Why Physiotherapy can fit in as a good career option

“Health is the complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free of physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open”  said  Late Shri BKS Iyengar, the renowned Indian Yogacharya, who taught world how yoga practice and a healthy body could assure a successful life.

A healthy life is always considered more important than a rich life.

We always look up to Doctors as a savior in our bad health days. With the growing population and urbanization, keeping environment health friendly is nearly impossible in our country. Extending one’s own capacity to keep self physically fit has become a challenge.

In the present context, Doctors share their responsibility partially and sometimes equally with a physiotherapist. Human body is not just dependent on the medical treatment for recuperating from illness. Physical therapy plays a crucial role in recovering and rehabilitating a body for a permanent cure.

Physiotherapy is a branch of the para-medical science that helps in management of various neuromuscular, skeleton and other system of the body. Physiotherapy means physio-therapeutic system of medicine which includes examination, diagnose, treatment, advice and instruction in cases of movement dysfunction, body malfunction, physical disorder, disability, healing and recovery from any neurological disorder and after surgical treatment therapy for early and faster recovery. It aids in healing  from trauma & disease physical & mental conditions using physical agents including exercise, mobilization, manipulation, mechanical and electrotherapy activity & devices or diagnosis treatment & prevention.

Initially, Physiotherapists were mostly a diploma degree holder and were more technically equipped. Theoretical education was not given much priority. With the increasing demand for physiotherapist in health service sectors as well as in the corporate world, the entire profession of physiotherapy has been re-defined.All the big hospitals and health care units in India have physiotherapy departments. This opens ample job opportunities for the fresher’s lot who are acquiring the degree in this flourishing subject.

Physiotherapy has a role to play during the pre-operation and post operation stage in a patient’s life. It is a medicine required by people of varied age group. Some of the primary reasons that lead to a success of the physio-therapeutic study is:

Physical therapy became more essential as a rehabilitation and recovery tool for patients facing muscular pains, body malfunctioning, neurological disorder, paralysis or even for curing body injury causing joint pains.

Students who want to pursue a health service stream are now open to learning this para-medical science.Choice of a good University for attaining a balanced skill and theoretical degree course plays a significant role in launching oneself in this career profile. 

The primary purpose of Schools of Physiotherapy, and their tradition, 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. As schools within universities, they also seek to provide students with broad educational experiences, assisting them to develop generic skills such as independent learning, teamwork, responsibility towards other people, problem solving abilities and the like.

Some of the best Universities in town are providing a meticulously designed curriculum for a proper bachelors and masters programme in Physiotherapy.

Manav Rachna International University (MRIU) has created its own niche in this department. The Courses and the Department of Physiotherapy at MRIU are recognized by The Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP) and the Delhi Council for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy (DCPTOT).

The Faculty of Applied Science has given due importance to the physiotherapy course which offers following courses:

• Diploma in Physiotherapy (DPT): The duration of the course is 3 years with six months of compulsory internship.
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy ( BPT/BPTh): The duration of the course is 4 years with 6 months of compulsory internship.
• Masters in Physiotherapy(MPT/ MPTh): The course duration varies from 2-3 years.
• Doctor In Philosophy (PhD).

"Surgeons can reconstruct a broken joint but it is only a physiotherapist who can mobilize it”, said Dr. Pooja Anand, the H.O.D at MRIU Physiotherapy department, in Faculty of Applied Science (FAS).

According to her, the sedentary lifestyle of people particularly youngsters does not allow them to take time out for some physical activity. Moreover, there is lack of knowledge about the right physical activity.

“Physical exercise has a scientific aspect associated to it. It is a subjective practice and varies from person to person. The same exercise might not be beneficial for everyone. A physiotherapist is trained to understand this science of exercising and can help people recognize the most appropriate physical activity suited to their body requirement”, said Dr. Anand.

Body fitness calls for perfect balance between a healthy diet and proper muscular movement of our body. Young people who are most active participants in various sports activities face injury on a daily basis. At this point, physiotherapy treatment is most essential particularly for the sports person. 

Therefore, there is a growing demand for physiotherapist in the sports field. Earlier, their demand was mostly confined to cricket but now their role in table tennis, lawn tennis, billiards, horse riding, swimming etc, is palpable. After getting a Masters degree a physiotherapist can also opt for teaching. The growing incidence of lifestyle-related diseases like hypertension, obesity, etc is opening up more vistas for physiotherapists.

