(147)VOCATIONAL PLANS OF FINAL-YEAR FIRST-CYCLE STUDENTSOF PHYSIOTHERAPY IN SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

摘要

The division of into first-, second- and third-cycle studies according to the Bologna Process enablesfirst-cycle programme graduates to start work in their chosen profession while, not infrequently, enrolin second- and then third-cycle programmes. There are a number of factors that can influence thevocational plans of first-cycle graduates, the most important ones including in different EuropeancountriesThe aim of the study was to analyse the vocational plans of first-cycle Physiotherapy students in theirfinal year in selected European countries.Invitations to participate in the study were sent to all university-level schools affiliated with TheEuropean Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education - ENPHE.Altogether, the study involved 299 third- or fourth-year students of first-cycle studies from fivecountries: 20 students from Bulgaria (BG), 100 students from Spain (ES), 21 from Latvia (LV), 58 fromTurkey (TUR), and 100 from Poland (PL). The mean age of the 225 female and 74 male students was23.05 years (SD: 2.71;;range: 21-39).An anonymous and voluntary questionnaire (designed by the authors and translated into nationallanguages, 64 closed questions) was administered during a class near the end of the last semester offirst-cycle studies in the academic year 2010/2011. The response rate was 86%. The statisticalanalysis was carried out with Statistica 9.0 (licensed to Medical University of Warsaw) and based onthe non-parametric Kruskall-Wallis test, at p<0.05. The study did not require the approval of WarsawMedical University’s Ethical Review Board.Most PL students (58%) were willing to enrol in a second-cycle programme in Physiotherapy followingcompletion of their first-cycle studies, while ES students (58%) wanted to enrol in a second-cycleprogramme while also taking up work in their profession, and the largest proportion of TUR students(48%) wanted to begin work and continue their education by attending training courses (p<0.01). TURstudents declared familiarity with employment opportunities for first-cycle Physiotherapy graduatessignificantly more frequently (86%) than PL (31%) and ES students (63%) (p<0.01). TUR studentsalso declared significantly more frequently (96%) than their PL (10%) and ES counterparts (22%) thatit was easy to find work as physiotherapist in their country (p<0.01). The largest proportion of PL, ESand TUR students declared that it was easy to find work as physiotherapist in EU countries. Theopinions of students from different European countries regarding factors that make it easier to findwork as physiotherapists differed significantly (p<0.01). PL students pointed to graduating from aprestigious university and possessing the necessary knowledge and skills as the most importantfactors, while BG students found having “friends in the right places” also important.1. Difficulty finding a job did not affect students’ decisions to study physiotherapy. Studentsbelieve finding employment is easier in other EU countries than their own. Thus they willprobably look for jobs in other EU countries.2. Curricula at BA level should include information on career possibilities, both domestic and inother EU countries (free movement of workers).3. Universities should prepare students to enter the job market and offer information on findingemployment in their future professions and any associated problems.4. A professional information service on job opportunities in EU countries should be developedoffering objective employment information for physiotherapists in EU.