CanRehab Physiotherapy Cancer and Exercise Rehabilitation

Rationale:

One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. There is convincing evidence that exercise and staying active can significantly enhance the quality of life of those affected by cancer at all stages of the cancer trajectory and may reduce / prevent some cancer treatment toxicities. This course has been designed to enable you to acquire the evidence and current practice on exercising post diagnosis whilst developing the skills to evaluate, risk assess, and provide safe effective and individualised exercises specifically for the cancer population.

Aims:
This course will enable you to apply specialist knowledge to assess and design safe and effective exercises for cancer patients and survivors. In addition, it will provide you with practical assessment tools to improve and expand your service provision.

Learning Outcomes:

A successful student will have acquired the following:
Knowledge and Understanding:

1. Principles of exercise physiology and exercise prescription.
2. The physiology and pathology of cancer
3. Cancer treatments and management pathways – surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted biological therapies.
4. Symptom management of the side effects of these cancer treatments and how these can influence the safety and ability to exercise
5. The evidence that exercise can reduce side effects of cancer treatments, improve morbidity and outcomes after cancer treatments
6. Motivational techniques involved in behavioural change for the cancer patient/client.
7. How to establish a safe and stimulating activity environment sensitive to the physical and psychological, confidentially needs of patients/clients with cancer
8. How to assess, interpret and record a client’s baseline parameters based on their physical and psychological parameters related to their cancer
9. Individual risk stratification using recognised guidelines
10. Begin to understand design of an individualised exercise programme
11. How to determine which parameters to be monitored during the exercise prescription order to assess effectiveness and if necessary, modify or offer alternative exercises
12. How to prepare and undertake appropriate ongoing screening in order to detect a change in their condition; what to look out for during exercise

Intellectual Qualities
1. Critically reflect upon and examine the different modes of exercise prescription for people affected by cancer
2. Independent and creative thought in application of different models of exercise and support in cancer services and your workplace

Professional / Practical Skills
1. Synthesise and develop individualised safe and effective exercises to enhance the quality of life of people affected by cancer.
2. Recognise limitations and barriers to compliance to exercise in individuals with a cancer diagnosis.
3. Understand contra-indications, risk evaluation processes and functional assessments to develop individualised exercise programmes based on clinical judgement and advanced reasoning

Assessment:
Students will be assessed on all course content by completing a timed 60 question summative MCQ.

Certificate:
On successful completion, a CanRehab Physiotherapy certificate will be available to be downloaded.
Revalidation is a standard way of regularly confirming that you remain up to date and are continuing to practice safely within the CanRehab Cancer Exercise Evidencebased Guidelines. To ensure you are continuing to practice safely within current guidelines, you must revalidate this qualification every three years.