Physical therapists across the globe: What are the courses
Physiotherapy course in United Kingdom
To be a Physical therapist in UK, students have to go through a rigorous schedule. It is hence a must for him to finish 1000 hours of practical training. This means it is a must fro students to undergo clinically based learning . However usually in the initial phases it is two years and the practical training happens in the final two years. However there are also some practical training in first year. Nonetheless it must be mentioned here in UK there are over 35 universities for this course. Also there are some secondary therapy courses that are hugely popular. Most of these trained professionals are absorbed by the state government.
Physiotherapy course in Turkey
Popular university courses for physical therapy course in Turkey is İstanbul University, Baskent University. In this country basically this is a much sought after education . Apart from the abovementioned university we notice in Turkey that there are other places like Hacettepe University, Dokuz Eylül University all of which give masters courses. At times they also confer PHD education and in the country of Turkey physiotherapy is a much sought after course. Apart from that the other good universities to do this course in this land is Pamukkale University, Dumlupınar University, Süleyman Demirel University.
Even in another corner of Asian, that is in the country of Bangladesh this is a course that is in high demand. There is a much needed shortage of trained healthcare professionals in this segment and therefore we notice that bachelor in physiotherapy is a common course. Medicine Faculty of University of Dhaka confers this degree. What is significant is that in Dhaka there is two-affiliated institute, which provides 5 years of Professional education. To be a trained therapist in this country it is a must that you complete a year-long internship that is offered by the Physiotherapy Association and Bangladesh Physiotherapy Society. A notable point is that these are the two professional body of Physiotherapy in this country.
In the adjacent country of Pakistan there are a number of colleges that offer both graduation and masters level of courses in this segment of training. In fact in this country see there is a great scope for the therapist and he can get a job in government and private hospitals. Because of their high demand in Pakistan the therapists are awarded one of the highest grade of pay scale.
Physiotherapy course in Australia and Newzealand
Back in another continent that is in Australia, physical therapy can be done by being a part of several kinds of courses . In fact you can either get an undergraduate physiotherapy degree (B.Phty) or masters. An undergraduate degree that has a span of four-year is chiefly theory based and interestingly it has subjects as kinesiology, goniometry and physiology. In most of these courses the focus is practical though there is a theoretical aspect s well. The courses also teach a student subjects such as biology, physics, psychology among others. The other topics that an aspiring physiotherapist needs to follow are topics such as musculoskeletal physiotherapy, neuromuscular physiotherapy etc. in some colleges there is also a specific focus on women’s health and in the final year we see courses that involves practical placements at clinics, and research. If a person wants to further study after that he can do a postgraduate course and study in institutions for the next two years. Even if he is not done his under graduation in physical therapy he can go for post graduation provided he has done a related discipline like e.g. exercise physiology or science.
Specific Physiotherapy societies often support students in these courses. A very sought after course has been introduced by the University of Melbourne and in fact this is a programme that will be followed by a 3-year postgraduate Physiotherapy degree. Also the government has introduced the VSU by the Australian Government and hence we see that this new postgraduate physiotherapy degree as part of the Melbourne Model that will make it possible for students to enrol in a 3 year undergraduate degree in Biomedicine or Science. This is a programme that will begin from 2008 and in fact this is a programme that will be followed by a 3-year postgraduate Physiotherapy degree. Close by the New Zealand the structure of the physiotherapy course is varied and at the moment there are two schools of physiotherapy offering four-year undergraduate programs. After successful completion of course in this part of the country physiotherapists work in the private health care system as musculoskeletal physiotherapists and the curriculum reflects the need to prepare graduates for autonomous practice. However a significant point to be noted is that the therapists after being trained usually function in private sector; also the curriculum is similar to Australia with an emphasis on biomechanics, kinesiology and exercise. Postgraduate study typically involves two years of subject specific learning.
Physiotherapy course in Canada
Closer to the United States in the continent of Canada there are 13 universities that offer this course and most of these programs are at the Master's level. Such a situation usually implies that applicants must have already completed an undergraduate degree prior to applying and therefore we notice that in Canada universities also offer graduate programs in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, or related disciplines at the masters or doctoral level. However that is not all and there are several advanced courses where the physiotherapists can advance their education and enter in domains such as Clinical Practice Areas which include cardiorespirology, geriatrics, neurosciences, orthopaedics, pediatrics, rheumatology, sports physiotherapy, and women's health.
Physiotherapy course in Philippines
Philippines is another country that churns out a number of trained physiotherapists each year and in this country the programs are generally 5 years in length . In Philippines the university authorities generally award the B.S. Physical Therapy degree upon graduation and to get this degree the students undergo a program, which consists of 2 years of general education, 2 years of physical therapy subjects, and a final year of internship as well as research/thesis. And that’s not all as in some schools it is a must for the students to complete a full 12 months of internship while other schools only require 10. The year of internship is highly significant as during that year we see that the students are required to fulfill clinical affiliations with hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare facilities. A notable point that needs to be kept into account is that the healthcare structure in the Philippines is so designed that a Physiatrist often heads the clinics and therapy departments. Basically thus in Philllipenes a Physiatrist heads the clinics and it is he who writes out specific treatment orders for the PT to follow. What is significant is that most of the treatments are cash-based and this sis simply because not many people have health insurance in this country. Philippines is another country that has quite recently introduced the M.S. Physical Therapy postgraduate program. Basically this is a program that has been made available by the University of Santo Tomas, which is located at Manila, Philippines. The structure of this course program in the country is such that once a student graduates from the BSPT program, he/she is then required to pass a national licensure exam. This is an exam that is administered by the Professional Regulation Commission and is a paper-based exam, which consists of approximately 730 questions. The noteworthy point about this exam is that it is only administered twice a year and the names of those who pass the exam are published in several national newspapers; which show that the course is in high demand in this country. The exam though tough is highly prestigious and those who pass the exam become licensed therapists. After they clear the exams the therapists are entitled to add the initials PTRP, which mean Physical Therapist Registered in the Philippines after their name, and they become registered practitioners.
