Physiotherapy

Courses of study

There is a wide range of courses offered in the discipline of physiotherapy:

• Two physiotherapy professional undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) pass and honours degrees. Both degrees are offered on a full-time basis over four years.

• A two-year Master of Physiotherapy course provides an alternative professional pathway for students who hold a bachelor€™s degree in a related discipline such as human movement to acquire the knowledge and skills to be registered as a beginning practitioner physiotherapist. See Chapter 16 for further information on the graduate entry program.

• The research programs at master's and doctoral levels provide an opportunity for research and scholarship in specific areas of physiotherapy. Current research projects include the investigation of musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiopulmonary physiotherapy and physiotherapy management after breast cancer surgery. Chapter 19 has information on the research degrees offered by the faculty.

Professional information

Physiotherapy is a health profession which deals with the prevention, assessment and treatment of human movement disorders. Physiotherapy services are used in a wide variety of areas such as health care organisations, private practices, schools and community, sports and workplace settings. The physiotherapy profession is committed to continued research into its fundamental concepts and activities and the evaluation of physiotherapy services to ensure the optimum quality of care for the community it serves. The profession is also committed to effective communication with members of the health team, the community at large and the continuing education of its graduates.

The Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) course and the Master of Physiotherapy courses are regularly reviewed to ensure that each of the physiotherapy competencies formulated by the physiotherapy profession in Australia are addressed in the curriculum. Reference to specific competencies is made in statements of unit aims and objectives in student manuals and other materials.

The Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) course and the graduate-entry program of Master of Physiotherapy are accredited with the Australian Physiotherapy Council.

In common with other disciplines at the University of Sydney, all the professional programs in physiotherapy are developed to promote students development of generic as well as discipline-specific knowledge and skills. Generic skills, such as communication and teamwork, are necessary attributes of all graduates of higher education in this age of change. Graduates of the physiotherapy courses possess high capability for working in many different settings to promote health and facilitate rehabilitation. Clinical practicum venues include generalist and specialist settings in city and rural regions, and in institutional, school, industrial and community contexts.

Further information

T: +61 2 9351 9161
sydney.edu.au/health_sciences

Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy)

The current undergraduate programs require four years of full-time study. The Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) pass and honours degrees aim to equip students with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to work effectively as members of the physiotherapy profession.

Graduates of the full-time programs are eligible to apply for registration as physiotherapists with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia. All graduates must meet the requirements of the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, including the English language skills requirements. These requirements at time of writing are a minimum of 7.0 (in all four components) in the IELTS test to qualify if they did not complete their secondary studies in English in one of the approved countries. Please refer to:
www.physiotherapyboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards.aspx for up-to-date information concerning English proficiency requirements for registration eligibility.

Admission requirements

There are no formal prerequisites for admission to the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) programs. As most students will be interacting with computers during their program, experience in the use of computers would be an advantage. Assumed knowledge includes mathematics, physics and chemistry at HSC level. Students who have not completed these studies recently are advised to consider attending one or more of the pre-semester bridging programs offered by the University of Sydney. Please refer to the general admission requirements and the section on bridging courses, both in Chapter 1. Information on bridging courses offered at the Faculty of Health Sciences campus at Lidcombe is available online at:
sydney.edu.au/health_sciences/future_students/
undergraduate/bridging
while bridging courses offered at the Camperdown campus are found at:
science.usyd.edu.au/fstudent/undergrad/entry/bridging.shtml.

The profession of physiotherapy is physically demanding and requires for its practice the development of a range of precise physical skills. Prospective students should be aware that they will be expected to carry out and have carried out upon themselves as simulated patients, all the examination and treatment procedures used by physiotherapists. Such practical classes may involve partial disrobing. Participation in these classes is a requirement of the program.

Any prospective student who thinks that he/she may have a consideration, condition or disability which may interfere with the development or practice of physical skills or with participation in clinical education should consult the course coordinator before commencing the program.

Honours

The following information is specific to the physiotherapy honours program. Entry to the honours program is competitive and requires completion of the first two and a half years of the undergraduate physiotherapy course with a credit or higher average without any failed grades.

An honours degree is awarded after satisfactory completion of all coursework and a dissertation during the fourth year of the course. There is no re-examination for the honours units of study.

Students who fail to meet this criterion in the honours program will be required to discontinue that program. They may be re-absorbed into the pass program provided they meet the criteria for retention and progression in this course. See Table 5.1.1 for the honours program course outlines.

For further information specific to the physiotherapy honours program, students are advised to contact the Honours Program Coordinator, Associate Professor Jack Crosbie, on telephone +61 2 9351 9180.

In order for honours students to have adequate time to pursue their research studies, modifications have been made to the pass program for these students. Modifications include: unit exemptions and additions (as outlined below).

In Semester 2 of Year 4, 2011 honours students will be required to enrol in:

• PHTY4101 Honours Research Dissertation, and
• PHTY4096 Physiotherapy in Childhood.

In addition they will be required to select three of the following four units of study:

• PHTY4097 Physiotherapy in the Workplace
• PHTY4098 Physiotherapy in Recreation
• PHTY4099 Physiotherapy in the Community
• PHTY4100 Physiotherapy for Older People.

Exemption: PHTY4109 Elective Studies

Clinical education

Information about clinical education is provided at: sydney.edu.au/health_sciences/future_students/undergraduate

Course outline

The course outlines for the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) at both pass and honours levels are presented in Tables 5.1, 5.1.1, 5.2 and 5.2.1.

Note: Students will normally complete all units listed in the sequence in which they appear in the faculty handbook. Permission to alter this sequence must be obtained from the course director. Non-standard students who are completing units from more than one year of the program are required to seek permission to enrol in particular units from the designated academic program adviser. This will ensure that students€™ programs are not severely hampered by an inappropriate or unmanageable combination of units. Attendance at all lectures and tutorials is expected for all units. Students entering the program are required to complete all first year units within two years and all first and second year units within four years.

Table 5.1: Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) Pass

Table 5.1.1: Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) Honours

Table 5.2: Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) Pass

Table 5.2.1: Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) Honours

Course rules