Kristyn Comino
4 December 2014: The University of Canberra's Bachelor of Physiotherapy course has been formally accredited by the Australian Physiotherapy Council earlier than anticipated.
Head of discipline Jennie Scarvell said this is good news for students of the popular four-year degree, which started under provisional accreditation in 2013.
"Formal accreditation means that when our first cohort of Bachelor of Physiotherapy students graduate in 2016, they are immediately eligible immediately to practise physiotherapy in Australia," Dr Scarvell said.
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Physiotherapy students practising in the Faculty of Health Clinic on campus. Photo: Katherine Griffiths |
"It's a great confidence boost for our current students and important recognition for the quality of our course, which is designed to prepare students to be work ready when they graduate."
Dr Scarvell said the University followed the "standard and quite rigorous" procedure to seek accreditation for the course, conducted by the Australian Physiotherapy Council for the Physiotherapy Board of Australia.
The introduction of a new system also meant the degree was accredited
with conditions earlier than expected, with Dr Scarvell adding that the conditional requirements are standard for the sector, relating to the University reporting on the success its graduates.
The University is the only institution in the ACT to offer a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, which had an admission score of 93 last year and currently has 108 students enrolled.
A fully-accredited Master
of Physiotherapy has been offered by the University since 2004. That course is also in high demand, with hundreds of students competing for only 24 places available each year.
