Duration: 5 years

The main objective of the program is that the specialized training physician gains broad academic knowledge, skills and experience and can work independently as a specialist in rehabilitation medicine and rehabilitation teams.

Objective

For the content of the curriculum, refer to the section “Curriculum of Studies in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine” in Attachment 1 and the progress report in Attachment 2 in the target description.

Objectives

The main objective of the program is that the specialized training physician gains broad academic knowledge, skills and experience and can work independently as a specialist in rehabilitation medicine and rehabilitation teams.

Furthermore, the special education doctor should adopt professionalism, including critical thinking and self-evaluation regarding his own knowledge, his own work and the need for maintenance training that promotes positive and professional development.

The traditional approach of medicine has mostly been limited to organs, diseases and/or injuries that the ICD is based on. That approach is not sufficient alone.

Rehabilitation practitioners must always take into account the underlying diseases and/or damage and their consequences, as well as psychosocial factors, but the main focus is on the individual’s skills and function. Thus, the approach of rehabilitation medicine is based on a skill-based classification system.

According to this, rehabilitation practitioners must:

• Have theoretical knowledge of the psychological, social and physical foundation of health and the complex interaction of factors that affect the individual’s ability and limits participation and independence of the individual in society.

• Develop skills to share relevant information and have good and constructive communication with the patient, family members, treatment teams and other staff. The goal is that everyone must be in sync in that approach and that the needs and expectations of the patient are the first priority.

• Apply an individualized clinical approach with emphasis on evaluation, planning and education in close cooperation with teams

The specialist trainee must acquire critical knowledge and have knowledge of quality and scientific work.

Two Icelandic rehabilitation institutions have fulfilled the requirements to support the training of rehabilitation doctors; the rehabilitation department of Landspítali in Grensás and Reykjalund rehabilitation center of SÍBS.

Teaching structure

Specialist training in rehabilitation medicine is a minimum of five years. The majority of the training is expected to take place in rehabilitation wards, with a smaller portion in other specialties relevant to the programme, in consultation with the programme director and training committee, in line with the curriculum.

Rehabilitation units

The special education doctor should receive the widest possible variety of work in rehabilitation units in Iceland (Grensásdeild and Reykjalundur) and/or abroad. A special education doctor who takes a significant part of special education in Iceland would need to be at least one year in each institution.

He/she is intended to meet certain educational goals and the special education physician must keep a detailed progress record of the special educational project, the education he/she participates in or otherwise dedicates to, clinical trials/tests/evaluation processes, as well as his/her progress in terms of experience and knowledge (clinical and academic), in accordance with the progress record of the goal description.