EXPECTED ENROLLMENT IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023
IZOLA
- Full-time study; number of enrolment places: 30
The tuition language at the Faculty of Health Sciences is Slovenian. Individual tutoring in English may be available upon agreement with the lecturers.
The Master’s study programme in Physiotherapy
The Master’s study programme in Physiotherapy is an upgrade of the study programme of the same name at the 1st (undergraduate) level.
The fundamental objective of the programme is to educate a physiotherapist as an independent health professional who will be able to work independently or in a team in planning, implementing and evaluating physiotherapeutic treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with the acquired interdisciplinary knowledge. He/she will be able to work in the field of primary prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The content and structure of the study programme is constructed so that students will acquire the appropriate competences and upgrade previously acquired knowledge and skills for autonomous implementation and more demanding modern science-based physiotherapy methods and techniques. With the acquired competencies, graduates will be prepared to take part in various functions in work and clinical environments, as well as be able to acquire and impart new knowledge in the field of the rapidly-developing physiotherapeutic profession.
The Physiotherapy programme is a 2nd level Master’s study programme. It lasts 2 years and, in accordance with educational guidelines and legislation, amounts to a total of 120 ECTS. In the 1st year, the student completes 10 compulsory courses in the scope of 54 ECTS and electives in the scope of 6 ECTS. In the 2nd year, the student completes 6 compulsory courses in the scope of 24 ECTS and electives in the scope of 6 ECTS. The student completes the programme with a Master’s thesis that amounts to 30 ECTS. The study programme includes direct practical training in a clinical setting under professional guidance. The student will choose between internal elective courses that meaningfully upgrade and expand their previously acquired knowledge. External electives will also be provided among the subjects accredited in other study programmes conducted by UP FVZ and other UP member faculties, as well as other programmes accredited in Slovenia and abroad, namely up to 6 ECTS. The study programme Physiotherapy has a carefully designed horizontally and vertically intertwined structure. The latter seeks to provide knowledge and skills in the areas of the core sets of subjects, selected with a view to their complementary integration and with each set forming an integrated whole: a) fundamental; b) methodological; c) diagnostic; d) therapeutic; and e) psychosocial set of subjects. The ultimate goal of the study programme is to educate a Master of Physiotherapy who will be confident, flexible, responsive, humane and helpful, and will combine critical thinking, lifelong learning, ethical values and independent judgment focused on the needs of the patient/client.
The study programme thus departs from the traditional strictly biomedical (in physiotherapy, biomechanical) approach and turns to the modern biopsychosocial model of treatment, which is still based on physical laws, but treats the patient holistically, as a complex thinking social person, and also focuses on specific groups in the population.
More about study programme:
Basic goals of the study programme:
The fundamental objective of the programme is to educate a physiotherapist as an independent health professional who will be able to work independently or in a team in planning, implementing and evaluating physiotherapeutic treatment of musculoskeletal problems with the acquired interdisciplinary knowledge. He/she will be able to work in the field of primary prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The Master’s study programme in Physiotherapy is an upgrade of the study programme of the same name at the 1st (undergraduate) level. Students will upgrade their knowledge in the field of clinical assessment, as well as in the field of objective and technologically more advanced assessment and evaluation in physiotherapy. Applying the acquired in-depth knowledge and skills in the field of manual techniques and movement therapy, using the biopsychosocial model of care and taking into account the specifics of different life stages and different target groups, they will be able to provide a comprehensive and evidence-based treatment of musculoskeletal problems.
Another aim is to encourage students to pursue lifelong learning. The adopted in-depth understanding of research methodology will encourage their involvement in research work and enable the further rapid development of physiotherapy as a science. Students will thus be able to make critical judgments in the independent study of literature, as well as in the introduction of new professional and scientific findings in the field of physiotherapy into everyday practice.
General competences, acquired through the study programme:
- The ability of reliable and autonomous decision-making, use and assessment of effectiveness of advanced methods in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
- The ability of comprehensive clinical judgement and thinking, considering the biopsychosocial extent of musculoskeletal issues.
- The ability of innovative and creative thinking, considering evidence and guidelines from the national and international professional communities in the field of health promotion and disease prevention.
- The ability of leading and managing people within the field, as well as within interdisciplinary teams, considering the inter-individual differences.
- The use of clear and concise written and oral communication with both professionals and non-professionals within the national and international environment.
- Analysis and advancement of clinical experience and knowledge with the purpose of continuous development of evidence-based physiotherapeutic treatments.
