The Department of Physiotherapy of the School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences of the University of Patras was founded according to the law 4610/2019 (ΦΕΚ 4610/07-08-2019/τ. Α’) after the abolition of the previous Department of Physiotherapy of Western Greece. It constitutes one of the five Departments of High Tertiary Education in Greece, which are of four-year studies and provide under-graduate and post-graduate education in Physiotherapy. Taking into account the dynamics of the academic staff of the Department, the Department aims to improve its academic and research activities. At the same time, as a self-sufficient department, organizes all cycles of studies (undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes of studies) and collaborates with other Departments and scientists of the University for development, extroversion, and inter-disciplinary co-operations.
The mission of the Department is the promotion, development and transmission of knowledge to the profession and science of Physical Therapy, via appropriate theoretical teaching, wide laboratory and practical modules and applied research; so that the students and graduates are equipped with thorough knowledge and skills to ensure adequate training for their scientific and professional career and development.
Within the scope of its mission, the Department of Physiotherapy:
- Follows the international advancements in the scientific, educational and professional fields.
- Develops co-operations with Higher Education Institutes Nationally and Internationally.
- Conducts applied clinical research in the field of Physiotherapy.
- Co-operates with appropriate production units, work administrators.
- Uses state-of-the-art technologies in education.
- Helps the students to develop adequate abilities and skills to make them confident and competitive in a national and international environment.
- Follows all developments and changes (educational, financial and social) in the study content (of Physiotherapy) nationally and internationally.
- Is always alert to analyse, accept and incorporate new points of view so as to assure and improve the quality of studies within the Department.
The vision of the Department consists of five inter-dependent aspects:
- To provide high level education in all sectors of Physiotherapy, by following all modern developments and advancements of the science Internationally
- To provide and conduct high quality laboratory and clinical research in all sectors of the Department
- To provide high level services for the students
- To run 2nd (post-graduate) and 3rd (doctoral) cycle of studies in Physiotherapy
- The connection and co-operation of the Department with local organisations
The strategic objectives of the Department are relevant to its Mission and Vision and refer to three aspects: Education, Research and Interconnection with the Society (Extroversion). These aims are succinctly presented:
- Certification of the undergraduate programme of studies and continuous quality assurance of all the services of the Department
- Decrease the teacher/student ratio to improve the quality of education provided
- Enhancement of supportive human resources of the Department such as technical and special teaching staff
- Running of 2nd and 3rd cycle of studies in the Department, with an aim to improve the educational level and to produce high quality research
- Claim of national and international research projects
- Develop lifelong educational programmes
- Promote the extroversion of the Department by co-operating with other Universities in Greece and abroad
- Strengthening of the interconnection activities with the social-economic environment, by co-operating with productive organisations to promote the professional settling down of our graduates
- Offering of physiotherapy services to special populations through co-operations with health organisations and research programmes
- Improvement of our buildings and upgrade of the laboratory and research equipment and of the library of the Department
After the completion of their studies, the graduates will:
- have acquired the necessary scientific background of the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
- get familiar with approaching various types of patients according to the criteria of bioethics as well as by developing a patient-physiotherapist relationship
- evaluate a wide range of diseases and injuries using recent scientific evidence and develop their critical thinking to be able to choose the most appropriate therapies and techniques of Physiotherapy
- conduct a properly structured physical examination based on the history of the disease and the most recent scientific data, select reliable and valid tools of assessment, and use clinical reasoning to design a comprehensive intervention programme
- recognize and understand the influence of predisposing and aggravating factors on various diseases
- rehabilitate the patient, following a thorough physiotherapeutic evaluation, using the most efficient, appropriate and safest methods
- be aware of the way of function of healthcare units, in which patients with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, etc. are hospitalized, and of diseases and injuries, as well as of the role of each health professional in the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team
- evaluate research and recent literature regarding the patient rehabilitation in order to adapt their physiotherapeutic intervention and research
Physiotherapy graduates are automatically accepted as members of the Panhellenic Physical Therapy Association, which in turn, is an active member of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) as well as the European one (EU-WCPT).
The graduates of the Department of Physical Therapy at University of Patras are professionally referred to as “Physiotherapists” or “Physical Therapists” and on completion of their studies, they have acquired the necessary scientific background and clinical knowledge, abilities and skills to safely and independently perform physiotherapy assessment and treatment, focusing on the prevention, improvement and rehabilitation of all pathological conditions, as well as traumatic injuries or dysfunctions to the skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory and cardiac systems. More specifically, the graduate of the Department is capable of proceeding with his/her physiotherapeutic treatment approach following written referral form from the doctor.
More explicitly he/she can:
- Rehabilitate the patient, following a thorough physiotherapy evaluation, utilising the most efficient, appropriate and safest special means, methods and techniques, such as kinesiotherapy, manual therapy, thermotherapy and cryotherapy, electrical stimulation, biofeedback and other electrotherapeutic modalities, pain relief, ergonomic re-education of the patient and methods to enhance the neuromusculoskeletal’s system functional ability.
- Evaluate the progress of the patient’s condition and modify the patient’s rehabilitation programme accordingly.
- Plan and implement research programmes, which promote the science of Physical Therapy.
- Study, plan and implement preventative and rehabilitation programmes for various disorders to individuals, groups, communities, schools and professional fields.
- Apply the rules of ethics within the Physical Therapy field.
- Train and support the patient and the patient’s family, with an aim to achieve the patient’s functional independence.
The graduate physical therapists are entitled to work as:
- Executives of the State or within the wider public sector in accordance with any provisions that are in effect at the time.
- Executives of the private sector, as an employee or with other work relations.
- Free-lance professionals at a private physiotherapy clinic or the patient’s home.
- Open a private clinic or physiotherapy centre under the provisions of the law.
The professional rights of physical therapists graduating from Physical Therapy Departments of Universities follow the rules of the state (Presidential Decree 90/95, FEK 53/08-03-95). Additionally, as previously indicated physical therapy graduates can become registered members of the Panhellenic Physical Therapy Association, which is the official independent and regulatory body for setting and maintaining standards of professional training of physical therapists within Greece (Law 3599/2007). All registered members are also recognized from WCPT and EU-WCPT.