Introduction

Mobility is fundamental to independence - it's how we navigate our world and participate in life. For many individuals with spinal cord injuries, mastering wheelchair skills has a direct impact on their work, social participation, and community engagement. This course provides healthcare professionals with a clear, structured approach to wheelchair skills training that can be effectively implemented in spinal cord injury rehabilitation settings. Through video demonstrations and discussions, you'll learn essential wheelchair skills that can be adapted depending on your patients' needs, from folding a wheelchair to pushing it forwards and backwards, turning, negotiating steps, and managing transfers to different surfaces.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• describe at least four wheelchair safety and maintenance tips to ensure safety for wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries
• identify at least two standardised wheelchair skills assessment tools that can be used when developing a targeted wheelchair skills programme for individuals with spinal cord injuries
• discuss how to teach at least four essential wheelchair mobility skills and transfer techniques that enable participation in daily occupations including self-care, work, community mobility, and social activities

Target audience

This course is aimed at rehabilitation professionals, students and assistants including but not limited to Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Rehabilitation Doctors, Rehabilitation Nurses, Prosthetists, Orthotists, Psychologists, Audiologists, Dietetics, Social Workers. Community Health Workers, Nurses or Medical Doctors interested in this subject are also invited to participate.

Practicalities

• Availability - this course is online and can be completed on your own schedule.
• Hours of Learning - No deadlines are applied to this course and it can be started and completed in your own time according to your personal schedule. We expect the required elements to take around 1.5-2 hours depending on your schedule and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take longer to complete.
• Types of Activities - This course includes instructional and/or practical videos, reading activities, AI supported learning activities, reflection, evaluation forms, a quiz and additional resources.
• Certificates - At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 1.7 Plus points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard.

Instructor financial and non-financial disclosures

No relevant relationships disclosed by instructor.

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy

Physiopedia Plus is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, sex, disability, military status, sexual orientation or age in any aspect of our continuing education services. We are dedicated to ensuring that all learners can fully participate in our programmes. Participants who require accommodations or have special needs are encouraged to contact us with details so that we can make all reasonable efforts to meet these requirements.