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2011: A new look, a new spirit

May 2011 

About the IFSP

 

IFSP is a world-wide Federation, recognised as a subgroup of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT), representing national organizations of Sports Physiotherapy. The efforts of IFSP are directed towards Member Organizations and their individual members in serving athletes of all ages and abilities through excellence in education, research, practice, and clinical specialisation. The intention of the IFSP is to be the international resource for Sports Physiotherapists all over the world.

Register Now for World Physical Therapy 2011 in Amsterdam!

Advance Registration Closes on May 20th, so hurry!  

With just three weeks to go until advance registration ends, this is your last opportunity to register at a discounted rate. Don't miss WCPT's Congress and joing over 4,000 physical therapists who have already registered. 

 

WCPT

Here are helpful links to assist in your Congress planning!

 

Congress Planner 

 

Consider arriving the day before the start of the conference to attend the WCPT's 60th anniversary

Gala Dinner!

 

 

IFSP's President Laetitia Dekker-Bakker has been nominated for a special award to be presented at this event. 

Gala Dinner Reservations  

 

Join your IFSP colleagues on an evening houseboat cruise, including dinner!

See the message from the President in this issue or email Laetitia Dekker. 

 

Scientific Programme  

 

Satellite Programme 

 


IFSP Hotel Room Block 

 

Hotel information:

Grand Hotel Amstelveen

Bovenkerkerweg 81

1187 XC  AMSTELVEEN

T: 0031 20 6455558

F: 0031 87 7847756

E: [email protected] 

 

Price per room/night including breakfast: Monday to Thursday: 110 Euros

Friday to Saturday or Sunday: 95 Euros

 

There is an option on 25 rooms for the IFSP membership for 18-24 June.

 

Make reservations via email to the attention of Ms. Judith Wittink, Assistant Manager. Rooms not reserved by May 16 will be released for the use of other guests. Use booking code GHA-GF7170.  

IFSP Meetings at

WCPT Congress

 

Monday 20-6

12.00-17.00

IFSP General Meeting

 

Tuesday 21-6

13.00-5.00

IFSP Registration Meeting

15.30-16.30

IFSP Committee

Members Meeting

 

Meeting Spreadsheet 

Quick Links...

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Help your colleagues stay connected to the IFSP! Forward this publication to them via e-mail and encourage them to register to receive our quarterly e-magazine. Signing up takes only a few moments!

Would you like to know what is happening around the world in Sports Physiotherapy?

 

It's simple...just connect to the IFSP website and click the tab marked Agenda. 


Welcome to the May 2011 IFSP Newsletter! We're looking forward to another year of growth...and an exciting year it will be.

In this issue, we feature some important information regarding progress on the Registration Board from Nicola Phillips, the IFSP Registration Board Chair. You may also read about an IFSP colleague, Dr. Yukio Urabe, who volunteered to help those who lost their homes in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March.

A reminder: WCPT's World Physical Therapy 2011 will be held June 20-23 in Amsterdam. The IFSP has planned a full agenda of meetings, sessions, clinic visits and social opportunities for attendees. Details, as well as some helpful links, are included in this newsletter.

Watch for another newsletter before WCPT with late-breaking details about Congress events...you can also check the IFSP website for WCPT information. The IFSP website is in progress of being thoroughly updated, so check back frequently for new information!

Please let us know if you have any suggestions...you can simply respond to this email.

 

IFSP Registration Board Update 

 

By Nicola Phillips, IFSPT Registration Board Chair, U.K.

 

In July 2010, the first registration meeting was held among the interim Registration Board. This process allowed peer review and assessment of submissions from countries that were aiming to achieve IFSP recognition of their national professional development pathways towards specialty recognition in sports physiotherapy.

 

At that meeting, formal approval was given to the Sports Physiotherapy Specialty routes in Australia, UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. The process in New Zealand was also approved pending government recognition in that country, which will hopefully take place in the very near future. There are also a number of countries ready for registration, as well as a several others with existing pathways that may be close to submission.

