NZ reg: more than 10 years in private practice

[physiomitch]

Yes colleague validations useful, could also quote local Physio association guidelines as to safe practice, indemnities, etc. Just not sure whether we need to prove this in all 3 areas?? Reflective statements again?? 'Demonstrate Autonomous Practice' can be covered by work experience validations and possibly case studies again, referencing case studies also use for competencies 1 thru 4.

[HelenW]

Sorry if I am jumping in to a thread that is not relevent to me. I am not very practiced at using forums.

I am just starting the process of writing my profile for NZ registration. I am hoping to go out in December but all I have heard is horror stories about how long and complicated the process is. I have downloaded all the info from the website and read all your posts which were very helpful.I have just under two years experience as a rotational junior. Does anyone have an estimate on how long I can expect it to take to put a good profile together or how to get hold of examples of what the board are looking for? Any tips would be most welcome as I am tearing my hair out.

[JulesB]

Hi Helen
I'm doing the same at the moment. The NZ board website say its 9 weeks from receiving it, one of the other posts on this said it took a few months and 6 months to put together! I maybe still naive and too optimistic but am hoping to get it all together in a month and be there asap!!
Jules

[JulesB]

Pete
I have re-read competency 10 and think you're right, it needs all 3 areas however tedious the referencing is!
Jules

[physiomitch]

Hi Jules

Have to admit still not sure on this one. I have info from another source who did the 3 areas only for competencies 1-4 and 10.5, so am a little stumped, but will jump off that bridge when I get there!

I am slowly working my way through the competencies daily, just writing short paragraphs under each heading describing how I can show I am competent in each one. I am using the guidelines given under each heading as described in the 'Registration Requirements' document from NZ Board. I use some of the indicators to give feedback, not all as this would take too much space and time, and they are not looking for essays. Remember they send your portfolio to a Physio to check them to see if you cover all the requirements and they ar not going to want to read tons of essays. Stick to a short and sweet principle and we should be OK. One of the other Physios on the other thread sent me some of her competencies she has done (comp's 1 and 10), so you might want to see it to get an idea. I can send it to you via email if you wish. I feel though that she wrote too much, but worth looking at for an idea of layout.

Also google: "physio competencies nz" (just like that no +'s etc) and look for this title "Handy Hints for NZ Registration Application Portfolio". Download this advice it also gives some good ideas. It is a matter of taking the best of both and doing what you can with them.

Hi HelenW

With your few yrs of experience you at least can use evidence from your curriculum. That site above, Handy tips... will give you an idea as to how to use the curriculum. Don't panic, set up a structure and go from one competency to the next, before you know it you will be finished. It can be done in a month as long as you have all the other paperwork from uni etc, ie transcripts, curriculum, all stamped. Make sure all document copies are validated by an authorised person ie lawyer, judge, etc.

Cheers

Pete

[LeeMG]

Hi Pete,
Was readin ur thread...really helpful. You were telln that u could send a format of the competencies if anyone asked...kindly could you send that format...I too a physio has started the registration...but regarding the format...im confused...do help me out!!

[Fyzzio]

Hi LeeMG,
may I just quickly remind you that Pete's last post was from May this year.
Since 1. Oct (or was it September??) the application format/requirements and competecies have changed, so I think that Pete's format will no longer be really helpful to you.
Good luck,
Fyzzio

[LeeMG]

Thanks fyssio.....im aware of the competencies changes...but thought if I cud get sum help to start of,it would have been really helpful...anyways God help me & everyone going thru this process...

[stwrtharrison]

Hi Pete and all others on this thread.
Well, I am no further on with my registration but have been living in New Zealand as a kept man for the last 7 months. Now about to restart the whole application process again after letting the dust settle.
How has everyone been getting on?
Stu

[physiomitch]

Hi Stu

Nice to hear from you again, have been meaning to email you. Hope all is well in the land of the long white cloud, bit cold here on mud island!

Personally I am just about finished. I am waiting for a couple of work validation forms, one from Spain (this chap moved there from Brazil after moving there from UK...), and a couple of letters from South African Uni, posted on te 3/12...have a bad feeling about that! They only return to work later this onth to start a new year, so might delay things a bit. Otherwise have done a cardio-resp course, did 6 hours shadowing a Physio in a local hospital, including some hands on in intensive care, so hopefully this will help. Attended national congress which included cardio and neuro lectures. Just a matter of putting it all together in one package once all evidence is gathered, and hopefull send off soon.

There is another good thread going so check out newer ones on the 'working as a physiotherapist in NZ' heading. As one Physio who already got her reg said, they are not looking for anyone being an expert in all 3 fields, just need to show competence. Also they love reflective statements, so I have done this for the competencies on nz management principles, waitangi agreement and others involving NZ health.

Been a long journey, but the end is in sight.

Cheers

Pete

[Tracy Canada]

Hi there,
When you say that you did reflective statements for the NZ health and waitangi ones - can I ask you for more detail. I am a Canadian Trained grad and I've reflected from my experiences in Canada that are the same to those in NZ. Do you think I am on the right track?
Kind regards,
Tracy

[physiomitch]

Hi Tracy

Sorry about the delay in reply, getting back into the swing of things. Just one more document and I can start sorting into the correct order and send off...can't wait, except the Physio I need to get the work validation form from is in Brazil!!

Anyway, reflective statements I did was basically reading through the documents such as the Waitangi accord and reflecting on it as to how I understand it and what it's main points are. The same was done with the documents on NZ health management and articles I found on the web regarding the health structure of NZ, and where Physio fits in. So generally find documents, some mentioned in this thread earlier, read and reflect on what you read.

Not sure whether it would help, but I can let you know what I did to get things going, to try and keep some form of sanity.

