Inherent requirements for physiotherapy programs

Physiotherapy is a profession that is governed by codes, guidelines and standards where physiotherapists are both accountable and responsible for ensuring safe and professional behaviour in all contexts. 

The student will demonstrate knowledge of, and engage in, ethical behaviour in practice. 

Complying with standards, codes, guidelines, and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with. Ethical behaviour protects the rights and dignity of all and supports physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure that standards, codes, guidelines, and policies are maintained and do not result in unethical behaviour. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Manage confidential information appropriately in classroom and clinical settings.

• Reflect on ethical issues and take responsibility for demonstrating ethical awareness and conduct in the delivery of care. 

Behavioural stability is necessary to effectively and sensitively function and adapt in physiotherapy roles. 

The student will demonstrate behavioural stability in diverse, unpredictable, and challenging academic and clinical environments. 

Behavioural stability is necessary to work in diverse, unpredictable, and challenging environments, whether individually or in a team. Physiotherapy students will be exposed to emergency situations and human suffering and are required to have the behavioural stability to manage themselves and their activities in these environments. 

Reasonable adjustments must support stable, effective, and professional behaviour in both academic and clinical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Be receptive to constructive feedback and respond appropriately when feedback is provided.

• Effectively manage your emotions and behaviour in classroom and clinical settings. 

Physiotherapy practice is regulated by Australian laws and professional standards to enable the safe and effective delivery of care. 

The student will demonstrate knowledge of and compliance with Australian laws, professional standards, and scope of practice. 

Showing an understanding of and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements reduces the risk of harm to self and others and are a necessary prerequisite to clinical placements. Compliance with Australian laws and regulations ensures students are responsible and accountable for their practice. 

Reasonable adjustments must be consistent with legislative and regulatory requirements. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Comply with the requirements for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

• Comply with relevant child protection, privacy, and safety legislation.

• Provide evidence where required of your personal history and activities (e.g., police check and/or Blue Card) before any clinical placements. 

Effective verbal communication in English is an essential requirement to provide safe and effective care. 

• Sensitivity to individual and cultural differences.

• The ability to understand – and accurately and appropriately respond to – verbal communication in a timely manner.

• The ability to give and receive clear instructions in classroom or clinical situations.

• Timely clear feedback and reporting. 

• Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy with others develops trusting relationships. 

• Some people being cared for will only be capable of verbal communication because of physical limitations (e.g., injury, disease, or congenital conditions). 

• Efficient verbal communication can be critical to achieve safe, timely and effective care. 

• Timely, accurate, and effective delivery of instructions and feedback is critical to individual safety, treatment, and management. 

Reasonable adjustments must address issues concerning the effectiveness, timeliness, clarity, and accuracy of verbal communication to achieve safe and appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Participate in practicals, simulation activities, verbal presentations, and clinical discussions.

• Provide clear verbal instructions to direct a client into an appropriate position for treatment.

• Establish rapport, through verbal communication, with clients during physiotherapy management.

• Communicate effectively with peers, educators, and team members in classroom and clinical settings. 

Appropriate non-verbal communication is fundamental to physiotherapy and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic, and non-judgemental. 

• The capacity to recognise, interpret, and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.

• The capacity to use non-verbal behaviours to facilitate positive interpersonal interactions.

• Consistent and appropriate awareness of your own behaviours.

• Sensitivity to individual and cultural differences. 

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues helps to build rapport and develop trustful and respectful relationships in academic and professional contexts. 

• Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions and eye contact, and being aware of spatial boundaries, body movements and gestures, facilitates effective communication. 

• Being sensitive to individual and cultural differences shows respect for others and develops trustful and empathetic relationships. 

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of client symptoms and reactions to facilitate assessment and treatment. 

Reasonable adjustments must enable a student to effectively recognise, initiate or respond to non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Recognise and respond appropriately to cues in academic and clinical settings.

• Use appropriate non-verbal communication to facilitate interactions with individuals and families. 

Effective written communication in English is essential to physiotherapy practice and has professional and legal ramifications. 

• The ability to construct written communication that is cohesive, accurate, and demonstrates appropriate grammar and spelling.

• The capacity to construct written communication in a timely manner.

• The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and other information.

• The capacity to administer and analyse client assessments that include written textual components. 

• Accurate processing of client notes, reports, and feedback is vital to provide consistent and safe client care.

• Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.

• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and client notes which meet legal and ethical requirements, is vital to provide consistent and safe client care. 

Reasonable adjustments must enable a student to meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy, and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and clinical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Construct a written academic assessment that meets minimum academic standards.

• Construct client notes, reports, and educational information in a timely manner that meets minimum professional standards. 

Cognitive ability and the capacity to learn and recall complex information are essential in providing safe and effective physiotherapy care. 

• The capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information.

• The ability to process and recall information relevant to practice.

• The ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice in a responsive manner.

• The ability to reflect on performance and develop action plans.