 

This was a major step in the direction of achieving an international accreditation process for sports physiotherapists. Since then, a further meeting has taken place to discuss how this process can be developed and formalised, with the following decisions made:

 

Registration Board membership:

  • Representation from each WCPT/IFSP region
  • Individual academic expertise in specialist assessment
  • Individual clinical expertise in specialist assessment
  • Term of office would generally be four years following invitation, when place will be reviewed. Re-invitations are possible.
  • Board sits separate to committee structure within IFSP
  • One EB member should be on Registration Board

Accreditation process

Accreditation of national programmes

Applications from member countries would be seen as a peer review process and assessed using set criteria:

  1. Entry level to the profession at a minimum of graduate level (BSc)
  2. Specialist recognition at a minimum of Masters level
  3. The scope of practice of sports physiotherapy must be in line with IFSP competencies
  4. Clearly defined assessment criteria and processes
  5. A national database detailing levels of accreditation/specialty recognition
  6. Quality assurance of assessment process
  7. A procedure for auditing Continuous Professional Development

Once national accreditation is achieved, members of those national organisations will be considered as internationally-recognised sports physiotherapists or sports physical therapists once they have completed their own country's specialty requirements. There will be an additional charge to individuals who wish to receive a certificate of accreditation from IFSP, and remain on its database because of administration costs. The exact cost will be decided in the coming months.

 

Individual accreditation

This process is still in an earlier stage of development and will only be open to individuals NOT from countries which already have an IFSP- recognised national programme. A minimum MSc level will be expected and there will be a portfolio review and/or an examination component to establish clinical expertise. It is still undecided how this will work in practical terms, as it is obviously quite complex to co-ordinate internationally.

 

Short course approval

The Registration Board will also be able to accredit or approve short courses developed in different member countries. These would usually be clinically-oriented courses which would be mapped to IFSP competencies. An application form has already been developed to facilitate this, and it is expected that this process will start to roll out if the system is approved at the General Meeting in June.

 

The application form provides details of the course title, aims and learning outcomes, which language(s) it can be delivered in, the level of practitioner it is aimed at, number of days, any assessment details and any course documentation. Details of costs would be provided and learning outcomes would be expected to be mapped to IFSP competencies. There will be a cost to the review process, which is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be in the region of the delegate fee for one person, as a broad estimate. Reviewers would also be interested as to whether the course could be delivered in other countries or whether the delegates would need to travel to a specific location, as well as any courses that might be internet-based or accessible to distance learners.

 

This development is expected to provide a significant benefit to members. All IFSP members would receive membership discounts for these courses.

 

MSc programme approval

IFSP approval of MSc courses is also seen as a potential benefit to members as well as a marketing opportunity for those institutions delivering the programmes. The approval process will follow similar lines to that of the short courses. The end result will be that IFSP members will have a clearer idea which portions of the IFSP competencies each programme delivers to help develop their individual learning and profession development plans. As detailed in the IFSP accreditation process, no single course can lead to becoming a specialist, as experiential learning over a number of years is also needed. However, the approved MSc programmes will be in a position to show that the content fulfills a significant part of the IFSP accreditation requirements. There will, again, be a cost to this approval process relative to the registration fee at that institution.

 

As you can see, there is a lot happening and in the coming year many of these plans are expected to be implemented throughout IFSP membership. However, in order to be succsessful, it will require all member countries to participate by sending in applications for course approval so that as wide a range of opportunities as possible can be disseminated through our expanding website.


From the President

 Gracht

 

Dear colleagues,

 

Advance registration deadlines are fast approaching for the WCPT Congress in Amsterdam! I don't want any of you to miss the educational, networking and social opportunities at this Congress. 

 

Besides the interesting IFSP meetings and the WCPT scientific programme, the EB of IFSP intends to offer you a unique opportunity to meet with other (sports) physical therapists from all over the world!

