Physiotherapists in high demand across province

Training seats must increase, writes Christine Bradstock.

The national shortage of physiotherapists announced in the Conference Board of Canada’s report earlier this month shows the hard reality of gaps in the health-care system. B.C. is particularly impacted by this shortage, making physiotherapy not a “nice-to-have,” but a “haveto-have” in our health-care system.

One of the greatest needs is on orthopedic surgery waiting lists, with a focus on hip and knee replacements in particular. Currently, B.C. is rated as having one of the longest waiting times for these types of surgery. Physiotherapy can greatly reduce surgery waiting times, ensure patients are stronger heading into surgery to increase recovery time and can even help some patients on those lists not require surgery at all.

Also highlighted in the report was the need for care and services for seniors. By 2036 seniors will make up 25 per cent of the population. Seniors in Canada are generally very active and to stay that way they often rely on physiotherapy. About 624 British Columbians suffered fatal falls in 2011. Preventive physio efforts, pain management and treatments for arthritis are all key areas physiotherapists are concentrating on.

The Primary Health Care Centres recently announced by the B.C. government will bring together teams of health-care professionals to improve services for patients across the province and also increase the demand for physiotherapists. Having been involved in some of the pilot projects for these centres, physiotherapists are highly trained and capable of being able to triage and assist people in healing.

The demand for physio is even greater when adding the impact from the recently remodelled ICBC approach to the care-based model. In addition, there is a continued growth in the use of physiotherapy with WorkSafe B.C.

The answer to this problem is to increase the number of physiotherapists in our system and increase the training seats for physiotherapists within the province. Presently, there are 300 new physiotherapists hired annually in B.C. alone, with most of those positions being filled by internationally trained physiotherapists and only 80 coming from the University of B.C. That doesn’t meet the ever-growing demand of physiotherapists, leaving large gaps in service throughout the province, particularly in the north, the Fraser Health Authority and northern Vancouver Island.

The Physiotherapy Association of B.C. (PABC) is calling for a three-fold increase of training seats to 240 across the province. Every one of those graduate students would have a job walking out of that university, and we’d still be looking for more physiotherapists. The goal is to increase the number of physiotherapists in B.C. to ensure that patients get the access and care they need.

It would be ideal if training could take place in locations around the province. Studies have shown that people stay in the areas they live and train. At PABC we would like to see an expansion of physiotherapists in the public system, working and training in hospitals, long-term care and pediatric-therapy facilities as there are real gaps for British Columbians in that sector.

We are working very closely with UBC as the educator, the College of Physical Therapists of B.C. as the regulatory body, along with the Ministry of Health, to explain our position and the need for expansion, services and training. We have done some very good work with the Ministry of Child and Family Development and with their pediatric-therapy programs on recruitment and retention strategies. It would be wonderful to have a conversation with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training on the need for this expansion.

The value of physiotherapy is very real in our health-care systems. It’s more than a sprained ankle or sore back. Physiotherapists work in cardiorespiratory, emergency rooms, pelvic health, neurological areas, as well as sports clinics and pediatrics. Getting people the support they need means teamwork and capitalizing on each member’s professional strengths to improve the health of people across B.C.

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