The Review on Physical Therapy Curriculum in South Korea

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate curriculums of physical therapy education. Methods : We identified the curriculums of physical therapy education by internet. Results : In Korea, education on physical therapy started as a two-year program in 1963, and recently reorganized as three or four years programs. Currently some ten schools offer physical therapy programs for master's and doctor's degrees. The member countries of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) provide approximately ten types of education programs that take two to six years. In Korea, the same programs have three or four years of education periods. The American Physical Therapist Association (APTA) launched on the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) course in the late 1990s, encouraging physical therapists to acquire a doctorate degree. In addition, the U.S. Vision 2020 envisions that all physical therapists acquire DPT by the year 2020. As the medical field becomes more professional and specialized, physical therapists are expected to supplement and even replace works of doctors, instead of merely assisting them. It is necessary to reinforce education programs and improve related school systems to enhance status of physical therapist in accordance with the changing social needs and to provide quality service to patients. Conclusion : We suggest to change the curriculum of Korea. It is more accurately reflected the scope, depth, breadth, and rigor of the high-quality education preparation needed for current and future practice.

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