunteering with sectors, organisations and companies that are highly respected and recognised - show others your abilities in the field and how much you can add value to the place you volunteer at. This will make the stakeholders in the organisation think about you first when they recruit new posts.

Last but not least, discover your talents or skills outside the profession. Having an employee with multiple skills will make that person stand out among other applicants when they are hired. For example, being a good physical therapist with very good leadership skills could give the opportunity to make changes in the workplace and add value. Being innovative will surely open doors to better opportunities and empowerment!

Why I love Manchester Met

What I loved and appreciated the most during my time at Manchester Met was the amount of support at all levels: professional, personal and academic. Unsurprisingly, the support was extended even more after I left the university and was back home to make a difference.

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