The big queation on most people's minds is 'where do I start?', it certainly was on mine...so this is how I got started and it took off from there. Apart from getting all your necessary paperwork from uni and work colleagues, which I collected gradually, this was my format...

1. Read carefully all the info in the NZ Physio Council PDF files on their website regarding portfolio

2. Go through each competency and write a short statement on each (not essay form). I wrote the heading eg Competency 1, then under that Competency 1.1, then under that a short answer. For competencies 1 to 4 and 10, I wrote short answers under the headings 'General', 'Musculo-skeletal', 'Cardio-resp' and 'Neurological'.

3. I did this until I completed all of the competencie. Then I went back to each one and under each listed the evidence I would need for each one. This was by no means the finished article as the cross-referencing would have to be done at the end once all evidence was gathered.

4. Once I had all the necessary evidence written down I then made a seperate list of all the evidence I needed next to each competency and started to tick off what I had and gathered what I didn't.

5. Once all evidence was ticked off I put it all together, wrote the correct page numbers on the cross-references in the competencies, edited the notes to ensure it was not too drawn out, checked spelling, etc, then put it all together. I printed my CV/CPD portfolio and case studies on coloured paper, numbering each page together with a 'heading' to make it easier to locate. I seperated all sections of evidence with 'dog ear' pages for easy finding. All cross references were shown on the front page as an index to the whole thing.

Then I had my millionth glass of red wine and passed out...ha ha! Worth putting headers and page numbers on all pages to identify your work. I have also been advised to collect all work validation forms and send with the portfolio, even though the validation forms ask that they be sent directly to the council, they may get lost and have to be re-done. I am using mine as colleague references anyway so will open them and number the pages, easily done in microsoft word.

Hope this helps

[nic.yeomans]

Hi,

I just wanted to say thank you for all the advice I have gained off this post it's been really helpful. I am new to the forum but have been trying to do my portflio for a few months now! hoping to finish it by at least March.

Nic

[chrisphysio]

I'd like some advice please. I'm just starting the process but have been qualified for 13 years.

I managed to get a portfolio from a physio who was 7 years qualified (he got his NZ registration from it) and for competency 1 he listed items from his university course booklet (proving he had done enough anatomy, physiology, child development etc) by just listing the page from the prospectus (e.g) child development page 31, year 2 term 1.

Am I allowed to do the same (qualified 1995 from the UK) or will this not be accepted because it's over 10 years old?

Surely the NZ board will have some descrepancies for those of us that are more experienced (i.e. - you think they'd want a good number of experienced physios over there to help with the more junior ones. Otherwise isn't NZ full of foreign physios that are recently qualified - just cause it's easier to complete the portfolio.

Please advise and has anyone contacted the NZ reg board directly about this?

thanks
Chris

P.S I was on a chest course at the weekend and a 1 year grad I met had gone and returned from NZ after getting her registration. She said there were 3 of them that qualified together so they split the portfolio in 3 saving time and all went over. None had done a rotation on ITU or neuro!! - used their student placements.

[Fyzzio]

Hi,
just some comments.

None had done a rotation on ITU or neuro!! - used their student placements.

Of course. The deal is that your education has to be similar to the NZ one, and if it differs (e.g. only 3 years in GB, compared to 4 in NZ), then you have to prove work experience for one year plus to make up for that gap. It does not matter in which area you have the work experience, as your undergraduate training otherwise satisfies the board. That's how they explained it to me.

Am I allowed to do the same (qualified 1995 from the UK) or will this not be accepted because it's over 10 years old?

I haven't got the application package here any more, but I'm sure, you can. It's a good starting point anyway. However,... if that's the only evidence you've got, they might say, that you haven't updated skills over the last 13 years. Just not a good look, I think.

the NZ board will have some descrepancies

... sorry, as far as I know, they have to go by the rules as set under the HPCAA. They are a qualifications authority, not an immigration service.

Good luck,
Fyzzzio

[physiomitch]

Hi Chris

I have just about completed my registration package, but after a year of getting it all together and from reading some of the new threads, I get the feeling I wrote too much in my competencies under each subcompetency. Like you I have worked for more than 10 years, qualifying in 1992, and thus cannot use the curriculum as a reference, but still need it for their prrof of study.

After reading some more threads I feel that all you need to do is list the copmpetencies/subcompetencies, and under each one give a reference to either courses, CV, case studies, or whatever will prove that you are competent in that area. The guides given by the NZ Physio council gives a list of things you can use to prove this often related to initial studies in physiology, anatomy etc., which is why those under 10 yrs exp can give reference to their curriculum. For us maybe the best way to do this is to write case studies or refer to courses done. I was in contact with a Physio who got her registration and she said she just wrote tons of case studies and obviously this was OK for her (also > 10 yrs exp). Personally I have written about 4 case studies under each title of neuro, cardio and MSK, some for electro therapy, some for manual therapy (some can be used for both), some for nutrition/holistic approach, etc. I will use these particularly for competency 1-4.

I used cases I have treated and some I have observed. I will list these under case studies in my evidence.

I have also recently done a cardio-resp course and have done some hours of observation and hands on in an ITU at a local hospital to keep updated. As someone else said, they are not expecting us to be specialists in any field just to be up to date on the techniques and approaches. I will use this as a reference for any cardio related competencies as well as case studies I did from patients I treated and observed being treated on my hospital rounds.

In hindsight I think I have written too much but I am not going to re-do it, but keep it simple and just refer what you have done, will do or are doing in relation to each competency.

As for more experienced Physios, they definately need them. If you read these forums and read between the lines, if you come from the UK and have studied here you have a great chance of getting in, however you still have to have all the necessary paperwork signed where necessary and give evidence, but it should not be so difficult to get evidence. Just takes a bit of time. Stay positive and work through it step by step.