Physical therapy education in Mongolia- students' responses to a questionnaire survey about rehabilitation and physical therapy

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect and problems associated with a newly established program of educational exchange for physical therapy in Mongolia. [Method] Physical therapy education was begun at the Health Sciences University of Mongolia (HSUM) in July 2007, and lectures and practice for specialized subjects were started in March 2009 in conjunction with Gunma University (Japan). A survey concerning attitudes to rehabilitation and physical therapy was conducted among students in the Department of Physical Therapy before and after lectures. [Results] The curriculum of the Department of Physical Therapy at HSUM included 136 units. Lectures and practice adopted from Gunma University included nine subjects for 18 units. After the lectures, the level of understanding concerning rehabilitation and physical therapy increased. [Conclusion] The students were better able to appreciate the multipronged approach and they also increased their understanding of other occupational categories as a result of the educational opportunities provided in the enhanced curriculum. A future task is to clarify the students' level of understanding of the contents and skills of physical therapy.