Becoming Physiotherapist

[physiouk]

Gettin experience has a lot to do with getting a place at uni to do physiotherapy. I graduated last july but when I was applying in 2003 I know for a fact that universities took a lot more notice of your application if you had experience of shadowing in a physiotherapy dept. Try getting experience in different areas...most places are willing to at least give u a day where you can follow them around and have a look at what you are doing...also helps u realise whether its wot u really want to do. There is a lot more to physio than just the obvious sports phyio and outpatient that most of the public encounter....try and get into a hospital so you can also see the neuro and cardio side of it...its amazing how different it is when u look into it!!!

[alophysio]

Hi,

I agree with all of the above but if you want the fastest route into uni, i would go back and do year 12 again at TAFE.

It is actually illegal in australia to volunteer for unpaid work because people can be exploited. This tends to be for people who work on a "trial basis" for nothing. e.g. bar work on a friday night - there is one job but 4 people are there "on-trial". The thing is that probably every friday night they have 4 people "on-trial"!!!

But shadowing a physio dept is not like that. It would then have to depend on the physio dept head. Having said that, they would have to decide if they wanted someone hanging around. It can get pretty annoying to be honest. I have year 10 work experience kids at my practices and i will only take them for 1 or 2 days because they need to see hosital stuff and community stuff. Also, after a day, you have pretty much seen what a private practice physio does - only the patients and conditions change and they don't have enough knowledge to understand the differences.

Another alternative into the hospital system is to do your physio aide certificate from the Australian Physiotherapy Association. This will allow you to be actually employed at the hospital and so have a better chance at getting into physio. With you other qualifications, it will probably help get you a job in the hospital.

Lastly, physio school is HARD. Harder than year 12. That is why the mark is so high. It isn't just about the number of people who want to do physio, it is the level of knowledge required. The uni probably wants some sort of indication if you could cut the mustard.

What marks and subjects did you do?

I scraped into physio from year 12 with the following marks...

2 Unit Related English (highest 2 unit level) = 67/1000
2 Unit Maths (I did 3 unit but you have to do 2 tests) = 89/100
3 unit maths = 49/50
2 unit Physics = 83/100
2 unit Chemistry = 87/100
2 unit Computers = 93/100
1 unit General Studies (no longer offered) = 41/100
Average mark for best 10 units = 88.4%

TER/UAI = 96.7 - this is a rank of all the students in the year (everyone got one)...It means that i came in the top 3.3% of the state (out of about 50,000 students)

Physio entry mark in my year = 96.35

I hope that gives you any indication of the marks you will need in the subjects that you need. Physics and Chemistry are not pre-reqs but you don't want to have to do bridging courses as well. You will need both to cope with biomechanics, biochemistry and all the neuro stuff. And don't think that biology is a good substitute - it is not!

Put your head down, do your HSC again and aim to average 90 in every subject. It is the quickest way to make it back to uni.

BTW whoever let you do only 8 units was an idiot. Even if you only got a UAI of 60, you could have done nursing, topped the year with HDs and gone into physio via transfer. Also, you don't need to know what you are going to do when you grow up - God knows i don't know what i am going to do when I grow up!!

Good luck. HSC is easier than uni. HSC = 1 year, a bachelors in anything is at least 3 years. Do HSC while you still can.

Lastly, GET SOME GOOD ADVICE!!!!! Go talk to people who know, not your mates who are not in physio.

Good luck!

BTW - you can also go Full-Fee somewhere...