Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24141/1/7/2/7
Opinions of students and bachelors of physiotherapy on theoretical and practical teaching
Dora Jurički
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Olivera Petrak
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Snježana Schuster
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
„A physiotherapist should have specific skills and knowledge…“. This phrase refers to professional competences required for adequate assessment of the patient’s condition, making a specific diagnosis based on the assessment, and performing the physiotherapeutic intervention. It is emphasized that in education, it is as important to learn the theory, as it is to master the practical training.
Aim: To determine the students’ beliefs towards the quality and compatibility of the theoretical and practical professional content, and whether there is a significant difference between the opinions of third-year students in relation to students in their senior year and bachelors of physiotherapy.
Methods: The research was conducted on undergraduate students and bachelors of physiotherapy at the University of Applied Health Sciences in Zagreb in 2019. The research included 88 participants divided into two groups. The first group included students in their senior year and students with a degree in physiotherapy, and the second group included students in the last year of the full-time study of physiotherapy. At the time of answering the questionnaire, the second group was in clinical training.
Results: Participants feel that there needs to be a greater emphasis on practical knowledge and that there is a mismatch between the theoretical knowledge and the practical work they experience on site. Participants believe that clinical training on a particular topic should be given immediately after the theoretical introduction in order to achieve better quality. In addition, the participants emphasize the importance of the individual commitment of each student. The first group believes to a higher degree that there is a need for additional training in basic practical skills and that harmonization between teachers and mentors in clinical workplaces is necessary.
Conclusion: The results of this research show the greater need for the improvement of current theoretical and practical knowledge with the aim of advancing practical work in physiotherapy, with the possibility of creating a unique curriculum for the education of future bachelors of physiotherapy in Croatia. The golden standard in the education of future physiotherapists is achieved with both the improvement of the quality of education of students and with the training for lecturers and clinical workplace mentors.
Keywords
physiotherapy; theory; practical training; students; curriculum
Hrčak ID:
256374
URI
Publication date:
23.4.2021.
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