The APA’s next generation white paper—Physiotherapy. Shaping our future together—was launched at APASC25. It explores how we can better support early-career physiotherapists to transition from education to the workforce. In a special plenary session, two panels of physiotherapists discussed the challenges and opportunities for the next generation of physiotherapists. 

Panel 1, led by APA General Manager, Policy and Government Relations Katherine Utry, focused on the challenges faced by graduate physiotherapists as they enter the profession. 

Katherine Hickey, an early-career physiotherapist who started as a new graduate in private practice, said it was a big learning curve, especially balancing patients and paperwork. 

‘In placements at uni, we got a lot of exposure to the realities of hospital-based physiotherapy work. 

‘The same cannot be said of private practice,’ Katherine said. 

Physiotherapy student Javad Ghamaryasl, who moved from a career as an orthotist/prosthetist, said he has found adapting to a patient-centred mindset challenging, coming from a more technical professional background. 

This was complicated further by English being his second language. 

‘I needed to learn a new communication style,’ Javad said, noting that it would have been helpful to have some support from the university in this transition. 

‘We can all appreciate the massive gap that exists between learning about best practice and then actually being able to implement that in the clinical setting where you’re also trying to navigate complex patient presentations, complicated and ever-changing funding systems and technologies, resource-poor environments, patient and employer expectations, and myriad other factors,’ said Dr Alana Dinsdale, a physiotherapist, researcher and academic at the University of Queensland. 

Dr Kerrie Evans, Group Chief Education and Research Officer at Healthia and an associate professor at the University of Sydney, said that new graduates need help in developing resilience and that employers should be keeping an eye out for burnout. 

‘Employers need to create environments where there is enough time for new grads to develop and grow—workplaces of psychological safety where they feel comfortable asking questions without fear of being judged—as well as ensure that the workload is manageable,’ Kerrie said. 

Finally, Aboriginal physiotherapist and academic from the University of Melbourne Sarah Large spoke about the need for new graduates to understand the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the importance of culturally safe care. 

‘It’s important to highlight that as First Nations people, we are an incredibly diverse group—linguistically, geographically, culturally, spiritually—and with that come many different considerations,’ Sarah said. 

‘There’s absolutely no expectation for you as clinicians, educators and researchers to know the ins and outs of all of that but rather to accept that diversity, respect it and be willing and open to listen and learn.’ 

The second panel, led by the APA’s General Manager, Education Ellen Webber, focused on opportunities for improvement. 

The first speaker was Anusha Budehal, a first-year graduate physiotherapist, who pointed out that transition programs for some other health professionals—including doctors and nurses—are far more structured and supported, including opportunities for debriefing, mentoring sessions and learning opportunities. 

‘If we look at physiotherapy, there’s a bit of a gap. 

‘As new grads, we are expected to do a high level of quality work in a high-stress environment and often take on challenging cases. 

‘Having a standardised, structured program such as an internship would be beneficial,’ Anusha said, noting that new graduates work in a variety of settings, from hospitals to private practice, aged care and NDIS settings, and that the amount of structure and support for them varies among workplaces and disciplines. 

Calum Neish, the APA’s early-career representative on the National Advisory Council, said that early-career physiotherapists need to learn how to set boundaries and balance work and life responsibilities, while remaining eager and motivated to have a meaningful and sustained career. 

‘There are so many things out there already, such as the APA’s mentoring program. 

‘It provides an extra layer of supervision and mentoring where I can go for support if I don’t feel comfortable talking to my supervisor,’ Calum said.

Ian Starkey, who has worked in NSW Health for many years, said that a good program for new graduates needs to start with good recruitment and induction processes, provide a wide range of exposure to different areas of practice and professional skills, be well supervised, set suitable goals and be based on a competency framework that allows graded exposure to case load and workload. 

Ian highlighted the need for setting realistic expectations—both as an employer and as a graduate—and developing confidence, not just competence. 

He also stressed the importance of mentoring versus supervision. 

‘One of the things I encourage in all my staff is going home at the end of the day and celebrating what they have achieved, not reflecting on what they didn’t, and I think that’s really important for new grads,’ Ian said. 

John Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy, said that in any size practice, it’s important to get the basics right—creating a safe workplace and culture, working to values and having meaningful work to do. 

‘Where it is harder for small workplaces is in providing career flexibility, leadership opportunities and career pathways. 

‘That’s an issue we do have to address,’ John said. 

The final speaker in the panel was Emily Riglar, a practice owner and the chair of the APA Educators national group, who spoke about learning opportunities and implementation into clinical practice, not just in academic settings and professional development programs but in all the in-between times too.