ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT:
This assessment will determine whether you have basic physiotherapy qualifications suitable for further assessment.
If successful, you will be awarded anInterim Certificate, valid for two years.
Fee: AUD 1100.00
Timeframe: approximately 2 weeks
Application: Online and hard copies need to be posted
WRITTEN ASSESSMENT:
Once a candidate has been issued with their Interim Certificate, they will be eligible to apply for the Written Assessment. There are currently four sessions available per year.
Written Assessments are normally held in the first or second week of the chosen month, and usually on a Thursday.
Fee: AUD1900.00
Timeframe: No indication
Application: I will apply for a date through the online dashboard which will be created above for the eligibility assessment.
· Included in the Written Assessment:
The Written Assessment is a multiple choice question examination about patient case scenarios to assess the knowledge, problem solving and decision making skills required for safe and competent practice of physiotherapy in the Australian context.
The multiple choice questions are designed to assess a candidate's ability to use their knowledge of physiotherapy practice to respond to questions about specific scenarios involving a physiotherapist, most are based on situations in a clinical setting. The patient cases are drawn from the areas of cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal and neurological physiotherapy in scenarios that are commonly encountered by novice practitioners in Australia.
The content and format of the Written Assessment includes subject matter related to first practitioner contact, responsibility for decisions regarding patient care, and clinical reasoning required for present day clinical practice in Australia at entry-level standard required by the Australian Standards of Physiotherapy.
The standards applied for the Written Assessment correspond to the Australian Standards for Physiotherapy. We strongly advise candidates carefully study that document before sitting their exam. (attached to the email) (also attached to email is the Written Assessment Information Package to assist in preparation).
· Dates of Written Assessment:
JuneandDecembersessions are held in venuesonly in Australia.
Application deadlines for sessions
Please note that applications to undertake the assessment in the above sessions will close on the following dates:
Session / DeadlineMarch / 1 December (previous year)
June / 1 March
September / 1 June
December / 1 September
· Where are Sessions held:
June and December Sessions (Australian Venues Only)
Australia - Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney
· Scores required to pass your written assessment:
The pass mark for the Written Examination is 55%. If you happen to fall below that mark but are within the 45%-54% percent range, you will be authorised to re-sit the next available exam.
If you receive a mark of 44% and below, you will not be authorised for a re-sit written Examination. Your Interim Certificate will be cancelled and your candidature with the APC will end.
If you receive a mark of 54% and below on your second Written Assessment attempt, your Interim Certificate will be cancelled and your candidature with the Council will end.
CLINICAL ASSESSMENT:
On successful completion of the Written Assessment, you will be eligible to undertake the Clinical Assessment.
The Clinical Assessment is the third and final part of the assessment process. The Clinical Assessment can only be completed in Australia. In the Clinical Assessment you perform as the treating physiotherapist for real patients in three separate clinical assessments.
The three assessments are in each of the key areas of physiotherapy clinical practice in Australia:
Musculoskeletal physiotherapy
Neurological physiotherapy
Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy
In order to pass the Clinical Assessment, a candidate must demonstrate that he or she is currently suitable to practise physiotherapy independently in Australia by undertaking a safe and effective consultation with three real patients - one in each key area of practice.
The Clinical Assessment is only held in Australia at venues in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Perth (dependent upon availability).
Fee: AUD 4125.00
Timeframe: 10-28 days from the date of your assessment
Ø What happens at the Assessment:
The Clinical Assessment is along caseassessment, evaluating the Candidate’s performance in real life settings and assessing their level of professional judgement in clinical cases.
The Candidate’s performance is observed and assessed by a panel of two Assessors, based on performance describedhere. (See Domains and Performance Indicators – I have attached)
The Assessors will not provide feedback to the Candidate.
Clickherefor a detailed description of the assessment session. (See Session Information for Candidates – I have attached)
Ø Where are sessions held:
Clinical Assessments sessions are hosted at the following hospitals:
New South Wales
Royal North Shore Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Liverpool Hospital, and Ryde Hospital.
