Professional competencies are essential for effective delivery of health care as well as for professional autonomy. The primary purpose of Physiotherapy College is to develop in their students the cognitive and practical breadth required to function as competent practitioners immediately on graduation, with the capacity to continue to learn and develop. However, professional competencies are not formally or consciously taught and are not a part of existing Physiotherapy curriculum.
To analyse the need for introducing formal teaching and assessment of professional competencies in Physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum and to identify the learning gaps in professional competencies against the desired level in Physiotherapy interns.
A needs assessment was conducted based on a survey with Physiotherapy interns and teachers. A questionnaire on professional competencies was designed, which included essential competencies that apply across all areas of Physiotherapy practice in India. The questionnaire included seven domains viz. Professional behaviour, Communication, Assessment and analysis, Planning and intervention, Evidence-based practice, Documentation and Physical fitness. Interns and teachers were asked to rate perceived importance for each competency along a three point Likert scale of A to C. Interns were asked to rate self-assessment of their current competencies along a fi ve point Likert scale of 1 to 5, whereas teachers were asked to rate assessment of their interns’ competencies along a five point Likert scale of I to V.
All the professional competencies were perceived as ‘important’ by the interns and teachers. Majority of the interns rated their competence as 2 (significant strength) for most of the competencies in all the domains except for Evidence-based practice where they rated their competence as 3 (about average). Majority of the teachers felt that 21–40% interns demonstrate most of the competencies with regard to Professional behaviour; 41–60% interns demonstrate most of the competencies with regard to Communication, Assessment and analysis, Planning and intervention and Documentation; and 41–80% interns demonstrate the competencies with regard to Physical fitness. However, competencies with regard to Evidence-based practice are demonstrated by less than 20% interns.
All the interns and teachers supported the need for introducing formal teaching and assessment of professional competencies in Physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum. Given the intent of the needs assessment to identify the learning gaps in professional competencies, discrepancies become manifest, in part, in those domains that are not yet comprehensively implemented in the current Physiotherapy curriculum.
Physiotherapy, Professional competencies, Needs assessment, Curriculum
