Program Overview

In this course, you’ll learn how to prevent, treat and manage physical injuries and assist people of all ages with musculoskeletal and/or chronic health conditions.

Your first year is interprofessional, gaining the skills to work as part of a healthcare team, while learning about the physical, structural and physiological aspects of human form and movement.

You’ll then study musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, cardiorespiratory and neurological sciences; and gerontology, paediatrics, gender health issues and pain management.

Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to select the best treatment option by analysing the research evidence and the individual’s perspective and health environment.

You’ll become proficient in treating acute and chronic conditions and disabilities, providing hands-on treatment, prescriptive exercise and lifestyle advice.

The development of essential ‘soft’ skills is also a part of your learning. These include empathic listening to help accurately diagnose an issue, problem-solving to address clinical obstacles, and reflective practice to critically analyse evidence and monitor the effectiveness of your management strategies.

You’ll develop your practical skills in laboratory classes and complete 1,100 hours in supervised placements in hospitals and community settings, including in rural and remote locations.

In your third and fourth years, you’ll join a peer research group that will, under staff supervision, work to complete (and potentially publish) a small research study.

You’ll graduate with an integrated honours-level qualification, ready to embark on a career as a physiotherapist or continue your studies as a researcher in a field of physiotherapy.

What you'll learn

• Ethically use research-informed / evidence-based physiotherapeutic strategies for individuals and groups across the lifespan
• Competently and confidently apply and lead physiotherapeutic practice in diverse and changing environments and across a range of practice areas for improved healthcare outcomes at individual and/or group level
• Effectively communicate with individuals and groups with diverse cultural, linguistic, ability, or gender perspectives, providing education and advocacy
• Competently and innovatively use digital technologies that enhance healthcare delivery
• Be curious, creative and responsive to emerging evidence and practice change, and engage proactively in lifelong learning
• Demonstrate awareness of and an ability to respond to the national and international healthcare environment and broader healthcare priorities
• Demonstrate cultural capability to improve healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders in interprofessional teams to achieve optimal client/patient outcomes