Victoria
Monash Hospital, Kingston Hospital, Northern Hospital, St Vincents Hospital (Melbourne), and Caulfield Hospital.
Queensland
Royal Brisbane Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, and Gold Coast University Hospital.
South Australia
Royal Adelaide Hospital and Brain Injury rehabilitation Services.
Western Australia
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
The Council is unable to sessions in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Ø How are allocations made:
The Council will allocate the assessments based on the following criteria:
1. The availability of sessions in the candidate's preferred state.
2. The date the application was received.
3. Whether the candidate has undertaken previous Clinical Assessments, work, supervised practice or observation at any hospital in Australia.
4. Whether the candidate is entering Australia for a brief period for the sole purpose of undertaking the Clinical Assessment.
Ø How long before you are allocated to a session:
Due to an increasing number of candidates, there is a backlog of candidates waiting for Clinical Assessment allocations. This means that some candidates will receive allocations after the expected timeframes.
You will receive advanced notification of your Clinical Assessment allocations as soon as you are placed into an allocation. Please avoid requests to change these dates unless absolutely necessary as changing your allocated date may affect the allocations of other candidates.
Ø If you are based overseas:
We recommend that you do not book any flights until your musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurology assessments are confirmed. If you will only be in Australia for a limited time to undertake the Clinical Assessment, you should provide a cover letter with your application indicating your preferred time period to undertake your musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurology assessments. We will do our best to accommodate your needs, however, we cannot guarantee that your musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurology assessments will be allocated within your required time frame.
Ø Does the Council provide feedback:
Following each clinical assessment, you will be emailed a candidate report between 10-28 days from the date of your assessment. The candidate report will indicate your performance in the domains that are observed during the assessment.
The result of each clinical assessment is final and cannot be altered. No other information is provided regarding the performance during the assessment. It is essential that you are able to interpret your performance against the assessment criteria.
Ø Do you get an additional attempt:
The Council cannot determine whether an additional assessment is required until you have undertaken all the three components of the Clinical Assessment (i.e., the musculoskeletal, neurology and cardiorespiratory sessions).
Once all three components are completed, the outcome of the Clinical Assessment will be determined, and if eligible, you will be notified of additional allocation forms via email.(Refer to the Outcome in the Clinical Assessment)
Ø What happens after the assessment:
Once you have completed all three assessments, the Council will make a decision regarding the outcome of your assessment according to THIS TABLE.
If you have demonstrated a satisfactory performance in each of the assessments, you will be issued with the Final Certificate. If you have not demonstrated a satisfactory performance in each of the assessments, you will be advised by the Council about the status of your candidacy and whether you are eligible for additional assessments.
What happens when I pass the Clinical Assessment?
Candidates who pass the Clinical Assessment are awarded an Australian Physiotherapy Council Final Certificate and may apply to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia for General Registration.
The Final Certificate only meets the qualification requirement for General Registration with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.Please note, receiving a Final Certificate does not entitle you to registration to practise physiotherapy in Australia and does not imply that your application to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia for General Registration will be successful.
What happens if I fail the Clinical Assessment?
If you fail the Clinical Assessment, the outcome of your assessment by the Australian Physiotherapy Council will be that you have not demonstrated the knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes required to qualify for general registration in Australia.
If you disagree with the decision about the outcome of your assessment, you can apply for an internal review of the decision. Details of these procedures will be provided to you with notice of the decision. Please be aware that you can also qualify for General Registration by completing an accredited physiotherapy program at an Australian University.
Final Certificate
The Clinical Assessment is the last stage of the Standard Assessment Pathway, and successful candidates will be awarded a Final Certificate which can be used to meet one of the requirements for General Registration with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia (AHPRA).
The Final Certificate alone does not entitle you to practise physiotherapy in Australia and does not imply that an application to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia for General Registration will be successful as such decisions are the responsibility of the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.