THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF REHABILITATION: PRIORITIZING UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM FOR THE PREPARATION OF PRACTITIONERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL FIELD
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17501/25132687.2023.4101%20%20Keywords:
university, curriculum, international, undergraduate rehabilitation educationAbstract
This conceptual paper expounds on the reflections from the author’s plenary speech and addresses the educational underpinnings of the limitations in rehabilitation services globally, but particularly in the Global South. There are disparities in the availability of post-secondary training programs in graduate and undergraduate rehabilitation disciplines all over the world, as compared to the plethora of medical training programs within universities internationally. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a framework that is a vital reminder of the intricate, interdisciplinary nature of disability interventions. These treatment interventions constitute collaborations between preventative, curative, and rehabilitative health professionals within in-patient and outpatient settings. Yet rehabilitation professionals such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, mental health counselors, and physiatrists are inadequate in number in many parts of the world – making it impossible to meet the global health needs of patients who would benefit from their services. Social, cultural, political, and institutional barriers to the proliferation of rehabilitation practitioners, as evidenced by the research literature from these parts of the world, are addressed. In particular, an argument is made for more entry-level rehabilitation clinicians that are trained at the undergraduate level because of their unique preparedness to meet a variety of patient needs competently and promptly. Some foundational principles, global rehabilitation services issues, and future research implications of undergraduate rehabilitation education program development internationally are discussed.
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