Description

The title of the graduating students of Degree Programme in Physiotherapy is Bachelor of Health Care. The degree is comparable with equivalent degrees in other EU countries. Bachelors of Health Care are authorised by National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health as health care professionals (physiotherapists). The scope of the Degree Programme in Physiotherapy is 210 credits and the education lasts for 3,5 years.

Competences developed

Physiotherapists are experts in the area of medical rehabilitation. Medical rehabilitation includes all activities that aim at improving and maintaining individuals’ physical, social and mental abilities. Rehabilitation aims at supporting the individuals’ resources, their coping abilities and equal participation. Physiotherapy is part of the health, social and rehabilitation service system and its focus is on the movement and functional ability of individuals.

The graduating students have the skills needed for expert tasks in promoting health, functional ability and wellbeing of individuals and groups. Physiotherapy is evidence-based and physiotherapists work within legislation and the profession’s ethical principles. Physiotherapists work with different aged people in hospitals, health centres, research and rehabilitation centres, spas, private physiotherapy clinics as well as in different organisations, schools, as private practitioners as well as in different projects and marketing. They can operate in different professional situations also in English. Physiotherapists often work as a team member but are responsible for planning, acting, evaluating and developing their work.

Physiotherapist defines an individuals’ diverged movements, locomotion and function by using physiotherapeutic assessment. After examination and clinical reasoning the physiotherapist carries out therapeutic exercises, manual and physical therapy as well as guidance aiming to support and promote the individual’s movement and functional ability.

Implementing physiotherapy education

Physiotherapy has it’s basis in physiotherapy science. Studies in the degree programme consist of professional studies, Bachelor’s thesis and elective studies. Larger modules are divided into smaller study units. The knowledge of different subjects is integrated to develop student´s individual knowing. The programme contains 81 ects gredits worth of practical training and 48 of those are studies in different clinics or other practice surroundings.

The professional growth process of each student is essential in physiotherapy education. It is based on the know-how the student already has before the education begins. The process varies individually depending on the learning environment and the social and cultural situation. The physiotherapy education is implemented according to the problem based learning (PBL) approach. The learning process starts with problems based on which the students formulate their learning tasks. They participate in the study programme and find the answers to the problems during different learning situations, alone or together with other students. The PBL pedagogy supports students´ information acquisition skills, personal knowledge creating skills, lifelong learning skills and skills for studying in a group.

Learning outcomes and aims of each academic year

During the first academic year, the students gain an overview of the profession. At the end of the year they can assess a healthy persons’ movements and locomotion as part of their functional ability. They can use, for instance, massage and different guidance and instruction methods in promoting the movement and functional ability of individuals and groups. The students get to know the profession’s ethical principles and learn to act along them.

After the second academic year, the students have the skills to promote and support the movement and functional ability of adult patients, who have musculo-skeletal, breathing, cardio-vascular, neurological or psycho-somatic problems. The students get to know different organizations of health care and rehabilitation during their practical placements. They also get to know English and Swedish language needed at work. At the end of the second academic year the students can, under supervision, use evidence based knowledge in planning and implementing physiotherapy.

During the third year the physiotherapy students learn about children’s and elderly peoples’ health, functional ability and problems and physiotherapy for them. At the end of the third year, the student can plan and implement physiotherapy together with clients and their reference groups based on the clinical reasoning process. The students gain the skills required in entrepreneurship as well as in project work and may spend some months in international student exchange.

Before graduating the physiotherapy students have deepened their knowledge in an interest area through their Bachelor’s thesis, alternative and elective studies. They have also integrated language skills as part of their professional identity.

Curriculum development and working life cooperation

The curriculum development has been and is continuously carried out in collaboration with the members of the advisory board and physiotherapists of the region. The professional practical training is mostly carried out in organisations offering physiotherapy services in the Tampere region.

Further information

Kolmannen lukuvuoden alusta lähtien osa opiskelijoista voi suuntautua hyvinvointiyrittäjyyteen hakemalla proakatemian yrittäjyyspainotteiselle suuntautumispolulle. Hyvinvointialojen proakatemiassa opiskellaan monialaisessa fysioterapeutti- ja sosionomiopiskelijoiden muodostamassa tiimissä valmentajan johdolla. Opiskelijat perustavat oman tiimiyrityksen ja opiskelu toteutuu projektimaisesti. Opinnot koostuvat tiimipalavereista, pienryhmätyöskentelystä, itsenäisestä opiskelusta sekä hyvinvointipalvelujen kehittämisestä ja toteuttamisesta. Opetussuunnitelman osaamistavoitteet ovat samat kuin muilla fysioterapeuttiopiskelijoilla.