Profile of a Physiotherapy Graduate

Physiotherapy is a study program within the system of study programs administered by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, classified as a field of knowledge (par. 50, paragraph 1 of Act No. 131/2002), in which a graduate of the study program (par. 51, paragraph 1 of Act No. 131/2002) acquires professional competence to perform their original profession or prepares to continue further university studies.

General Characteristics of the Professional Profile of the Graduate (1st Degree):

A graduate of the 1st degree of the physiotherapy study program is a qualified university health worker with a broad professional profile. They master the basic investigation and treatment procedures in physiatry, balneology, and medical rehabilitation. They are ready to independently perform activities requiring professional erudition, independence in work, decision-making, and personal responsibility for medical rehabilitation, primary, secondary, and follow-up health care, preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, counseling, and educational activities. They indicate, plan, and perform basic techniques, methodologies, physiotherapy procedures and performances, basic physiotherapeutic balneological methods, hydrotherapy, ergotherapy, electrotherapy, kinesiology. They can carry out teaching activities at the appropriate levels of education.

. A characteristic feature of a graduate is a deep, moral-ethical, humane approach to peace, especially the sick, physically, mentally disabled, and handicapped, based on understanding, empathy, love for people, and an effort to help, to be able to accept them in the most challenging life situations and to accept their right to individualized care. Participate in it, including decision-making, to ensure privacy, be able to understand the patient and help them solve their health problems, show them respect, empathy, comfort, and emotional support, take into account their personality, their way of perceiving health, illness, handicap, their experience, and behavior under the influence of changes in health status, get them motivated for cooperation. The graduate will be employed in hospital outpatient facilities, spa treatment facilities, water, rehabilitation institutes, and other facilities that provide preventive and curative health care, or health protection and support. The graduate has prerequisites for further university, specialized and continuing education.

For the qualified performance of the mentioned activities, the graduate must have a broad professional profile with indispensable previous general education, be sufficiently adaptable also in related fields, think logically, be able to apply acquired knowledge and abilities in solving problems. Be able to work independently and in a team,continuously educate oneself, be constantly interested in the development of one's field by studying professional literature, master important manual skills, act purposefully, prudently and decisively in accordance with the correct ethical standards. 

Theoretical knowledge:

Graduate of the physiotherapy study program:

• knows the morphology and physiology of the human body individual systems with an emphasis on the movement and support apparatus, understanding the human organism as a dynamic and adaptable whole

• has basic knowledge about the pathomorphological and pathophysiological manifestations of the disease processes in the human organism

• has basic knowledge of epidemiology, hygiene, prevention and health statistics

• understands, through the acquired knowledge, the unity of the organism and the environment in recovery from illness, the importance of preventive measures in order to protect and promote health

 • has basic knowledge of general and special pharmacology amd the effect of drugs

• masters basic nursing techniques with subsequent ability to use acquired knowledge in physiotherapy

• masters the theoretical principles of first aid principles in general for accidents, life-threatening situations and mass events

• has basic knowledge of the facts, concepts, relationships, connections and principles of pedagogy, special pedagogy, psychology and sociology

• masters the theoretical foundations and methods of effective communication in the professional activity

• masters the basic principles of medical ethics

• has theoretical foundations in the general kinesiology propaedeutics, special kinesiology and patokinesiology

• controls the basic range of knowledge, data and methods of functional diagnostics, especially of the locomotor system, which are prerequisites for prevention, correct diagnosis, effective therapy and evaluation of the medical rehabilitation process

• masters the basic knowledge of kinesiotherapy in general and according to the specific condition of the patient, nature of the disease, disability in individual clinical departments and in individual age periods

• masters the basic range of knowledge about the physical nature of physiatry, balneological and electrotherapeutic procedures, their physiological effects and the events taking place in the body with a focus on prevention, diagnosis and therapy

• controls the basic range of theoretical knowledge of reconditioning-relaxation exercises, their use for a physiological effects with the subsequent ability to use them in kinesiotherapy

• masters the theoretical knowledge, instructions and procedures of ergotherapy for medical rehabilitation

• has basic knowledge of medical informatics focused mainly on the professional activity of a physiotherapist

• knows the Latin language at a level that will enable him to orientate himself and learn professional terminology

• knows a foreign language at a level that will enable him to navigate foreign professional literature and professional communication

Practical skills and competences

Graduate of the physiotherapy study program:

• comprehensively controls the description, analysis, evaluation of a kinesiological conclusions and is able to use them in the kinesiotherapy,

• controls the basic range of the functional diagnostics individual methods and techniques of the locomotion system as well as internal systems with the consequent ability to evaluate them and draw conclusions for the creation of the  kinesiological and rehabilitation programs

• masters the basic range of the kinesiotheapy methods, techniques and procedures used in an individual clinical departments according to the state and nature of the threat, disease, disability and handicap in individual age periods

• masters the basic indications, contraindications and applications of the physical, balneological and electrotherapeutic procedures

• masters the basic indications, contraindications and applications of the individual types of massage techniques

• controls the movement activities of reconditioning-relaxation exercises, their demonstration and application in the medical rehabilitation process

• controls the basic functional diagnosis, construction and implementation of a rehabilitation program from the perspective of the occupational therapy

• masters the basic skills of various areas of the work activities and methodical instructions for the specific ergotherapy procedures

• masters the basics of methods, forms and means of the education and training in the health education, positively influencing the health awareness of the clients of anti-social groups, methods of acquiring them for active participation in the protection and strengthening of their own health

• masters the professional effective communication, behavior and is capable of empathy and assertive behavior in relation to the clients

• masters basic nursing techniques, general safety measures that apply to patient care, their use in the physiotherapy

• handles qualified first aid for accidents, life-threatening situations and mass events,

• masters the basics of the working with an information technologies in the professional activities. 

 

Additional knowledge and skills

Graduate of the physiotherapy study program:

• is able to actively participate in the creation and protection of a healthy living and working environment,

• masters the basic knowledge of the nutrition in general and specifically in the prevention and therapy of the diseases of the individual systems,

• understands the basic attributes of the health, its preservation, consolidation and restoration, and the factors that influence them

• masters the basics of the professional law and legislation,

• controls the organization of his work, work and cooperation in the healthcare team, communication and the transfer of professional information to the team,

• controls the basics of the konwledge application, report and legislation in the professional activities.

 

Application of a graduate

A graduate of the physiotherapy study program - bachelor's degree will be employed as a physiotherapist in hospital and ambulatory facilities, in spas, in specialist hospitals, rehabilitation institutes, and in other facilities that provide the preventive and curative health care, protection and support of the health. Furthermore, they can be applied in professional management, in the research and in the education and training of the physiotherapists. Physiotherapists can continue their education as part of the lifelong education according to Regulation of the Government of the Slovak Republic no. 296/2010 Coll. on the professional competence for the performance of the health profession, the method of further education of a health workers, the system of the specialized fields and the system of certified work activities, as amended.