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Master of Physical Therapy in Geriatrics

Aging means biological change. This affects the spare capacity, recovery processes and physiology of the elderly. As a geriatric physical therapist, you can make a world of difference. You ensure that patients get optimal effect from their efforts and experience maximum quality of life. During the Master of Physical Therapy in Geriatrics program, you will learn, through specific knowledge and skills, to help the elderly better utilize their potential.

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Training in Brief

  • Name: Physical Therapy in Geriatrics
  • Target audience: physical therapists
  • Duration: 3 years*
  • Variant: Part-time
  • Degree: master of science (MSc)
  • Location: Amersfoort

* More information on the accelerated track will follow a.s.a.p.

Field of work of a geriatric physical therapist

As a Master Physical Therapist in geriatrics, you can really do something for the elderly. There is much more to do than ‘walking’. Have you ever realized that after a week in bed due to a simple flu your muscle strength has decreased by an average of 15%? For an elderly 70-year-old living independently at home, this can be very detrimental if nothing is done. It causes increased risk of falling and results in decreased independence. Expert evaluation of muscle weakness – a normal aging process – is a focal point in the care of any elderly person. Especially since there is ample evidence of effective interventions to increase muscle strength and thus independence. But don’t forget about prevention, either. Many seniors want to age “well” and seek advice in doing so. This requires the specific knowledge about the aging body. Geriatric physical therapy can significantly increase the quality of life. Both of elderly people living at home and those in care settings.

“The students respond extremely enthusiastically. It is inspiring to see how their eyes are opened and how that immediately leads to a different approach in practice. That passion is heartening and hopeful for the quality of life of the elderly. Physical therapists have a great influence on the self-reliance of the elderly. This awareness appears to be the kickoff to deepening geriatric physical therapy.”

Ivan Bautmans, initiator of the training.

Older people are really different

It is a fallacy to think that treating old people is the same as treating a fifty-year-old to which one adds several years. Aging means biological change with implications for spare capacity, recovery processes and physiology. In addition, half of those over 75 have multimorbidity. Finally, the geriatric syndromes that specifically occur in old age, such as muscle weakness, frailty, osteoporosis, dementia and fall problems, come into play. This triptych outlines the complex profile of the geriatric physical therapist’s patient population and illustrates the complexity of clinical decision-making.

Working with passion

The physical therapist with a specialization in geriatric physical therapy focuses on the (needy) geriatric patient as well as the more general target group of “the aging person” from a curative and preventive point of view. In rehabilitation, the physical therapist focuses not only on the condition, but the complex clinical picture and the functional health of the patient are central. In prevention, the physical therapist focuses primarily on maintaining the client’s independence.

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Pathways

Regular master's program in 3 years

As a general physical therapist with a bachelor’s degree, you will take a regular three-year master’s program at SOMT University of Physiotherapy. The three-year master’s program in Physical Therapy in Geriatrics starts in September.

Regular master's program in 2.5 years

Can you handle a higher course load? Then you can also complete the full Master of Physical Therapy in Geriatrics in 2.5 years. The total study load and quality is equal to that of the three-year program. Through efficient, hybrid teaching with a lot of personal guidance, we have developed an ambitious but studyable program for you.

You simply start at the same time as the 3-year apprenticeship program; by September. Once you have started the program you will make an appointment with the head of training to discuss your ambitious learning path.

Accelerated track in 2 years

More information to follow.

Study days and study load

The course is a part-time program. The contact days of the 3-year program are always on Friday and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00 in Amersfoort. You will also follow a number of internship days. The contact days can be found on the right side of this page under the heading “Details”.

The study load is 13 to 16 hours per week, excluding internship. The program comprises a total of 90 credits (EC).

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Admission

Admission to the Master of Physical Therapy in Geriatrics program is possible with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy recognized by the Dutch government and BIG registration.
It is desirable to be employed in practice, as the casuistry used in the teaching sessions has a continuous interaction with professional practice.

Details

  • Study load: 13-16 hours per week
  • Credits: 90 ECTS
  • Level: EKK 7
  • Accreditation: NVAO
  • KRF NL registration: Yes
  • Language: Dutch **
  • Start of study: September

Starts September 2024 | 3-year course
Enrollment closed

Starts September 2025 | 3-year course
Enrollment open

I will come to the open day

Training content

Three pillars

The content of the Master of Physical Therapy in Geriatrics rests on three pillars:

  • biological – clinical
  • psycho – social
  • policy

Topics covered are highlighted through a different perspective for each pillar. A red line of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) runs through the three years. The scientific underpinning of clinical decision-making is central.

Teaching method and testing

Case histories as a starting point

The subject matter is offered in increasing complexity of subject matter and/or casuistry and according to concentric learning model, so that each content learning line is covered three times. This means that new knowledge always builds on what was learned earlier. The complexity of the clinical casuistry increases gradually and is always focused on daily practice.

Practice

An important competence of a Master Physical Therapy in Geriatrics is the application of advanced, rational clinical reasoning integrating knowledge about biological aging, the Geriatric Giants (e.g. frailty, sarcopenia, dementia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis) and the interaction with (clusters of) diseases (multimorbidity). The goal is to independently arrive at adequate solution strategies in daily practice for the complex clinical health profiles so characteristic of the target population.

Scientific skills

Scientific skills are applied in the field of geriatric physical therapy, particularly in research on determinants of aging. The program has its own line of research in which students participate as research assistants.

Teachers

The intensive international cooperation with the Free University of Brussels makes it possible to offer high-quality teaching. Each teacher is an expert within the field. Lecturers at SOMT University of Physiotherapy are at least Master, Master of Science, PhD physical therapist, professor or clinical expert.

Construction

The three-year curriculum is composed of 15 modules, with five modules covered per year of study. Each module per academic year belongs to one of the five content learning lines that run vertically through the academic years. These cover the domains of Aging, Locomotor, Multimorbidity, Psychogeriatrics and Policy. Each learning line is thus covered three times during the curriculum, with increasing complexity of the subject matter and/or casuistry. The lessons take place in clusters of two consecutive days. Two or three clusters form a module.

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Wil je bij ons een opleiding volgen en bent je jonger dan 56 jaar? Als je geen recht (meer) hebt op reguliere studiefinanciering, kun je soms toch geld lenen om het collegegeld of lesgeld te betalen.

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De hoogte van het levenlanglerenkrediet hangt af van de hoogte van het lesgeld of collegegeld. Ga voor meer informatie en aanvragen naar duo.nl/levenlanglerenkrediet.