 

That is why I have worked with NVFS, our Dutch Hosting Member Organisation, to put together a nice social event on Tuesday evening, 21 June, where the IFSP membership and the Dutch NVFS members, may network and meet in a typical Dutch environment: a nice Candlelight Canal Boat that will show you the most beautiful sites of Amsterdam from "the water point of view".

 

If you are interested to join, please let me know by filling out the attached document. The total costs including a nice buffet and a boat trip of 2� hours will be 75 Euros. The maximum number of guests is 40. The minimum number required is 25.   

 

The departure will be on Tuesday 21 June, from the RAI (back side) at 20.30 hours. You will return there as well at 23.00 hours.

The departure will be right away after the subgroup reception that will end by 20.00 hours.

 

I would be honoured to meet all of you on this boat and meanwhile show you the beautiful Amsterdam 'Grachten'.

 

With cordial regards,

Laetitia Dekker

President of IFSP

Don't Forget to Complete your Subscription to the IJSPT 

IJSPT graphics 

Have you, or or has your member country, selected the subscription option that is best for you? If not, contact your Journal Liaison today and don't miss another issue of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy!

 

Three subscription options are available to IFSP member organizations for participation in the IJSPT project. Please take an active role in supporting our partnership with the Sports Physical Therapy Section and the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

 

Option 1: Membership Benefit Subscription Plan

The IFSP Member Organization financially underwrites the cost of IJSPT subscriptions for its entire membership or is willing to include the cost of the IJSPT subscription as a mandatory part of their annual dues structure.

 

Option 2: Membership Option Subscription Plan

The Member Organization will collect subscription fees as part of their annual dues process, with subscribing to IJSPT as an optional transaction.

 

Option 3: Membership Promotion Subscription Plan

The Member Organization will promote IJSPT to its membership through print and on-line publications. Subscriptions will be processed directly between the individual member and IJSPT through the Journal website. IFSP members may choose this option at any time.

 

For more information about the IJSPT, go to the Journal website

 

Support our journal and our organization! Once your organization has chosen which option it will offer to your members, contact your Journal Liaison, or Mark De Carlo.


IFSP Member Volunteers to Work in Japanese
Devastation after Earthquake and Tsunami 

 neighborhood 

 

Dr. Yukio Urabe, a professor at Hiroshima University, spend nine days in the devastated Miyagi prefecture helping victims of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in March. He was kind enough to file this report to share with his colleagues throughout IFSP. 

 

I was privileged to be a medical team volunteer with JPTA and other organizations' staff in Sendai City, Japan from 15 to 24 April. The area was attacked by the massive earthquake and tsunami 11 Mar 2011. Sendai is contained in the Miyagi prefecture, which is a neighboring prefecture to the damaged nuclear power plant in the Fukushima prefecture.

 

Over 14 thousand people have died, over 14 thousand people are still missing and over 140 thousand people are living in a place of refuge. I have included a photograph of just one of the damaged streets in the city. Many people have lost their homes and they have been unavoidably forced into unpleasant, crowded and inconvenient daily living.

 

Our team visited two places of refuge, each with a capacity of 300 to 400 people. We worked with residents there who were injured or had had insufficient physical exercise to help restore normal movement. We also arranged their living space and environment to improve ergonomic function. The Japanese style futon, which is placed on the floor, is not comfortable for older people. So, we built the beds, tables and chairs necessary to keep people comfortable and functional.

 

Many people will continue in this inconvenient type of living for some time. While there, we saw the physical condition of the people improve every few days.

 

Sendai city is now in a good season for cherry blossom flowers, as you can see from my photograph.

 

Cherry Blossoms 

 

I wish for an early recovery to the city's function and peoples' hearts.

 

Yukio Urabe, PT, PhD  

from JSPS     

 

Yukio_Mario

Dr. Yukio Urabe, far left is shown with some of his colleagues in January of 2011 in Japan. At center is Mario Bizzini, IFSP Board Member.