Every hospital in the country today have a physio-therapeutic treatment centre, well equipped with trained physiotherapist. This section has become a mandatory requirement for all health services.

MRIU stands out with its physiotherapy programme as it emphasizes on providing a skill centric paradigm that allows its students to have more hands on training with a professional assistance.

What gives MRIU students an edge over other University's Physiotherapy programme:

Some of the important factors that stands out the physiotherapy programme of MRIU is the availability of following benefits:

• Sound Infrastructure
• Health Service Collaboration
• Foreign Exchange Programmes
• International Standard Syllabi
• Experience Faculty Members

MRIU has over 70 students enrolled for its Bachelor n Physiotherapy (BPT) programme every year. MRIU syllabi are updated with the International standard and are well accepted by the International organizations/ Institutes. This proves advantageous for MRIU students who travel abroad in pursuit of a job or further research study in the subject.

The faculty members at MRIU are not just acclaimed to be the best in their field but have served the health service sector for years, which helps students get more resourceful guidance from an experienced faculty.

The FAS has also sought an active student-faculty exchange programme with Faculty of Health and Social Science, Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Lahti, Finland and Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, U.K to promote research with the vision to keep abreast with latest global trends in physiotherapy and evidence based physiotherapy practice.

Besides this, the students and faculty of FAS has extensively given Physiotherapy support in various Industrial Health Camps at NCR, Community Health Camps at various Resident Welfare Associations, Handicapped Children Rehabilitation support, Geriatric Rehabilitation camps. 

They have also rendered Sports Physiotherapy support in Rajiv Gandhi Asian Kabaddi Championship (Jan 2010), Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda Memorial Football Championship (Jan 2011), Haryana State Roller Skating Championship (17-19 Dec 2010), Haryana State Games (Oct 2010), Fencing State Level Tournament (3-7 Aug 2010).

A MoU was signed between Bangladesh Institute of Sports Sciences (BISS), Dhaka, Bangladesh and MRIU.Both BISS and MRIU agreed to share a commitment to high quality education in health, sports and therapies.This has been one of the significant steps taken by MRIU in strengthening its learning process in the Sports science and medicine in the dept. of Physiotherapy.

The out patient department(OPD) of Physiotherapy in MRIU is very well equipped with sophisticated instruments like KINCOM ISOKINETIC DYNAMOMETER, EMG Biofeedback, MWD, SWD, US Therapy and many more to render customized physiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation for physical ailments like arthritis, spondylitis, back ache, shoulder injuries, sports injuries and many more physical treatable medical conditions in the Neurological and Cardio-respiratory medical conditions. 

MRIU also conducts variety of patient rehabilitation oriented sessions like arthritis rehabilitation program, back ache care program, shoulder rehabilitation program, stroke rehabilitation program, cerebral palsy treatment program, parkinson’s rehabilitation program, exercise programs, aerobics, core strengthening program , ante-natal and post-natal pregnancy exercises program, sports training program, and nutritional counseling for all age groups.

The department has nurtured active tie-ups with renowned hospitals like VIMHANS Hospital, Apollo, Batra Hospital & Medical Research Center, Fortis Escorts Hospital, National Stadium, Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports, major sports training camps, National Games, Haryana State Level Games, Sarvodaya Hospital, ESI Hospital, Helpage India, ERC School for Special Children, several Old Age Homes, Handicapped Schools, Metro Heart Institute and many more.

 In US, Finland, New Zealand and Australia Physiotherapy is an important study course pursued by a huge chunk of learning population. In India, in the recent years, we have seen an increase in awareness about this programme among-st the students, who have biology and science as their subjects in plus 2. Physiotherapy is no more a blue collared job. It has successful risen itself above the level of being considered an extra profession for unsuccessful MBBS students.

Physiotherapy is considered as a lucrative career option for science students who intend to serve in the health sector.  Students after completing their masters/ research in the subject choose to open their own Physiotherapy centers’.  Most of the students get good package deal outside India, where physiotherapist has an essential role  in fitness routine of a common man. Some hospitals in India choose to pay physiotherapists according to the number of patients he or she sees. Initial remuneration of physiotherapists varies from place to place. A good Physiotherapist who has a sound knowledge and an experienced hand can earn a handsome amount in this profession.

