Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy as a healthcare profession is primarily involved with human movement which is an important component of health and well-being. Physiotherapists use health promotion, preventive care, treatment and rehabilitation to maintain, restore or maximize movement potential. The work environment for physiotherapists can vary widely and includes hospitals, GP practices, private clinics, visiting at home, schools and work places.
The Department of Physiotherapy has existed for almost 100 years and has provided undergraduate education to well over 1200 physiotherapy students since 1980. Postgraduate education and training has been provided to over 200 physiotherapists and since 1998 a good number of PhD and MPhil students have studied here. The Department is recognised by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). The Department is committed to Evidence Based Practice as well as Continuous Professional Development. For instance the emergence of clinical specialists, extended scope practitioners and consultant physiotherapists create a requirement for the acquisition of advanced knowledge and skills. Academic and clinical physiotherapists work together to create a working and learning environment for physiotherapists in Wales that is geared towards excellence.
Learning and Teaching
Undergraduate
The Department of Physiotherapy offers a 3-year full-time programme of study, which leads to a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy. The diverse nature of physiotherapy practice is reflected in the theoretical and practical aspects of this programme of study and involves both university-based learning and a minimum of 1,000 hours of placement education.
Although the BSc programme of study is based in Cardiff, placements education takes place throughout Wales. Placement learning is obviously a vital part of the programme of study and particular attention is paid to maintaining the very high standard of our clinical placements. Students gain experience in all core areas of physiotherapy.
Postgraduate Taught
Physiotherapy as a profession is fast developing and very involved in service modernization. The department aims to serve the need of these professionals for continued development. There are a variety of postgraduate programmes the department offers which can lead to a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc. The programmes offered include:
- Healthcare Science
- Neurorehabilitation
- Neuro-musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
- Physiotherapy
- Sports Physiotherapy
Postgraduate Research
The Department of Physiotherapy has a variety of research projects involving students for the degrees of MPhil or PhD. The Research Centre for Clinical Kinaesiology is an important location for this research but there are also projects that are carried out in the clinical setting.
Research
The department aims to carry out research that is clinically relevant that supports the development of the profession and benefits both patients and the general population.
The department has a number of research teams that are involved in all three research areas of the School:
- Rehabilitation - measurement of efficacy, progression and outcome of acute and chronic conditions.
- Promoting and maintaining a healthy active lifestyle.
- Evaluation of healthcare service delivery and development of professional practice
A variety of methods are used to investigate musculo-skeletal, neurological and respiratory physiotherapy within the context of rehabilitation and healthy living as well as professional practice. The Research Centre for Clinical Kinaesiology is an important resource for carrying out this research. The department has been successful in publishing its results in international peer-reviewed journals.