Together to Create a New Standard for Physiotherapy in Canada: An Overview and Update on the PEP Project

Overview:

Pain is a major problem for millions of Canadians and a primary reason for physiotherapy (PT) consultation. Yet, many graduating physiotherapists feel unprepared to care for patients suffering from pain.

The Pain Education in Physiotherapy (PEP) project is a national initiative that aims to address this challenge by working with PT stakeholders from across the country to improve entry-level training in pain management. This project brings together PT pain educators and directors from each of the 15 Canadian PT programs, as well as representatives of PT students, recent PT graduates, and Canadians living with pain.

This presentation aims to provide an overview of our work together over the past seven years, as well as our plans for the future. This includes a discussion of previous achievements, such as the development of stakeholder consensus on the urgent need for improved PT pain education, high-level strategic priorities for action, and a national competency profile for entry-level PT pain management.

We will also discuss our ongoing preparations for rolling out the first national assessment of PT pain management competencies in Canada. Following the presentation, audience members will be invited join the discussion and ask any questions they may have about this project.

Speakers: Tim Wideman and Nathan Augeard

Timothy H. Wideman – Associate Professor McGill University

B.Sc. (PT), McGill University; PhD Experimental Psychology, McGill University; Postdoctoral Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University

The overarching goal of Dr. Wideman’s research is to improve care for people living with pain. He approaches this goal by advancing research related to the following three themes:

• Theme 1: Understanding and targeting biopsychosocial risk factors for prolonged pain and disability.
• Theme 2: Improving entry-level pain education for health professionals through large-scale knowledge translation initiatives
• Theme 3: Developing person-centred approaches to pain assessment and management that help validate and support people living with pain.

Nathan Augeard – Physiotherapist & Founder of Physio Connection

Physiotherapist & Founder of Physio Connection. PhD Student at McGill University

Nathan come from Belgium and moved to Montreal in 2019 to start his PhD at McGill University, with the aim to improve how physiotherapy students learn about pain management across Canada. He is also the proud founder of Physio Connection. When he is not busy working, you will probably find him cycling, baking sweet treats, or rock-climbing.

He is a registered physiotherapist in Quebec and helps people with long-term and complex pain. His experience in sports really helps him adapt his treatment plans to match patients needs and build up towards your goals.