Micro-credential in Exercise Prescription in Musculoskeletal and Cardiorespiratory Conditions

This Micro-credential course has been designed to equip fourth-year Physiotherapy students with advanced competencies in movement and physical fitness assessment, as well as in the prescription, implementation and monitoring of exercise-based therapeutic interventions. The training focuses on addressing the specific needs of individuals with musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory conditions across the lifespan, following an integrated, person-centred approach grounded in scientific evidence.
The knowledge, skills and attitudes to be developed are aligned with the competence framework “Assessment of physical fitness and exercise prescription by physiotherapists”, published by the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists in 2020. The course aims to deepen students’ understanding of the principles underlying functional assessment, the selection of training parameters, the design of individualised programmes and the continuous monitoring of clinically relevant outcomes.
Supported by a structured clinical reasoning process, the physiotherapist is recognised as a specialist of the human movement system, taking into account the interaction between body structures and functions, activities and participation, as well as personal and environmental factors. In this context, exercise prescription is regarded as a central therapeutic tool, integrating in-depth knowledge of risk factors, injury mechanisms and the pathophysiology of multiple health conditions with technical and scientific expertise in movement therapy.
This Micro-credential course therefore seeks to promote the development of enhanced competencies in exercise prescription for people with musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory conditions, preparing future physiotherapists for safer, more effective and more specialised clinical practice.

Students in the 4th year of the degree course in Physiotherapy of the Coimbra Health School (ESTeSC-IPC), as well as holders of the degree in Physiotherapy who are students of the Master’s course taught by ESTeSC-IPC, can apply for this Micro-credential.

Portuguese