• The capacity to develop clinical reasoning skills. 

• Safe and effective physiotherapy care relies on comprehensive knowledge that is sourced, understood, and applied appropriately. 

• Reflection, reasoning, and professional development are essential for physiotherapy practice. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure knowledge can be clearly demonstrated and cognitive skills are not compromised or impeded. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.

• Appropriately apply knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in clinical settings.

• Learn or change behaviours in response to feedback. 

Competent English literacy skills are essential to provide safe and effective physiotherapy care. 

• The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate and effective messages in English.

• The ability to read and comprehend a range of information in English.

• The capacity to understand and apply academic conventions to write coherent English in a scholarly and professional manner. 

• The ability to acquire information and write and speak clearly and accurately in English is fundamental to the safe and effective assessment, treatment, and delivery of care. 

• The ability to read, interpret and understand multiple sources of information is fundamental to the safe and effective assessment, treatment, and delivery of care. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure a student can demonstrate an appropriate capacity to acquire, comprehend, apply, and communicate accurately in English. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a UQ Diversity, Disability, and Inclusion Adviser. 

• Successfully paraphrase, summarise, and reference in English, in accordance with appropriate academic conventions.

• Speak clearly and accurately in English.

• Create accurate, concise, and clear documentation in English. 

Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential to provide safe and effective physiotherapy care. 

The student will demonstrate the ability to interpret and apply numerical information, whether data, measurements, or other numbers correctly and accurately. 

Competent numeracy skills are essential to facilitating the safe and effective delivery of physiotherapy care. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure a student can demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply numerical concepts and processes in a timely, accurate and effective manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Record accurate data in client notes.

• Administer accurate electrotherapy dosages. 

Adequate visual acuity is required to provide safe and effective physiotherapy care. 

The student will demonstrate sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills. 

• Sufficient visual acuity is needed to complete the required range of skills, learning activities and assessment tasks in this program, and to provide consistent, accurate, and safe care. 

• Visual observations, examinations and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice. 

Reasonable adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent, and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Observe and detect subtle changes in posture, movement, and the ability to perform functional activities during assessment and treatment.

• Safely operate electrotherapy equipment. 

Sufficient auditory ability is required to provide safe and effective physiotherapy care. 

The student will demonstrate sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of skills. 

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage a patient’s health needs consistently and accurately. 

• Auditory assessments, examinations and observations are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice. 

Reasonable adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing impairment must be effective, consistent, and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Perform accurate cardiopulmonary assessment by auscultation.

• Respond to a care request through the activation of call bells or calls for help.

• Respond appropriately to a client’s responses during assessment and management in a range of clinical contexts. 

Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competent and safe physiotherapy care. 

The student will demonstrate sufficient tactile function to undertake the required range of skills and assessments. 

• Sufficient tactile ability is needed to monitor, assess, and detect a patient’s physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide appropriate physiotherapy care. 

• Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure a student can demonstrate the capacity to make effective assessments of physical characteristics and abnormalities within safe time frames. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Detect changes in skin temperature e.g., assessment for inflammation in soft tissues.

• Palpate joints, muscles, and soft tissues, and detect anatomical or movement abnormalities. 

Physiotherapy is physically demanding and requires gross motor function. 

The student will demonstrate the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice. 

• Gross motor skills are needed to perform, coordinate, and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, sitting, standing, twisting, and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. 

• Ability to appropriately position, self, equipment and patient so as to perform tasks reliably with a range of movement is required to reduce risk of harm to self and others. 

Reasonable adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others, and a capacity to provide appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed Student Adviser. 

• Maintain own and client's balance, while providing client support, when transferring and mobilising individuals in a safe manner.

• Evaluate clients who have varying physical capacity; who are positioned on plinths and hospital beds, on mats on the floor, on chairs and when standing; in a safe and effective manner. 

Physiotherapy requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills. 

The student will demonstrate the ability to perform fine motor skills to function within scope of practice. 

Fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate individuals and various objects. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others. 

Reasonable adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others, and a capacity to provide appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Record data and write client notes in a timely and legible manner.

• Perform assessment techniques, e.g., evaluation of hand sensation and joint movement.

• Perform treatment techniques, e.g., suctioning, joint mobilisation and soft tissue massage. 

Physiotherapy practice requires both physical and mental endurance at a consistent and sustained level to meet individual needs over time. 

• Consistent and sustained physical energy to complete specific tasks in a timely manner and over time.

• the ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately.

• the capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time. 

Sufficient physical and mental endurance are essential to performing multiple tasks in an assigned period and to provide safe and effective care. 

Reasonable adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with a Student Adviser. 

• Actively participate in tutorials, lectures, and practicals.

• Provide consistent physiotherapy care over a negotiated time frame.

• Manage attention and fatigue to provide consistent physiotherapy care over a negotiated time frame while on clinical placement.