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Higher education institutions for physiotherapists
Higher education institutions for physiotherapists (Akademien für den physiotherapeutischen Dienst) provide vocational education and training and entitle their graduates to work as qualified physiotherapists ( Physiotherapeut/in) (completion: diploma thesis and diploma examination). After the secondary school leaving examination ( Reifeprüfung), the programme takes three years and is offered at several sites in Austria.
> Access
• physical fitness
• good character and standing
• a school-leaving certificate ( Reifeprüfungszeugnis) issued by an academic secondary school, a vocational secondary school, a nursery teacher training college or a foreign higher education entry certificate or a diploma in nursing ( Diplom im gehobenen Dienst für Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege) or a diploma in clinical assistance ( medizinisch-technischer Fachdienst) or a university entrance examination ( Studienberechtigungsprüfung) for medical studies
• aptitude test
• a board decides on admission
> Programme
Theoretical instruction/subjects: first aid and wound dressing; anatomy; physiology; pathology; hygiene and environmental protection; clinical subjects (general surgery, accident surgery and sports medicine, orthopaedics, internal medicine, including rheumatology and pharmacology, gynaecology and obstetrics, paediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, intensive care, geriatrics); physical medicine, including basic physical diagnostics and physics; kinesiology, including biomechanics; training theory and its application to rehabilitative exercises, performance diagnostics; mechanotherapy (physiotherapeutic techniques and concepts, including functional therapy, respiratory therapy, curative massage, lymphatic drainage, connective tissue massage, reflex therapy, profession-specific manual examination and diagnostic methods; physical therapy and diagnostics; application of all physiotherapeutic measures in the fields of prophylaxis, therapy and rehabilitation (surgery, accident and sports medicine, orthopaedics, internal medicine, gynaecology and obstetrics, paediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, occupational medicine, geriatrics, rheumatology); physical training and methodology for performing physical exercises in larger groups; physical medicine and rehabilitation; basic occupational therapy; nature and ethics of the profession; sociology, psychology, communication training; basic health, labour and social security legislation; introduction to operational management in hospitals; IT, medical informatics, statistics and documentation; medical English; theoretical and practical introduction to nursing.
Practical training: general nursing; geriatrics; gynaecology and obstetrics; internal medicine; neurology; orthopaedics; paediatrics; psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine; physical medicine; accident surgery; elective internships in occupational medicine, surgery, intensive care, cardiology, oncology, pulmology, rheumatology.
> Job description / field of activities
Autonomous performance of all physiotherapeutic measures on a doctor’s orders in intramural and extramural care with special consideration of functional relations in the fields of health education, prophylaxis, therapy and rehabilitation, in particular mechanotherapy measures, e.g. all types of kinesitherapy, perception, manual therapy of joints, respiratory therapy, all types of curative massage, reflex therapy, lymphatic drainage, ultrasound therapy, all measures of electrotherapy, thermotherapy, phototherapy, hydrotherapy and balneotherapy as well as profession-specific diagnostic methods and co-operation in electrodiagnostic examinations; furthermore, advice and education of healthy persons in the fields mentioned above without a doctor’s orders.
> Career
Physiotherapists may work as self-employed persons or may be employed by hospitals, other establishments under medical management or supervision that specialise in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of diseases or in the nursing of persons needing care, or by medical practitioners.
> Further opportunities for education and training
Following the basic programme in physiotherapy, some higher education institutions offer specialised courses for special, teaching, lecturing and managerial tasks.
Furthermore, there are the following opportunities for qualified physiotherapists:
• university courses
• university studies (e.g. medicine, sports science
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