Physio grads push to bypass oft-delayed final test

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This article was published 13/05/2021 (1747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Following a year of repeated exam delays, physiotherapist graduates from the University of Manitoba want their final test requirement to become licensed waived, as demand for their expertise rises amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not unlike other health-care fields, physiotherapists must pass a competency test — which includes a written and clinical component — to start practising without supervision in Manitoba.

Members of the class of 2020 have completed the first element, but 53 students have been in limbo, waiting to take the latter, which is typically an in-person and hands-on assessment, because of pandemic restrictions.

“It’s been incredibly stressful. Prior to each cancellation, I studied for more than 25 hours a week, and I was also taking a prep course,” says one recent graduate, who has been affected by three different cancellations, and agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity.

“Studying for this exam is known to be a pretty all-consuming process. Graduates typically go through this process once — not three, four, five times.”

Exam preparation requires memorizing hundreds of pages of content that covers cardio-respiratory, neurological, and musculoskeletal areas of practice, even though most practitioners specialize in one area when they enter the workforce, said the graduate.

The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators has postponed the exam four times since the initial cancellation in March 2020. Two months ago, when the alliance tried to play host to the clinical exam on a virtual platform, widespread technical errors led to cancellations.

The national physiotherapy association called for the suspension of the exam requirement and an immediate return of related fees — approximately $1,800 each — in the wake of the glitches.

“Some of these exam candidates will have been out of school for over a year, and we know that it becomes increasingly more difficult to pass an exam when you are far removed from all of that information,” said Anna DiMarco, president-elect of the Manitoba Physiotherapy Association, which endorses the national stance.

DiMarco said the association wants a solution to be reached sooner rather than later to license new graduates, especially given the fact long-hauler symptoms of COVID-19 and surgery cancellations over the last year have resulted in increased demand for physio care.

Not only is the inability to take the exam limiting upskilling opportunities for the class of 2020, but it is creating a licensing backlog in a field where there is an existing shortage of practitioners, said another recent graduate of U of M’s masters of physiotherapy program.

“At this point, cancellation is in the best interest of everybody,” said the graduate, adding it has been “emotionally exhausting” juggling constant studies and work (under supervision).

Graduates are given three opportunities to pass the clinical exam within a two-year period, after the written component is complete.

The time limit has been suspended to ensure no graduates lose their licence because of pandemic disruptions, according to the registrar and executive director of the licensing body in Manitoba.

“We’re sympathetic to the new grads,” said Brenda McKechnie of the College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba. “We’re all suffering in different ways from the effects of COVID.”

McKechnie said it is not possible to license the class of 2020 without exam results because of provincial legislation.

The Manitoba Physiotherapy Association, however, claims a change in legislation would not be required to waive the requirement. The laws allow the licensing body to make changes regarding “extenuating circumstances,” and make do with the written component, DiMarco said.

The next clinical exam is expected to be rescheduled for U of M students, along with thousands of other recent graduates in Canada, in late summer or early fall.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie