SYSTEMS OF ENTRY-LEVEL PHYSICAL THERAPY EDUCATION IN TAIWAN

This article describes the development of physical therapy in Taiwan, including its education system, curricular content, regulation of practitioners, and future trends in physical therapy practices. Entry level physical therapy education in Taiwan was shifted from a hospital-based training model to a university academic model in 1967. Currently, eight general universities and three polytechnic universities offer undergraduate physical therapy programmes, training about 654 students per year. Since 1997, a number of national physical therapy education reform meetings have been held. Some consensus has been reached, and the core curricula, objectives of clinical practice, as well as guidelines for accrediting clinical instructors and clinical sites have been updated accordingly. The current and future trends of Taiwan's physical therapy education system, as a result, are: evidence-based practice, problem-based learning, informative technology, and advanced academic degrees for entry-level practitioners. Through educational reform and the planning of continuing education, highly cost-effective and autonomous practice is to be expected.