Most of our lives are stuck to desk jobs which eventually results in exhaustion and body pain. Getting used to the life of the manual, and with a lot of factors restricting the movement of the body, has led to the emergence of issues among young adults, which triggers with age. With this rising problem, the popularity of its solution has risen as well, the only target being to get relief. With this, the demand for physiotherapy has increased, which involves a great amount of dedication and study.
Being a highly difficult and delicate task, education in the field requires not only knowledge but also skills and extensive training. When it comes to learning something, a mind usually wanders off to some of the best institutions possible, and in accordance with physiotherapy, this institution is the Department of Physiotherapy, University Institute of Allied Health Sciences (UIAHS), Chandigarh University.
The university is ranked as Asia’s best and fastest-growing university, while it ranks among the top three universities in India. The physiotherapy course provided by the Department of Physiotherapy of Chandigarh University is one of the best in India and is acceptable among other countries as well, providing students with chances to practice abroad.
Chandigarh University offers all that it promises its students and carves the best out of them. It provides students unique amalgamation of professional and academic excellence. At CU, students are groomed to be socially sensitive through the intellectually challenging and contemporary diverse culture. Accredited with an A+ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the university has a wide spectrum of programs paired with flexibility, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary orientation. This emancipates the students to explore their interests and pursue dream careers.
Department of Physiotherapy, under the Leadership of Prof (Dr.) Himanshu Tripathi, Additional Director, has flourished with betterment. Dr Tripathi’s industrial experiences have led to the best industry-orientated curriculum.
The Department
Course in Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) at Chandigarh University started in 2017, followed by the Master of Physiotherapy in 2020 in the speciality of Orthopedic and Sports Sciences. The university has collaborated with more than ten multispecialty hospitals and sports academies for students’ hands-on training, starting with mere two tie-ups for clinical exposure.
The Physiotherapy Department has MOUs with 30 international Universities for faculty and international student exchange. Supporting the college’s core value, ‘Giving‘, every Saturday, the physiotherapy department organizes a community camp with free Physiotherapy assessment, Treatment, and Artificial Foot and hand distribution. These camps aim to empower specially abled and poor people with proper treatment and assistance so they can be self-reliant and independent.
Moreover, the department is equipped with everything from basic to advanced physiotherapy instruments for students to train in a customized way to have proper hands-on training and modalities to ensure they are ready for the future.
The well-diversified faculty members of the department are trained internationally and are from the best universities in India. Along with being friendly, the faculty is well-connected with students in professional and personal support. This guides students in learning while helping them to choose the right path after studies and do proper career guidance to students.
The Nerves, Arteries, and Veins
The department looks forward to emerging as an institute of global standards with state-of-the-art facilities that would meet the societal requirements of competent and skilled allied health professionals through experiential learning, research, and innovation.
The mission of the CU’s physiotherapy department is to establish a strategic relationship with leading national and international healthcare institutions while designing a curriculum equivalent to international universities of repute and as demanded by the healthcare industry. The department understands the importance of contributing to society and therefore seeks to reinforce collaboration with academic health centres, government, communities, and professional organizations.
The college aims at engaging students to learn patient-centred approaches and evidence-based practice, groom themselves as professional leaders in quality improvement and service development, and encourage future leaders with a commitment to accountable patient care.
The institution seeks to contribute to the creation of a healthy, vibrant and sustainable society by involving the students in community healthcare programs for awareness and hygiene.
The Department of Physiotherapy gravely believes in the values of Human Dignity, Empathy, Humility, and Giving, which contribute to society, nation and family and share knowledge to create a more enlightened and purposeful society.
Functioning and Academics
CU’s Department of Physiotherapy offers two programs Bachelor of Physiotherapy Duration and Master of Physiotherapy. The specializations are offered in MPT in Orthopedics Physiotherapy and Sports Physiotherapy. Apart from academic education, a variety of co-curricular and extra-curricular programs are provided by the college.
The curriculum of bachelor’s courses is mapped with the online courses that are mandatory to complete with the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) model, while Advanced Credit Program (ACP) is a specialized certification program offered to UG and PG students with three levels career-oriented certifications in various domains according to NEP.
The college provides Value Added Courses (VAC) to cater to the industrial needs of students when they complete the professional course at the college. This is a bridging course to fill the gap between academic and industry needs and is conducted on a regular basis in the institution.
Apart from the provisions, Physiotherapy students must opt for Hospital and Clinical Internships; the training is for 1st year to Final year students of both programs, usually happening during a one-month summer break.
Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR) is one of the mainstays of Chandigarh University. The institution believes that as an active agent of social change, it should take on voluntary actions in organizing Health checkup camps, Physiotherapy diagnoses, and treatment camps.
Hundreds of patients get free treatment with advanced modalities and expert physiotherapists every week. Also, the department organizes visits and special consultation programs by expert doctors to the department for the welfare of society.
Being the Heart
The Department of Physiotherapy of Chandigarh University stands out as different due to its many features, and most important of them being its fully operational Physiotherapy OPD on the departmental premises. Enhancing the hands-on training and providing experiences, it is mandatory for the students to train at hospitals. Summer training also prepares students for research activities that usually start from 1st year onwards.
The department has set its curriculum per the recommendation by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Govt. of India. Combined with the highly qualified faculty’s teaching, it creates a strong foundation for the student.
Always in Remembrance
The department is designed to be student-centred, where instructional methods such as experiential learning, participatory learning, and problem-solving strategies like case discussions are used. A constructive approach with the advanced learning method has helped students learn and understand better.
Other practices adopted by the faculty include Peer teaching, Topic sequencing, Relevance and Authoritative voice, and Assessment methods like Mini Case Evaluation Exercise (CEX), Case-based discussion, Direct observation of procedures (DOPs), Multi-source feedback, and Patient satisfaction questionnaire. All these factors lead to outcome-based education, thus making the CU one of its kind.
Global Exposure
The college knows the importance of global exposure and provides its students with programs like the International Training Program (ITP), which includes the 2+2-year International Training Program offered by the college with the University of Wollongong, Australia. Apart from this, the colleges arrange International speaker’s workshops and lectures to expand the horizons and broaden the learning experience every month.
Every semester, renowned Physiotherapy professors and Physiotherapists across the globe are invited to the faculty exchange program at the Department of Physiotherapy, which provides students with the best guidance. Annually in the Student Exchange Program, more than 15 students from each semester are sent to various universities in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Cookie Points
Chandigarh University offers the highest return on investments to the students and their parents. Moreover, the alums are working at Multispecialty Hospitals and Institutes and have established their own chain of clinics. The department has adopted the best Infrastructure and Facilities and developed an approach to loving research.
The environment at the CU is very responsive, flexible, and adaptable to changing situations giving a global vision to the career and shaping the future of its students. The 100% placement rate of the university proves the success and ability of the education within its free walls.
To Tomorrow’s Dawn
The institution looks forward to putting forth its department of specializations in Neuro-Physiotherapy, Cardio-Respiratory physiotherapy, and Community Based physiotherapy, along with PhD courses in Physiotherapy. It also wants to create a Sports and Gait Lab, training in the best hospitals Abroad, Externship outside, and global placement opportunities.