- The ability to plan, organise, perform and report research work, as well as critically analyse current research literature.
- The ability of ethical reflection and commitment to professional ethics as well as the ability to respond appropriately in ethically critical situations in physiotherapy.
- Responsibility for lifelong professional and personal development and care for the development of the professional field of physiotherapy.
Course-specific competences acquired through the study programme:
- Knowing and understanding the mechanisms of musculoskeletal injuries and pain.
- Independent use and synthesis of basic and advanced research methods and diagnostic procedures before, during and after the physiotherapeutic treatment.
- The ability to cooperate in research and development projects.
- Independent creation, performance and evaluation of physiotherapeutic treatments for different purposes and populations.
- Independent creation, performance and evaluation of advanced treatment methods.
- Critical analysis of scientific literature on the topics of injury and pain mechanisms, effectiveness of treatment methods and the quality of diagnostic procedures in the field of physiotherapy.
- The ability of cooperation in interdisciplinary teams and use of basic treatment and assessment methods from other healthcare fields.
- The ability to use and apply professional and scientific terminology in the field of physiotherapy.
- Understanding and evaluating psychological, social and environmental factors for planning and implementing physiotherapeutic treatments.
- Comprehensive understanding and evaluation of the human-environment interaction.
- Understanding and analysing difficult physiotherapeutic problems in view of appropriate diagnostic methods, treatments and choice of research methods.
The study programme provides a balanced relationship between current theories, methods, approaches and perspectives, and contemporary disciplinary trends in the physiotherapy profession. The study programme is designed to encourage critical selection and appraisal of scientific literature , which further supports critical assessment of existing sources and enables graduates to conduct research in the field. The pursuit of the evidence-based physiotherapy profession is a commitment and the fundamental guideline of the study programme.
PROFESSIONAL TITLE
Master of Physiotherapy – (MPT)
ENROLMENT CONDITIONS:
Enrolment into the 1st year of the Master’s study programme Physiotherapy is open to anyone who has completed:
- the professional higher education study programme Physiotherapy, adopted before 11.6.2004,
- the 1st level study programme Physiotherapy and achieved at least 180 ECTS,
- a 1st level study programme in the professional field of physiotherapy abroad and achieved at least 180 ECTS, and was, in accordance with the law, granted the right to continue education by enrolling in a study programme.
Selected candidates will be required to submit a medical certificate of medical fitness to perform the work and tasks of a healthcare worker, issued by the occupational medicine dispensary (referral for preliminary medical examination, DZS form 8.203). Due to the specific conditions and limitations in the implementation of practical work and exercises during the study, it is required that the student’s physical and mental condition is appropriate. In case of doubt, the competent commission decides.
In the case of restricted enrolment, candidates will be selected according to the average grade of their undergraduate study (the grade of the final undergraduate thesis is also included in this average).
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE STUDY PROGRAMME
DURATION OF STUDY:
2 years
120 ECTS
STUDY PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS:
PRACTICAL TRAINING
Compulsory and Elective Courses
COMPLETION OF STUDY
MASTER’S THESIS
30 ECTS
CURRICULUM BY YEAR OF STUDY
PROGRESSION REQUIREMENTS
A student can progress to the 2nd year if he/she collects at least 48 ECTS in the current academic year.
CAREER PROSPECTS
The competencies of a physiotherapist are listed in the state document List of Professions in Healthcare, which is available on the website http://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=DRUG2044. They were confirmed by the Expanded Professional Board for Physiotherapy of the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Health. For the profession of physiotherapist, they also include the qualification obtained with the 2nd level study programme, a completed internship and a professional exam in the field of healthcare (Master of Physiotherapy).
In 2019, the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia conducted the Occupational Barometer survey with the aim of identifying and presenting projected trends in the labour market in Slovenia. The results of the research for the profession of physiotherapist show that the profession of physiotherapist belongs to the group of professions that are estimated to be in deficit in the coming year. In the case of a physiotherapist, 11 out of 12 regional services of the Employment Service stated that the reason for classifying the profession was “no staff”. This means that there are no candidates for such jobs or there are not enough of them.
Additional needs for knowledge in the field of physiotherapy are also demonstrated by the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia with the introduction of special physiotherapeutic treatments, which can only be performed by physiotherapists with appropriate postgraduate education. Finally, the need for postgraduate physiotherapists is also indicated by the results of a project by the National Institute of Public Health, which examined the effectiveness of the changed clinical pathway for treating people with lower back pain.
