CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PHYSIOTHERAPY DEGREE: SATISFACTION SURVEY OF THE SUBJECT “PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT IN PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INJURIES AND MUSCLE DISEASES”

The University of Valencia introduced the Physiotherapy Degree (undergraduate four-year degree) within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in the 2009-2010 academic year, concurrent with the previous degree programme. The last intake of students on the latter course was in the 2010-2011 year. In this way, old and new elements have been running side by side during the entire transformation process. The adoption of a new educational paradigm based on the EHEA approach entails an important challenge at the methodological level, where teaching tools and resources, helped by new technologies, assume an essential role in the teaching-learning experience. Thus, this emerging approach calls for special attention to the most important element in this process, the student.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of satisfaction of physiotherapy students regarding the subject “Physiotherapy Treatment in Peripheral Nervous System Injuries and Muscle Diseases”. This is a subject with an important practical content and its training is being undertaken during the current academic year (2011-2012) in the EHEA context.

A questionnaire-based study has been carried out. The study sample has comprised 116 third-year physiotherapy students in the 2010-2011 academic year, the last course in the previous degree programme.

The results analysed, relating to knowledge, skills and methodology, will allow us to obtain valuable information to guide decisions and enhance this transformation process. It has required great effort to adapt means, resources and methodologies to the current needs of our students, which arise from the demand for the acquisition of new competences.