Continuing education in physiotherapy

Abstract

Many professions participate in various forms of in-service training and education, often known as professional development. The physiotherapy profession is no exception and recently the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy launched the initiative Physiotherapy Access to Continuing Education. The focus of this report was to identify the possible involvement of the Institution of Higher Education. The research also attempts to identify attitudes towards continuing professional education and any deterrents to such a commitment. The methodology used was questionnaire survey of a sample of practising physiotherapists and semi-structured interviews with service managers. The conclusions were that attitudes to continuing professional education within the profession are very positive, the major deterrent being a financial constraint from the manager's point of view. Recommendations are made for the supporting role of the Institution of Higher Education in supporting continuing education in the physiotherapy profession.