Free Certificates for Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy Course

[RabbitWho]

Of two minds about whether to put this here or in Biology / medicine

Hello all, I am planning on applying for physiotherapy as a mature student and any proof I can get of my aptitude for study would be so helpful. I already have a few certificates from courses over the last few years, but the more the better. I know Open University offers some courses with free certificates / statements of participation, and I am going to do any of them which is even remotely related to physiotherapy or physical therapy, biology, anatomy, physics (mechanics.. levers and stuff.. not space), has anyone got any recommendations?

I'm not a cheap skate, I'm just anticipating going into massive debt as it is and if I can do this without advancing the debt it would be wonderful.

Why don't I just google it? Because there are a lot of lists of courses with free certificates but after you spend 15 hours completing the course you realize that no, that was a mistake, actually the certificate costs 50 euro and the course was free. Or "This portion of the course is free, pay for the second portion of the course and to receive your certificate here"
So I am looking for personal recommendations, if possible.

thankyouiloveyou

 

[Choppy]

Physiotherapy is a professional program lot like medicine in that it's quite competitive to get into and there are a usually a set of common prerequisite courses that you need before they'll accept you. In Canada, it's a master's program now. I'm not how it works in the US, but I strongly suspect that certificates of participation are not going to count for much. You'll be a lot better off doing the full courses.

If you already have the prerequisites and are looking to bolster your application, you'll likely have much better luck spending your time volunteering or working in some kind of rehabilitation medicine context.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

A Rebecca Rabbit stuffie! My daughter loves Peppa Pig!

I would take Choppy's advice. Most positions in the US for a physical therapist will require a doctorate. An assistant physical therapist maybe at least an associates, which is also a very competitive program to get into. Also, a university must be nationally accredited to award the degree in order for you to obtain and renew licensing; so, I would be wary of any online university or program making such promises. Accreditation is expensive and most online schools will not be able to offer that.

Find an affordable college in your country that offers the program and check to see if they offer any accelerated adult programs that allow you to test in for the most general credits. You may be able to start there to try for the assistant physical therapist. But, in order to get into a physical therapist program later on, you may want to have all coursework completed at a credible school, I just don't see online coursework being acceptable for most graduate programs.

 

[RabbitWho]

I am going to volunteer as well. There aren't any pre-requisites for mature students that I know of (apart from the leaving certificate, which I already have). I'm in Ireland, not the US. I am not applying for a graduate program. Physio is an undergraduate course here. In Ireland being a physical therapist is not the same as being a physiotherapist. Being a physical therapist is also an undergraduate qualification here, and not as high a level as physio. I am sure it is completely different across the pond.

Your information sheds light on why Irish physiotherapists get paid so much in the US!

I love Peppa Pig, she is super useful for learning languages, and Rebecca Rabbit is my favourite.. and her amazingly talented mother.

I'm still hoping someone can answer my question, thank you guys! :)

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I checked and you are right in pointing out that there is a difference in titles. http://Irish%20physiotherapists%20are%20warning%20that%20people%20who%20call%20themselves%20%E2%80%9Cphysical%20therapists%E2%80%9D%20are%20not%20always%20members%20of%20the%20profession./

For now, the title 'physical therapist' can be claimed with a short certification. Whereas, the title 'Physiotherapist' is intended to mean they completed a university program. It looks as if both titles Physiotherapists and Physical Therapist will soon be reserved for those who are registered to practice with a professional regulating agency (which are already legally protected titles in other nations). Most currently holding certificates will probably not qualify for either title after Ireland legally protects them. Another title that doesn't cause confusion will probably be used for those with certificates.

"The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists says choosing a professional registered with them guarantees the person is a university graduate with hospital-based training and a certain standard of care. They also operate in the private sector and patients can have “peace of mind of knowing that they are a part of Ireland’s only professional body within its field..."

"I am currently examining the issue of also protecting the title of physical therapist under the Act. In the rest of the English speaking world the titles of physical therapist and physiotherapist are interchangeable and their users are qualified physiotherapists. In Ireland, however, the title is used by a number of practitioners who are not physiotherapists, but who are competing with physiotherapists in the private sector in the provision of musculoskeletal therapies."

This is odd to me. How are patients in Ireland protected when they see a 'physical therapist' or a person claiming to be a 'physiotherapist'? How does liability work with this? Can you even purchase insurance to protect yourself and the patient with a certification gained from practically any agency? What requires that these agencies maintain standards in issuing certification to medically practice on people?

There are many circumstances running through my head right now that could go badly. Can physical therapists read an X-ray or understand a patients medical history (all procedures, test results, etc.) before deciding upon a rehabilitation plan- if all that is required is from around a 32 class course (near equivalent to one university course) or online certificate? Have you thought about the consequences of something going wrong in treating minors with sports injuries (where their future is at stake)? Or worsening an elderly patients condition after surgery or a fall (where lives are stake)? Are you confident that a training program like that could equip you with the skills to not only treat, but take responsibility for the quality of a patients life in the event that your care caused them lifelong damage? That would scare me! But, if you are really going to do this, skimping on program costs may mean that you will receive lower quality training...

Peppa Pig also teaches toddlers physics and astronomy!

 

[RabbitWho]

I am sorry you have misunderstood. I have no interest whatsoever in becoming a Physical Therapist. I just wanted to know about free courses I could do that had certificates.

There is one qualification in Physical Therapy offered in Ireland, but it is not as high as physiotherapy, nothing on the scale. Usually it is a course people do when they didn't do well enough in their Leaving Cert to do physio.

Chiropractors in Ireland can basically do whatever they want without any qualification. I assume the same goes for "Physical Therapists" A chiropractor seriously damaged my mother's spine. They are charlatans. No, they can't read x-rays. A doctor said the markings the chiropractor made on my mother's x-ray did not correspond to anything and made no sense. She also said that she had scoliosis when she didn't. If it wasn't for physiotherapy she would never have been able to walk again. This is why I want to become a physiotherapist (NOT a Physical Therapist). If I am accepted my course is going to cost me almost thirty thousand euro. I am not skimping. But none of this has anything to do with the topic of the thread. I just wanted help finding things that would help me to get accepted :(

 

[Wastrophysicist]

Hi rabbit,

First of all, I wouldn't consider the cost of the certificate as a problem. You are persuing for a Physiotherapy degree, and this will cost several times more than an online certificate. So, I'll assume money is not the problem.

I recommend you to visit ALISON Courses and see whether there are the certificates you want. As much as I know, in ALISON there are several certificates on Health and Biology, and there are 100% free verified certificates.

I hope I'd helped you.

 

[RabbitWho]

Alison only offer 4 free certificates and they are in ridiculous things such as how to correctly lift a box. The rest of their courses are not up to the standard of EDx or future learn. If money was not an issue I would not have posted the question.
I don't think it's reasonable to think that because your house cost 500,000 euro you shouldn't worry about a doormat costing 200.
I want to thank everyone who replied, I guess what I'm looking for doesn't exist