Guru’s image is for meditation, Guru’s feet are worth worshipping, Guru’s sentence is equal to a mantra, Guru’s grace is worth salvation.
It is said that “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.” The foundation of any nation lies in its educational system. This is true of any profession also including physiotherapy. Rightly so, in this issue of PHYSIOTIMES, we present to you, the scenario of Physiotherapy Education in India and the strategies to improve the existing system for the benefit of budding physiotherapists and students. The academicians, educators, teachers and administrators would also find this issue pertinent to their needs. For this special issue, the doyens of physiotherapy with years of experience as academicians, teachers, professors, principals, HODs and members of Board of studies and university committees, have got together with their perspectives on various pressing issues that confront the current educational scenario for physiotherapy in India. This issue of PHYSIOTIMES would familiarize the reader with the current educational issues and their solutions, the challenges that lie ahead and the road map for future, the need for accreditation, standardization of the curriculum, continuous professional development programs, emphasis on clinical education, entry level physiotherapy curriculum and recommendation for improvement, importance of research etc. The role of a teacher in the educational system is of paramount significance. Infact, in the Indian culture, “Guru” has been given the place of the lord almighty.
This issue on education features an interview with a veteran physiotherapy teacher Prof. Srinivas Rau and a special article on the role of a teacher in Physiotherapy. Apart from topics on education, there are regular sections like Physio Yoga, Healing Hands along with the News and Events and Journal Scan. The third and the last article in the series on Kinesio taping are also included. Going abroad, either for work or higher studies has caught the fancy of many Indian physios ever since the profession commenced. The issue highlights the procedure for work and study in USA and UK to guide those interested to pursue their career overseas. I sincerely hope, the topics discussed here are able to initiate a process of positive change in the indian physiotherapy education system and the policy makers and administrators do take a note of the recommendations and suggestions made in the articles by various authors and take necessary steps in an assertive manner for a better &Brighter tomorrow for indian physiotherapy.
Background: Education is a refining process for any individual; with genetic constitution and the development as initial capital and on-going learning added to it, a person achieves by their appropriate application to the surroundings. Coming to professional education, demands become more critical. Health being a constitutional obligation of the Government, health education assumes an official concern. Ministry of Health bears the duel responsibility of health services and the health educatio... Read More
Physiotherapy in India is entering into 6th decades. Physiotherapy education in India has been evolving along with the profession. The course that began as a diploma and has moved on to become a bachelor degree initially of 2 years duration and then of 3 & ½ years duration in 1977 when internship was first introduced as a component of the course completion. It has then transitioned to a 4 & ½ years at a bachelor’s degree level. Today we have master and d... Read More
Physiotherapy has been widely accepted as an integral part of health care. Like other health care professions the metamorphosis of Physiotherapy education in the recent past has lead to an extent that some of the universities are offering Doctor of Philosophy in Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy was introduced to India in the year 1947 with a first physiotherapy setup established in Mumbai by Mrs Fatima Ismail. In 1953 the Physiotherapy school was started by Mr Jacques with the support of WHO at K... Read More
Physiotherapists work in a health care climate of rising complexity and rapid change, of economic restraint and demands for accountability, of scrutiny from both internal and external sources. In such a climate, the ability to respond appropriately to these pressures is critical, not only for professional growth but also for professional survival. New generations of physiotherapists emerging from professional programs require more than a solid foundation of clinical skills. They require an ed... Read More
The continuous professional development (CPD) programmes of health care professionals have gained momentum throughout the world. The rapid explosion of knowledge and development of technologies make it quite essential for a practicing professional to regularly upgrade the knowledge. The professionals serve the society and it is expected that if they keep abreast of the recent knowledge and skill they would offer better care to the client group. The ultimate aim of CPD is to improve healthcare... Read More
Dr.Rau, Please share your professional journey in the field of physiotherapy in brief with our reader?
I had passed my diploma in PT from the institute for the physically handicapped (IPH) New delhi in the year 1976. That was a time when degree courses were only in Mumbai and Nagpur. Thereafter I joined SVNIRTAR in 1977 and in the year2003 completed a bridge course in PT to upgrade my qualification to became eligible for the P.G. Programmed. After having completed the graduati... Read More
Teaching is considered as a noble profession and so is Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy (PT). The objective of this article is to provide an evidence-based update on the roles of a teacher/ educator in physical therapy from being a student for life and to learn forever, being a good companion to enhance teacher-student communication and peer-peer learning, and to be a successful mentor to inspire and lead by being an example. The three goals for teaching are intertwined and explained in rela... Read More
Learning is a lifelong process and it enables us to face various situations in life in an easier way. Have you ever tried to learn something fairly simple, yet failed to grasp the key ideas? Or tried to teach people and found that some were overwhelmed or confused by something quite basic? If so, you may have learning preference and those of your instructor or audiences may not have been aligned. When this occurs, not only is it frustrating for everyone, the communication process breaks down ... Read More
Alternative Therapy: Alternative therapies in health and medicine are becoming more and more popular as people are becoming more aware that what they put into their bodies and minds have a major effect on their physical, mental and spiritual being. Alternative Therapy is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional therapy". It is frequently grouped with complementary therapy. Although heterogeneous, the major Complementary or Alternative Therapy systems... Read More
Piriformis Syndrome (PS) is familiar to most physiotherapists and other professions that deal with muscle dysfunction and pain. It is described as tightness in the piriformis muscle (PM) causing pain in the buttock, which may also contribute to sciatica, especially if the sciatic nerve traverses through the muscle, as it does in a percentage of the population. My purpose in writing this article is not to review PS, but rather to go beyond it in describing a test and treatment that... Read More
Kinesiology taping in orthopedic conditions: Pain has been a common clinical feature in all soft tissue injuries. Pain relief by Kinesiological application is by the mechanism that it can create space in the underlying structures which takes the stress off and in turn the pain producing receptors are inhibited. The glue in the tape is activate on repeated rubbing which can also help reliving pain by stimulating the a-delta fibers carrying the pain sensation. Muscle activatio... Read More
For ages, Indian students have been migrating to foreign lands for higher education. Some of the great founders of our nation including Mahatama Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar received their further education from foreign shores. In addition, Indians, hard working as they are, have successfully established themselves in Europe, Africa, North and South America and Australia. Indians have risen to high level professional status becoming CEOs and Directors of global brands and risen to high political ... Read More