Abstract
Purpose : The primary objective of this study was to examine the status of continuing education, and to identify the current state and employment status of these physical therapists. Moreover, the study also aimed to provide basic data for establishing improvement measures in various continuing education programs to enhance the quality of physical therapists, thereby providing high quality service to patients and contributing to the increasing productivity of hospitals. Method : The present study analyzed the basic data obtained from KPTA regarding the 671 physical therapists throughout Korea. Questionnaires were sent by mail to from direct visits were used in the final data analysis. The questionnaire consisted of 45 questions in 3 categories: general characteristics, continuing education. Collected data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Result : Subjects 88 (87.1%) indicated that they continuing education, showing that most had taken continuing education courses. The importance and necessity of continuing education was much higher for those with doctoral degrees than for those who graduated from college, or who possessed bachelors or master's degrees. Conclusion : A necessary follow-up study using these findings would contribute to providing a high quality medical service and to enhancing the quality of physical therapists. Moreover, systematic management of continuing education is necessary to devise comprehensive and effective measures for the development and acquisition of updated skills by health care professionals.
