Postgraduate School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitative Medicine

Common training objectives (or common core)

Students must acquire the basics of clinical psychology, medical genetics, internal medicine, general surgery, neurology and paediatrics necessary for the completion of specialist training in the semiotics, diagnosis and treatment of pathologies pertaining to individual specialisations.
They must also acquire knowledge of the main laboratory tests on blood and tissues, radiology and neuroradiology imaging and their purpose and use in clinical and diagnostic assessment, prevention and monitoring of the structures and systems involved in anaesthesia and rehabilitation practices and in patients undergoing intensive, resuscitation and rehabilitation therapies.

Core training objectives

Students must acquire:
a) knowledge of physical and cognitive body functions underlying the interaction between an individual and the environment by examining both, directly and through the study of basic and relevant biomedical sciences under both normal and pathological conditions;
b) knowledge of specific diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic procedures for conditions of functional change in the body or the individual, as set out by the World Health Organization under the umbrella term for disability encompassing impairment, personal activity limitation and social participation restriction;
c) in-depth knowledge of functional anatomy, biomechanics and kinesiology, psychology and neuropsychology, in both normal and pathological conditions, as well as the pathophysiology of conditions that may determine or aggravate functional changes in the body or the individual, also considering the specific effects of age on diagnosis, treatment and social inclusion needs;
d) acquire the physical and biological basis and application techniques of specific diagnostic and therapeutic tools in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, according to non- or semi-invasive methods and advanced technology methods;
e) knowledge, in addition to indications and general therapeutic effects, of pharmacological treatments and their specific interaction with the disability;
f) methodological and practical bases for measuring human behaviour (both physical and cognitive functions) using both technological-instrumental and psychometric techniques;
g) knowledge of the main regulatory and organisational aspects and the principal management methods of health and social care services, as well as the fundamental principles and methods of communication, information and training in the sciences and healthcare industry, including primary electronic media communication methods;
h) knowledge of the main research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, used in the field of physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine, focusing on the specific techniques of experimental design and statistics;
i) specific skills in the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic somatic pain symptoms, with particular regard to the treatment options offered by physical therapy and exercise;
l) skills in the general clinical management of disabilities associated with postoperative sequelae or neurological/internal diseases, with particular regard to disabilities sustained by chronic or degenerative diseases;
m) knowledge of disability epidemiology, Rehabilitation health and social care planning and organisation, with particular regard to the organisation of care services aimed at family, education-training and work integration.

Educational Objectives of the School
The trainee must actively contribute to the development of measures to prevent or reduce the personal, social, biological, behavioral, relational, and economic consequences of disability through specific skills in the following areas:
- a comprehensive patient approach (functional-holistic approach) according to the biopsychosocial model, also inspired by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).
- a transdisciplinary and interprofessional working method (teamwork), patient-centered and oriented toward problem-solving and the reintegration of the person with disabilities into their environment and society through the recovery of skills and participatory capacity.
- an aptitude for a leading role in the formulation of individual and institutional rehabilitation projects and programs.
- an aptitude for studying and researching the biological mechanisms underlying functional recovery and the prevention of further related disabilities.
- Specific attention to regaining self-sufficiency through the appropriate use of orthoses, prosthetics, aids, and all advanced technologies for exercise and environmental control.
- Ability to actively engage the patient, educate family members and caregivers, and collaborate on social integration, considering the role of architectural barriers, housing environment, and the ability to use transportation and communication, all within an inclusive context, including through the use of community resources.

Similar or complementary objectives
The trainee must understand the most common causes of disability in order to arrive at a specific functional diagnosis, formulate a recovery prognosis, and develop coherent rehabilitation projects (defining final objectives) and programs (defining methods and intermediate objectives). For the purposes of making decisions within their jurisdiction, the trainee must also be able to evaluate the specialized results of the instrumental diagnostic techniques most frequently requested in rehabilitation programs, such as: clinical biochemistry tests, conventional radiodiagnostic and computed tomography tests, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine tests, neurophysiological tests, and ultrasound examinations.
For the purposes of making decisions within their jurisdiction, they must also be able to evaluate the specialized results of the main neuropsychological and psychological-behavioral tests.