By Steve BowersThe following article was published in Wired on July 10, 2018.
(It’s now updated to include a comment from Fraser Coast’s CEO, who says he’s “very confident” the company has the right tools.)
The following day, the company held a conference call with its health and wellness professionals to outline the benefits of its program.
“Physiotherapists are really at the heart of our medical workforce, and we have a strong need for more physical therapists,” said Dr. Michael McLean, a member of the company’s Board of Directors and an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Physicians have been the heart and soul of our healthcare workforce for over 150 years, and it’s very important to have more of them working in our healthcare delivery system.
Physiotherapist training has always been an important component of our company’s efforts to deliver better health care for all of our patients.”
The following morning, Fraser Coast released a press release announcing that the company had received a $4.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
This was the second grant awarded by the NIH since the start of the year.
The program includes a 12-week online course that, when completed, will cover all three aspects of physiotherapy: “Basic exercises, strengthening, and stretching” and “Exercises for the physiotherapist and/or physician to help prevent injury and improve function in patients with spinal cord injury.”
The program is available to individuals and families of adults with spinal injuries.
The program also offers a 30-day online course and is currently offered to individuals who have a primary care physician.
The courses are free for everyone, but a monthly fee of $300 applies.
“If you are interested in learning more about physiotherapy and wish to learn more about the physiotherapy program, please contact Dr. McLean at (415) 936-3390 or [email protected],” Fraser Coast said in a press statement.
The company also recently announced a $1.6 million investment from the Palo Alto, California-based Biogen.
The company’s program includes exercises to strengthen the cervical spine and pelvic floor, strengthen the thoracic spine, and strengthen the lumbar spine.
“For many physiotherapist trainees, this is the first time they’ve had a real-world experience with a physical therapist,” said Fraser Coast President and CEO, Dr. Peter McNeill.
“This will allow them to take their physical therapist certification exam and then have it validated through a physiotherapy clinic.”
Dr. McNeill explained that Fraser Coast plans to have its program up and running by mid-July, and expects to start offering the classes in 2019.
Fraser Coast’s online physiotherapy training program is being designed by the company to be self-paced, meaning that the program can be completed at any time.
The training program also has no prerequisites, and students are free to take the class anytime.
It’s a program that allows students to take advantage of an online class, while they’re still on campus, to have the physical therapist on call, to gain confidence and gain confidence in themselves.
“We want our students to learn the skills they need to become a great physiotherapeutic therapist, and this program will allow those students to do that,” McNeill said.
“As physiotherapy professionals, we know that there are many barriers to entry and to becoming a great professional, and having the ability to train on-site for 24 hours a day is very beneficial to us.”