Educating the rehabilitation engineer as a service provider

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Assistive Technology
• Biomedical Engineering Education

Background:

• Significant shortage of qualified rehabilitation engineers exists.
• Need for specialized training programs to meet demand.

Purpose of the Study:

• Review a 12-month masters-level rehabilitation engineering training program.
• Detail curriculum, internship, and educational goals.
• Present outcomes from six years of program operation.

Main Methods:

• Curriculum review including 16 courses and internship.
• Comparison with existing rehabilitation engineering programs.
• Analysis of graduate survey data and program outcomes.

Main Results:

• Program successfully prepares engineers as rehabilitation service providers.
• Educational goals focus on disability, technology, rehabilitation systems, applied skills, and lifelong learning.
• Six years of experience provide valuable insights into program effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The reviewed program effectively addresses the rehabilitation engineering shortage.
• Graduates are prepared to serve diverse customer needs in rehabilitation.
• The program's structure and goals align with industry demands.