Dynamic social, technological and legal changes pose new challenges to the public trust professions. Hence the great role of professional self-governments in effectively representing individual members and the entire environment. The youngest - right after the professional self-government of paramedics - is the National Chamber of Physiotherapists, which brings together about 82,000 specialists in the profession.
Public trust professions
Physiotherapists: what does the premium give?
Published Feb. 4, 2025 06:32
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The activities of the National Council of Physiotherapists began in early February 2017, a year after the Law on the Profession of Physiotherapist came into force. It was the culmination of years of struggle by Polish physiotherapists for professional self-government and recognition of the profession as a medical profession of public trust.
National Register of Physiotherapists
Today, in order to work as a physiotherapist, one must obtain a license to practice this profession granted by the National Council of Physiotherapists, which allows one to use the - legally protected - professional title "physiotherapist." And if someone promotes his business as a physiotherapist, this can be verified by checking whether he is listed in the National Register of Physiotherapists.
Benefits of the premium paid
The physiotherapists' self-government, as part of the fee paid, offers legal services for all chamber members. These include prompt, comprehensive and free advice, both on professional and other medical matters.
The profession of a physiotherapist - like other medical professions - involves a high risk of harm, and thus an obligation to have liability insurance coverage. Those who are not in arrears with their premiums can join the group insurance negotiated by the KIF as part of the premium paid, at no extra charge (logging.kif.info.pl). Nearly 11,000 people have already taken advantage of it. - The application for such insurance is very simple. It is filled out in 2 minutes. In addition, there is a 20% discount in PZU on auto liability, AC of the apartment, house, tourist trip, " lists Tomasz Dybek, president of the National Council of Physiotherapists.
Education and development
The FIZJO-LEARNING project, at the heart of which is the Fizja educational platform with free access to numerous training courses - online and onsite in the fields of orthopedic, neurological, pediatric, cardiovascular, pulmonological, urogynecological, oncological and non-didactic physiotherapy, offers free development of competencies and acquisition of new knowledge(https://fizja.pl). The health ministry has subsidized the project. - We have already done 902 trainings and trained 16,000 physiotherapists. 84 workshops were held in the regions," calculates Tomasz Dybek. A form of support is Grand Junior - dedicated to young scientists in the field of physiotherapy, who can apply for funding of 20-40 thousand zlotys for their scientific work up to 5 years after graduation.
- We have passed three departmental inspections in an exemplary manner and and the Minister of Health and positively evaluates our next application for training.
Benefits for Chamber members
The local government also offers sports cards that allow the use of thousands of sports venues nationwide on preferential terms negotiated by the KIF ( https://kif.info.pl/nowa-lepsza-oferta-kart-sportowych-dla-czlonkow-kif/).
You can also use a free medical record application, according to the guidelines. It is also possible to set up your practice's business card for free on the physiotherapist search engine https://znajdzfizjoterapeute.pl/.
The self-government provides an e-library with scientific publications and guidelines, as well as an online version of the Bulletin of the National Board of Physiotherapists.
As a matter of fiscal economy, the Chamber has reduced the premises where regional offices operate and one office location has been abandoned.