To be a successful Physiotherapist one needs to have a heart to serve the society and an interpersonal skill to communicate with people, who are not patients as they just want to live a healthy long life. Physiotherapist play a vital role in strengthen the spirit of the geriatrics section. Although India is much touted as a young nation, its spirit lies in the healthy survival of the elderly people.

“Prevention is better than cure”- is a philosophy practiced by all Physiotherapist and MRIU trains you best in this practice.

Student Orientation Programme

Student orientation programme plays an important role in a students transition to a university life. Orientation programmes are aimed at familiarizing the students to an unknown campus environment, its faculties and infrastructure. It enables them to make essential connection with studies and develop network among other peers.

“Where will be my classroom? What will be my majors, What is the course structure?” Umpteen numbers of questions looms in the minds of students, when they start their college life.

In the beginning of the first year, students need to be made acquainted to their surroundings in the campus. This includes introductory sessions, giving them an overview of the university life; the rules and regulations mandated for each student in a particular college/ faculty.It is an essential period at the beginning of the college session, which allows the students to get settled in their new environment.

Teacher coordinator of every stream sets a model of introductory orientation programme that includes academic as well as social activities.

The three basic goals of any university/college  when organizing an orientation week/month are:

• Introducing students to their college life.

• Incorporating them in the university environment.

• Giving opportunity to the university members and faculties to get connected to the new batch.

Introducing Students to a college life

This is the most essential aspect of an orientation programme in any university, irrespective of the nature of the course. Students need to be made aware of the social environment of their university/college. This social factor most definitely includes the extracurricular activities, social clubs, events, workshops and other special training programmes available in the college course. This encourages them and helps them in getting socially integrated with the college culture. In the early few weeks of the college itself, a student should be able to discover his interest in any of the college activities other than the mainstream course. Social involvement will make sure that students don’t lose interest in the college life and hence are regular with their attendance.

Introductory sessions most importantly aims at giving an overview about the academic course, pursued by the students. By giving a rough idea of academic expectations, students are prepared for the challenges they might face during their graduation/post graduation programmes.

Often in the orientation programmes, eminent lecturers and experts in various fields are introduced to the new students, to mentally prepare them for awaited professional life they have set out to achieve.

Orientation programmes in colleges also give opportunities to students where they can self evaluate their aptitude level, by participating in the workshops and discussion sessions. Attending Orientation enables students to make important connections with the collegiate environment, academic studies, peers and network with the campus community.

 Incorporating students in the university environment

The second most important aspect of an orientation programme is to make students accustomed to the campus surrounding. For many students going to college may be their first experience away from home, so orientation programme gives them the required aid in getting acquainted with their new neighbourhood.

Answering all their queries and doubts, counseling, guiding them in the choice of their social clubs are some of the activities involved in these orientation sessions.

In this manner, orientation helps students get their attitude right as best suited for the new place.Campus maps, guided tours in the campus allow them to physically get apprised of the college interiors so that they do not find themselves lost. Orientation programmes are the best platform for the new students to get a total overview of what all a university has to offer.

Giving opportunity to the university members and faculty to get connected with the new batch.

Involving the entire university community in the orientation programme is the most effective aspect as it gives the students and teachers an equal opportunity to interact with each other. The entire campus community including the faculty, dining services, housing, facilities management, and student activities groups gets involved in this programme of welcoming new students.

The interaction among the students and the college community strengthens student’s persistence in the college. A feeling of belongingness is inculcated in student’s mind during the orientation, which makes them feel a part of the university community. Institutions appoint old students as the orientation leaders who can also share their own experience with the newcomers and make them aware of the awaited experience.

Conclusion

Orientation programmes serve as a foundation for college/university success. It sets a lasting impression for new students and their families.The main purpose of a good orientation session in a college is to bridge the gap between the professors and the students, ensuring a smooth communication between the two. A good orientation programme should be designed in a manner that it can answer all the queries of the students, before they are asked.

A structured orientation model can aid all the participants including students, faculty members, administration, parents and current students. Orientation marks a successful beginning of a college session as it assures to the new students that they made a good decision in their college choice. It also helps students prepare for a successful career with clear vision about what lies ahead and what can be  achieved at the end of their courses.

Student Orientation is a warm up session for students before they are ready to hit the ground for their final performance, for a successful career.