Entry-level physiotherapy educational systems in Ireland

Abstract

There are currently four Higher Education Institutions offering a 4-year Bachelors of Science Honours degree programme in the Republic of Ireland; three of these are based in the capital city, Dublin, at Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and the fourth situated in the south-west of the country at University College Limerick, with approximately 150 students graduating per year from these programmes. Entry to undergraduate physiotherapy education in Ireland is highly competitive and necessitates, for the majority of applicants, the achievement of high grades equivalent to the top 5% of candidates taking the Final Leaving Certificate Examination in a particular year, as well as a number of designated additional places for mature students, those from 'disadvantaged' schools, or those with disabilities. The first School of Physiotherapy in Ireland was established in 1905, the first degree programme in physiotherapy education commenced in 1983, and the first physiotherapist in Ireland was awarded a PhD in 1982. The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP), founded in 1983, is the sole body representing the physiotherapy profession in Ireland and, as such, it establishes and maintains educational accreditation standards including that all physiotherapy education should occur in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The HEIs maintain close links with clinical providers and all students undertake 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice in a variety of clinical training sites as part of their undergraduate degree training under the supervision of Placement Educators and Practice Tutors. The ISCP is currently designated by the Government as the competent body for the regulation of the physiotherapy profession in Ireland, including the credentialing of graduates from accredited programmes, assessment of applicants from non-accredited overseas programmes, implementation of the Continuing Professional Development Policy and the awarding of Specialist Membership. However, the recent Government-approved Health and Social Care Professions Council is currently being established and will supersede current arrangements. There are also new initiatives underway to develop graduate entry programmes in physiotherapy in Ireland for individuals with a primary degree to gain entry to an accelerated MSc physiotherapy programme, in response to Government policy and public interest.