1. Disciplinary knowledge: The student must demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of curricular content that form the program. The student must demonstrate cognitive learning skills, ability to receive, interpret, remember, reproduce and use information in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains of learning to solve problems, evaluate work, and generate new ways of processing or categorizing similar information listed in course objectives.
2. Psychomotor Skills: Physiotherapy students must demonstrate psychomotor skills of locomotors ability to access lecture halls, practical laboratory and clinics.
a. They must possess ability to move with reasonable swiftness in emergency situations to protect the patient (e.g. from falling).
b. They should be competent to perform physical tasks such as positioning patients to effectively perform evaluation, manipulate assessment tools used for evaluation of joint mobility, muscle strength, testing musculoskeletal, neurological and cardio respiratory systems.
c. Students should be competent to perform risk assessment, safely and effectively guide, facilitate, inhibit, and resist movement and motor patterns through physical facilitation and inhibition techniques (including ability to give timely urgent verbal feedback), perform transfers, positioning, exercise, mobilization techniques and use assistive devices and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
d. Students must possess fine motor skills to legibly record thoughts for written assignments (including diagrams) and tests, document evaluations, patient care notes, referrals, etc. in standard medical charts in hospital/clinical settings in a timely manner and consistent with the acceptable norms of clinical settings and safely use electrotherapy modalities and fine mobilization techniques.
e. Students must possess visual acuity to read patient’s treatment chart, observe demonstrations, visual training, receive visual information from patients, treatment environment and clues of treatment tolerance. Auditory acuity to distinguish between normal and abnormal sounds, engage in patients and conversation with retrieve meaningful information relevant to patient care.
3. Communication skills: The student must be able to express thoughts and ideas effectively in writing and verbally, communicate with others using appropriate media, share views, demonstrate ability to listen carefully, write analytically, present complex information in a clear, and concise manner. Student must be able to effectively communicate information and safety concerns with other students, teachers, patients, peers, staff and personnel by asking questions, giving information, explaining conditions and procedures, or teaching home programs. They should be able to receive and send verbal communication in life threatening situations in a timely manner within the acceptable norms of clinical settings. Physiotherapy education presents exceptional challenges in the volume and breadth of required reading and the necessity to impart information to others. Students must be able to communicate quickly, effectively and efficiently in oral and written English with all members of the health care team.
4. Critical thinking: Student should be able to apply analytical thought to a body of knowledge, analyze based on empirical evidence, draw relevant assumptions or implications, formulate arguments, critically evaluate policies and theoretical framework and formulate a scientific approach to knowledge development. They should be able to identify structural and functional impairments, identify contextual factors influencing function, critically appraise treatment options and implement care that is socio-culturally relevant to each patient.
5. Problem Solving: Students must demonstrate capacity to extrapolate theoretical knowledge and apply competencies gained to solve non- familiar problems and real life situations.
6. Analytical reasoning: To a certain extent, students should be able to evaluate reliability and relevance of evidence, synthesize data, draw valid conclusions and support them with evidence.
7. Research – Related Skills: Students should be able to define research problem, formulate hypothesis, manage resources, analyze and interpret data, explore cause – effect relationships, plan and execute a report, present results of the experiment and demonstrate a sense of scientific enquiry, reflective thinking, self- directed learning and creativity.
8. Co-operation /Team Work: Students should demonstrate the ability to work effectively and respectfully with a multi-disciplinary team, facilitate co-operative and coordinated effort for the common cause in various clinical settings.
9. Socio-cultural and multicultural competency: Knowledge of socio-cultural values, attitudes and beliefs relevant to a particular society, nation and global perspectives must be present to effectively engage and identify with diverse groups.
10. Awareness of moral, ethical and legal issues: Students must demonstrate moral /ethical values in conduct, awareness of ethical issues related to patient care, work practices, refraining from malpractice, unethical Behavior, falsification, plagiarism, misinterpretation of data, non-adherence to intellectual property rights, adhering to truthful, unbiased actions in all aspects of work without discrimination based on age, race, gender, sexual preference, disease, mental status, lifestyle, opinions or personal values.
11. Leadership qualities: Students must demonstrate ability for task allocation, organization of task elements, setting direction, formulating an inspiring vision, team building, to achieve a vision, engaging, knowledge and respect individual values and opinions in order to foster harmonious working relationships with colleagues, peers, and patients.
12. Ongoing Learning: Students must demonstrate ability to acquire knowledge and skills through ongoing learning, participation in continuous education programs, engaging in self-paced, self- directed learning aimed at personal development, meeting social and cultural objectives, skill development, adapting to changing environment and workplace requirements and challenges.