I'm assuming you're not from the US (given your UN), but I think it's particularly concerning, given that public service loan forgiveness will no longer exist, and the general proposed cuts to education. I just feel like the environment is unstable with our current presidential adminstration, and healthcare/education could be in a bad spot in 10 years.
US
This is just another drop in the bucket steadily overflowing that is leading to an unsustainable system though.
I'm assuming that this will make the administration a heavy amount of money, and when the students will be forced to fend for themselves when they can't find repayment options coupled with the demographic in power wanting to increasingly cut healthcare costs in the future, it doesn't work systematically.
I can't tell if the professional associations know what's going on, and what they are creating for the future. All of this degree inflation seems to be to match what MDs did decades ago largely due to science increasing, supply and demand restriction and screen out for intelligent students to work in healthcare, however, now it is just unnecessary.....med schools are now downsizing the timelength because it is completely unsustainable.
We need to return to apprenticeships. Stop increasing "education timelengths"
Simply have a prerequisite curriculum or content specific to the field of two years like an associates, with a proposed credit count to screen if students can handle heavy coursework which increases in intensity....that will reflect in gpa. Provide an examination like the gre and a personal statement as well and factor that in with interview skills.
There doesn't need to be a bachelors degree requirement. Others can matriculate in after a bachelors degree as a career change if they want to change fields later.
Then, create two year, yearround curriculums to matriculate into with two week breaks in between each semester that follows disbursement of federal funding from the government.
Sit for boards and work under a temporary license for a salary that allows you to pay off accumulated debt for the preboards portion as your apprenticeship.
Heck OT coursework isn't even long enough to be two years. That's not to be rude....it just isnt. Medical coursework is actually about 19 months. You need the foundational sciences and then the ability to think critically with a behavior to adapt scientific inquiry to application for patients.
You could have maybe a 1.5 year curriculum. Take OT boards, then match to a hospital on an apprentice license in january, paid a salary. Work underneath a clinician, pay off NECESSARY loans, which is not what schools are charging by the way.....it's well above all inflation....which is why it needs to be capped.......and if there is more content to work with and study while completing paid clinicals, then do so at the end of the apprenticeship with a full boards licensure exam. You can study at night after working during the day.
I am ASTOUNDED leadership isn't doing this for ALL health professions. Rehab, dentistry, pharmacy, medical. We don't need inflationary degrees. We need a base knowledge set for safety that is cost effective, then supervised apprenticeship with patient cases, and then full licensure and employment....all the while, living on a stipend that will allow debt payoff that makes the full system work.
I'm also under the belief that OT and PT shouldn't be separate professional designations. It should all be just physiotherapy.....with subspecialization to patient populations and environments occurring during an apprenticeship postgrad.