Physiotherapy course in Srilanka
In another country in Asia that is in Sri Lanka the course is a diploma course; this course in this country is done as a diploma course. The time frame of this course is 2years in School of Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy. Basically this is a school that is affilited to the National Hospital of Colombo from 1957 and a significant fact is that after the 6 months of training students are sent to the Hospitals for clinical practise. Another point worth mentioning, while talking about the courses of physiotherapy in Srilanka is that, in this courses the Medical Faculties of University of Peradeniya & University of Colombo have started the undergraduate course for 4years. The syllabus of this course is organised in following components that include apart from basic courses advances components like: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiologic, Geriatric, Neurologic, Orthopaedic, Paediatric, and Sports physical therapy.
Physiotherapy course in South Africa
Coming to the country of South Africa, it can be well ascertained that like other parts of the world the courses are in high demand in South Africa too and in this country at the undergraduate level one can get a degree such as B.PhysT, B.Sc Physio or B.Physio. all of these courses consists of four years of general practice training, involving all aspects of Physiotherapy and have the aim to give a student practical exposure to the field; however usually the first year is made up of theoretical introduction. The internship that amounts to practical experience or the time spent in supervised practice increases until the fourth year, in which the student generally spends about 80% in practice and in fact in this final year the students are also expected to complete Physiotherapy research projects. Basically completion of these projects fulfils the requirements of an Honours degree. While talking about this course in South Africa one must also keep this point in mind is that the professional practice and specialization can only be entered into after the student completes a state governed, compulsory year of community service after graduation.
Physiotherapy course in South Africa
Coming to the country of South Africa, it can be well ascertained that like other parts of the world the courses are in high demand in South Africa too and in this country at the undergraduate level one can get a degree such as B.PhysT, B.Sc Physio or B.Physio. all of these courses consists of four years of general practice training, involving all aspects of Physiotherapy and have the aim to give a student practical exposure to the field; however usually the first year is made up of theoretical introduction. The internship that amounts to practical experience or the time spent in supervised practice increases until the fourth year, in which the student generally spends about 80% in practice and in fact in this final year the students are also expected to complete Physiotherapy research projects. Basically completion of these projects fulfils the requirements of an Honours degree. While talking about this course in South Africa one must also keep this point in mind is that the professional practice and specialization can only be entered into after the student completes a state governed, compulsory year of community service after graduation.
Physiotherapy course in United Arab Emirates
The Bachelor Of Physiotherapy (BPT) consists of a 4-year undergraduate degree program for students interested in the discipline of physiotherapy in the United Arab Emirates. In fact in this country the course structure is so made that in the first year of the program they are introduced to pre-clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Human Behaviour & Socialisation & Basic Medical Electronics & Computers while in the next few years they receive the practical exposure. As a part of the practical exposure the students are required to do the cadaveric dissections. At the same time they learn the Human Anatomy during the first year of the program while being progressively introduced to supervised clinical practice as well as the integrated curriculum that offers the best learning experiences in addition to extensive in-house programs. What is noteworthy about the course is that it is a course that offers case Based Learning experiences. At the same time the course also focuses on Evidence Based Practices and in fact the program culminates with a six-month internship. Basically at the end of the internship there is a research project work and on its successful completion a degree is awarded.
Physiotherapy course in Spain and Ireland
Even in Spain this is a high demand course and there the university degrees of physiotherapy consists of a 3 years program. Apart from that several post-graduate courses are available for practitioners as basically there are over 38 universities training physiotherapists in Spain. This is a much sought after course in the country and there is a tough demand for admission; infact it should be mentioned that here if a student completes an undergraduate degree with a strong science component only then he or she can gain an entry into a Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
A similar level of competition also exists in the Republic of Ireland. In this country as an undergraduate course in four universities the course is available and these four colleges include, Trinity College, University College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons and University of Limerick. A major point to note that in Ireland the physiotherapy courses are four years in length. At the end of 4 years of study it is a must for students to do clinical practice in the final two years and ultimately they are required to complete 1000 hours of clinical practice before graduation.
This is a course module that is similar to India where Physiotherapy is offered as bachelor degree. We see that in India if a student successfully completes four-year course of physiotherapy in a college affiliated to a university he gets a degree.
Physiotherapy in United States
In the United States this is a much sought after profession and basically to practise as a physical therapist in this country it a must to have a graduate degree Only after that you are eligible in taking the examination. The most recognised qualification here is th Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, and basically for all states in the United States it is a must to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination. However this is rather a tough exam and this can be taken only after graduation. You can practise after you have qualified in this exam. In fact the Study of recent statistic clearly point out the fact that at the moment there are 209 accredited physical therapist programs of which 31 offered the Master of Physical Therapy, and 179 offered the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. However it should be kept in mind that all programs are in transition to the DPT degree. In the United States of America the programs start with basic science courses such as biology, chemistry, and physics. Apart from that a student also needs to take courses such as kinesiology, biomechanics, neuroanatomy, human growth and development. It is worth being mentioned at this point of time that in the United States of America the students also take special modules in subjects such as pathology, diagnostics, physical examination techniques, and therapeutic procedures besides receiving the classroom and laboratory instruction, as well as the supervised clinical education.