What do you do when you’ve got five minutes at a national conference to put forward the five greatest challenges you believe exist within the private sector of physiotherapy?

This is what I was faced with when asked to put together a brief presentation for the FOCUS 2022 conference held in Melbourne.

Physiotherapists play an important role in the healthcare workforce across Australia and, as demand for care increases, health services have been encouraging practitioners to return to practice.

As a physiotherapist, you are required to touch, apply pressure to and manipulate patients, which involves close physical contact.

It is therefore crucial that you understand and work within the parameters of safe, clinical and appropriate touching.

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The need to inspire and support physiotherapists to remain in the profession has never been more critical.

While many factors are at play, one key determinant of longevity within the profession is how a physiotherapist is supported along their career pathway.

One in 16 men (six per cent) and one in six women (17 per cent) have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a current or previous cohabiting partner (ABS 2016), while 23 per cent of women and 16 per cent of adult men have experienced emotional abuse by a partner at some point since the age of 15 (ABS 2022).

What is inclusivity and why does it matter?

LGBTQIA+ inclusivity means acknowledging and respecting that diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity and innate sex characteristics is a normal part of life.

The Physiotherapy Board of Australia wishes all physiotherapists a safe and happy festive season and all the best for 2023.

This award, administered by the Associations Forum, recognises excellence in the associations sector.

As physiotherapists looked ahead to explore the possibilities and opportunities for themselves and the profession, concomitant work by the government to renew and bolster healthcare in Australia was taking place behind the scenes.