Degree Programme in Physiotherapy: AFYSIS14

Descriptions

DESCRIPTION AND STRUCTURE OF THE DEGREE
In degree programme in physiotherapy the student gets a degree in healthand social domain graduating as physiohterapist from the university of applied sciences. The degree auhorises the degree holder to act as an expert in physiotherapy in health, social, physical education and rehabilitation organisations either as an employee or as an entrepreneur. Physiotherapy studies are guided by legislation that applies to universities of applied sciences. The total extent of physiotherapy studies is 210 credits (cr) which is equivalent ot 3,5 years fulltime studying. The starting point of studies is professional growth and professional competences. The studies form four year-themes: (1) competent in human action, (2) assessor and instructor of movement nad action, (3) adapter of the basis in physiotherapy and (4) competent and developinf practitioner in physiotherapy. Each themes consists study periods of basic studies ( 33 cr), professional studies (72 cr), practical training (75 cr), bachelor's thesis (15 cr) and optional studies (15 cr), the minimum extent of course unit is five credits.

In the first year-themethe student gets oriented in social, health care and rehabilitation systems, the structure of human body and behavior. (S)he supplements his/her competences in languages and interaction.In the second year-themethe student gets familiar to assessing customer’s ability to motion and function and also to physiotherapy methods of advancing customer’s ability to function. Physiotherapy methods of assessing, instructing and training customers are evidence based. Approximately half of the studiesin the third year-themeare practical training in health, rehabilitation and social organizations and/or in projects. The student applies physiotherapy methods in different customer situations, develops his/her problem solving-skills, in planning and implementing physiotherapy and also in acting in multiprofessional teams.In the fourth year-themestudy units are in relation to development and research, such as the bachelor’s thesis. In the thesis the student is involved in working-life initiated research or development project by drawing research/development plan, implementing it and writing a report.

The practical training(75 cr) means guided training which takes place in customer situation for example in health care, rehabilitation and social organizations and also in R&D&I-project. The goals, plans and evaluation criteria are written in cooperation with representatives of working life. Part of the practical training can be performed in international student exchange.

In the optional studies(15 cr) the student expands and deepens his/her professional competences. Optional studies are spread on each term according to the student's choice. In addition to the Turku University of Applied Sciences, the student can also according to agreement, undertake optional courses in other universities of applied sciences and for example in the University of Turku.

WORKING LIFE READINESS AND COMPETENCE DEVELOPED DURING THE DEGREE PROGRAMME STUDIES
In the degree programme of physiotherapy the learning goals are built on expectations of working life. They have been drawn utilising national and international competence descriptions. In planning the degree programmeand it's contents the following essential elements of the physiotherapist's work description have been taken into consideration. A physiotherapits works in multi-professional work-groups as well as independently in customer situations. Therefore the core competence areas are interactions and community skills as well as physiotherapeutic examination methods, clinical reasoning, and individual and group therapy skills equally. The role and expertise of the physiotherapist changes along with the society, therefore the physiotherapist is required to posess the skills to study and develop his/her own field.

A physiotherapist graduated from the university of the applied sciences masters the essential knowledge ground of physiotherapy and is able to perform it multiprofessional teams. (S)he employs adopted and scientifically justied methods and action principles to sustain his/her customer's ability to work and function. Continuous change in the work environment calls for the ability to adapt in new situations and for the skills to develop the methods of physiotherapy. The physiotherapist must in his/her work take into considerations the national as well as the international challenges. While graduating the student has readiness to develop his/her personal, collaborational and working community innovation skills.

STUDIES IN THE DEGREE PROGRAMME
The student's learning and professional growth are guided by year-themes. By making use of them the student draws his/her own studing plan and monitors his/her own professional growth. In the beginning of the studies the theory of the basics of physiotherapy is emphasised. The theory is studied in classes, independently or by discussing in small groups. A part of the studies can be performed virtually. As the studies progress the student applies his/her theoretical competences in genuine customer situations as a ground and justification for planning and implementing physiotherapy. Being advansed in therapy skills requires independent studing and practise in groups or in pairs. In working pairs and in small groups the student also learns interaction and team-working skills.

In the physiotherapy education the role of the teacher is guiding, when the starting point of learning is insightful thinking and the learner's ability to assimilate new knowledge and skills to those learned before. The core of the learning process is professional discussion, which depending on the learning situation is participated by students, teachers and/or practical training mentors. Since the graduated physiotherapist must realistically recognise the limitations of his/her competence, the students are trained through selfevaluation, peer- and teacher-evaluation to recognise their own strenghts and areas in need of development.

In the degree programme of physiotherapy the student draws his/her own studing plan to internationalisation and trains him/herself in multple ways to be an international expert (minimum 15 cr): to acting as a tutor for an exchange student coming to study in TUAS, by participating in an intensive course, by applying as an exchange student abroad or by performing studies in the International Semester -program. The degree programme of physiotherapy is a member in the cooperation network of the European Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education (ENPHE).

COUNSELLING
The student's skills in independent working, responsibility in his/her own learning, professional growth and development are supported trought counselling. In addition to a teacher tutor, each student group is assigned student tutors from senior year course students. To support personal counselling there are study instructions to be found in the education's implementation plans ( SoleOPS) and electronic programs as Optima and Messi. When required the counseller will help the student in planning his/her studies.

EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK
In the degree programme of physiotherapy the main goals of evaluation are counselling and supporting the student's learning and promoting professional growth. In the evaluatiooon the student receives feedback about his/her competence and progress in relation to the goals. Therefore the evaluation conserns both the result and the learning process. Evaluated performances can be oral or written examinations, demonstrations, presentations of learning assigments, reports and learning diaries. The evaluation is either passed - failed or numerical from 0 to 5. The student receives an oral or written feedback about evaluation. In addition to teacher-evaluation the student's selfevaluation and peerevaluation performes by other student are important part of the evaluation. The evaluation aspires to guide the student to adopt work methods and customs that (s)he can use when performing as an expert.

The evaluationcriterions of study units are worked out by using TUAS's general evaluation guiding principles. The level of the student's competence has been taken into consideration while describing competence levels. The criterions are different in the beginning of studies than in the three last terms. The criterions has been written to level 1,3 and 5. In evaluation criterions there has been desrcribed professional knowledge and search of knowledge, professional skills and responsibility, entrepreneur and management. The professional knowledge means student's ability to use his/her theoretical knowledge and search it. The professional skills describes students ability to use physiotherapy methods in customer situations. The responsibility, entrepreneur and management denotes in the beginning of studies an ability to work in groups, to take responsibility to own learning, when at the end of studies for example the student have to be able to plan and implement physiotherapy as an entrepreneur.

The degree programme of physiotherapy is beeing developed by systematically collecting student feedback and at the end of study unit, on feed back day at the end of study year, , and at the end of studies. When starting a study unit the student has a chance in the presentation of the implementation plan, to influence e.g. the timing of examination. A student satisfaction quistionnaire is carried out yearly in the TUAS. At the end os studies students answer the OPALA-questionnaire.