# Neurological rehabilitation, Blended Intensive program has started

> The joint Blended Intensive Program (BIP) for neurological rehabilitation, involving universities from Finland, the Czech Republic, and Greece, has officially commenced.

## Program Overview
The joint Blended Intensive Program (BIP) for neurological rehabilitation started on December 8, 2022. Three universities are involved in the planning and implementation of the study course: 
* Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland
* Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Czech Republic
* University of Thessaly, Greece

Together, they have created a 3 ECTS course in English, which is being implemented as a virtual meeting followed by one week of contact teaching in Kuopio in February 2023. The goals, content, learning assignments, and an online learning platform on Moodle have been established for the course.

## Participation and Virtual Kick-off
More than 30 physiotherapy students and teachers are participating in the course. The main aim of the virtual meeting held on December 8, 2022, was to introduce the BIP course to the students, facilitate introductions, describe the upcoming program in Kuopio, and assign pre-course work. Following the meeting, students gained access to the Moodle platform to begin their individual and group learning assignments.

## Course Themes
In the course, neurological rehabilitation is studied from various perspectives. Students work in groups to familiarize themselves with the following themes:
* Stroke and rehabilitation
* Multiple sclerosis and rehabilitation
* Parkinson’s disease and rehabilitation
* Children with neurological disorders and rehabilitation
* Spinal cord injury and rehabilitation
* Virtual reality and exergames in the rehabilitation of neurological patients

During the upcoming contact week, the course will offer students lectures, visits, group work, and a social program to deepen their knowledge of neurological rehabilitation and foster collaboration.

## Writers
* **Dr. Marja Äijö, Ph.D.**, Principal lecturer of gerontology and rehabilitation, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, Finland
* **Dr. Kamila Řasová, Ph.D.**, Associative professor of Physiotherapy, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Czech Republic
* **Dr. Thomas Besios**, Assistant Professor, Department School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Greece