Internationally Educated Physiotherapists Program Project
Overview
The Internationally Educated Physiotherapists (IEP) Program Project is a bridging program that will assist IEPs in their preparation to sit the national Physiotherapy Competency Exam (PCE) and enter into clinical physiotherapy practice in British Columbia.
The program will include both theoretical and practical components that will be arranged through a clinical mentoring model and practical clinical skill/clinical reasoning workshops.
There are six educational modules within the IEP program; four physiotherapy content modules and two exam-skills modules. The modules are as follows:
1. Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy content
2. Musculoskeletal physiotherapy content
3. Neurological physiotherapy content
4. Professional Practice issues within the Canadian context
5. Skill development in writing multiple choice exams1
6. Skill development in taking clinical based practical exams[1]
Background and Rationale
British Columbia has a protracted shortage of physiotherapists; currently there are in excess of 200 vacancies across the province. Attracting a larger number of IEPs is one strategy for BC to meet unmet physiotherapy service needs. In order to become licensed in Canada all international applicants must pass a credentialing process and the PCE; both these processes are administered by The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (the Alliance).
The PCE consists of two components; a written multiple choice question examination and a practical examination with multiple clinical simulated stations. The PCE is costly for applicants (approximately $1,975.00) and the pass rate is much lower for IEPs as compared to Canadian applicants.
The IEP project is being developed as a partnership between the following organizations:
· Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia
· Physiotherapy Association of BC
· College of Physical Therapists of BC
· Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
· Fraser Health Authority
The IEP project is funded by the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. Funding for this project commenced in January 2008 and will continue until December 2009.
Program Delivery
The IEP program consists of two separate streams; a preparatory stream for the written component of the PCE and a preparatory stream for the practical component of the PCE. Annually, there will be a total of 4 cohorts progressing through the written stream and 2 cohorts progressing through the practical stream.
Upon entry into the IEP program, each participant will complete the program’s baseline examination. This examination will provide the IEP with feedback on their knowledge base and will help to establish an individualized study plan. For each educational module that the IEP enrolls in they will be assigned a mentor who is a licensed, currently practicing physical therapist. A fixed number of mentorship hours will be assigned for each module. Each IEP has a maximum of 30 mentorship hours that can be utilized throughout the duration of the IEP program.
After a period of mentor-assisted progression through the modules each IEP will undergo a second, more thorough examination. This examination will occur approximately one month prior to when the IEP is scheduled to sit the PCE. The results of this second IEP Program examination will determine whether the IEP program will recommend an IEP to sit the upcoming PCE for which they have registered.
The primary responsibilities of the mentor are to facilitate the IEP in development of the knowledge, clinical skills and clinical reasoning in each content field as expected of physical therapy practice in Canada and to ensure that the competencies as outlined within each module are being met at a satisfactory level.
Educational materials for the IEP program will be available on the IEP website (www.iepbc.ca) and will be accessed using a virtual learning platform.
Inclusion Criteria
To be considered for admission into the IEP program each applicant must:
· Be an internationally educated physiotherapist
· Have successfully completed the credentialing process implemented by the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy regulators
· Possess an interim license through the College of Physical Therapists of BC to practice physiotherapy and be currently employed in a physiotherapy-related capacity
· Have a confirmed date for a clinical or written component of the PCE that aligns with IEP program dates
· Be a resident of or employed within British Columbia
· Be willing to consent to have their PCE results released to the IEP program
· Demonstrate a satisfactory level of English proficiency by having either:
o English as the primary language of instruction during their physiotherapy degree OR
o Level 8 assessment on the Canada Language Benchmark Placement Test or equivalent English language proficiency test
Contact information
Jonathan Coelho
IEP Project Manager
212 – 2177 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604.827.5934
Fax: 604.822.1870
www.iepbc.ca
[1] Modules 5 and 6 are based upon materials from modules 2 and 3 of the Physiotherapy Exam Skills Preparation (ESP) Program and are distributed with the permission of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.