Manual Therapy (MT)

"Manual Therapy (MT) is an teaching group under the Section of Health Sciences.

The Teaching Group is responsible for the Clinical Master’s Programme in Manual Therapy for Physiotherapists – MFMT (Master’s degree). The Head of the Teaching Group is Nina-Margrethe Theodorsen.

The Teaching Group for Manual Therapy (MT) is part of the academic field of Health Sciences at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen. The group consists of three academic staff members.

The group’s primary responsibility is to run the Clinical Master’s Programme in Manual Therapy for Physiotherapists. This master’s programme leads to the degree Master of Health Sciences, Clinical Master’s Programme in Manual Therapy, in which physiotherapists are specialised in examining and treating patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system and are entitled to use the professional title Manual Therapist. The programme also provides competencies that grant manual therapists rights equivalent to those of physicians for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. These rights include, when necessary, the authority to certify sick leave, refer patients to medical specialists, and request diagnostic imaging such as X-ray or MRI.

The programme aims to ensure that manual therapists possess the knowledge, attitudes, and skills required of a primary contact practitioner responsible for patients with musculoskeletal disorders, enabling safe and professionally sound practice. The programme further develops the physiotherapist’s foundation for critical analytical thinking and professional development based on scientific and methodological principles. The programme is practice-oriented, and students are required to complete a minimum of 1,500 authentic patient consultations in primary health care settings at established clinics, under the supervision of university-approved supervisors.

The programme also provides a foundation for further research and PhD studies, both nationally and internationally. The programme is accredited by the International Federation for Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (IFOMPT) and therefore qualifies graduates to work as manual therapists internationally.

Head of the Teaching Group: Nina-Margrethe Theodorsen