The Realities of Türkiye's Higher Education in the Path of Physiotherapy Profession: Rapid Growth and Abrupt Decline in the Last Two Decades

Physiotherapy rehabilitation education has undergone significant development both globally and nationally in recent years. With the adoption of an applied and clinical sciences framework in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education, the role of educators has become crucial in shaping the pathways of graduates. Given the increasing demand for physiotherapy, the number of physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs in T & uuml;rkiye has risen. This expansion has offered students more choices and created a competitive environment like other countries. However, it has also raised some questions. The primary aim of this study is to examine the changes in the number of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Departments that have increased rapidly over the last 20 years. The second objective is to conduct a comparative analysis of public and foundation universities in T & uuml;rkiye. All data were sourced from the Council of Higher Education (Y & Ouml;K) Atlas (June, 2023) using the Python 3.11 program. From 2003 to 2023, the number of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Departments increased from 6 to 94. Although the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) success rank varies across universities, at Hacettepe University-the oldest university in the field of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation-it decreased from 9,710 in 2006 to 102,847 in 2023. The data obtained indicate that the total number of students continuing their education in the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation for the academic year 2022-2023 is 25116, and the number of academic staff is 982. Non-profit foundation universities have statistically fewer associate professors and a lower number of students and students per academic staff compared to public universities, while they have a higher number of professors. In conclusion, a comprehensive examination of the effects of the rapid increase in the number of universities providing physiotherapy and rehabilitation education in T & uuml;rkiye, along with the dramatic decrease in the YKS success ranking, as well as understanding the current number of students and academicians, may be important for structuring the professional future and planning employment areas.