Many of us have seen and experienced firsthand the significant workforce pressures caused by numerous factors over the past few years.

The Australian Physiotherapy Council (the Council) plays a crucial role in ensuring that our workforce is expanded with high quality, safe and effective physiotherapists to meet the needs of the diverse Australian community.

So what is the Council and what role does it play in the profession?

As the only accreditation and assessment authority for physiotherapy in Australia, the Council has two core responsibilities.

Firstly, our team of physiotherapy educators, researchers and clinicians accredits entry-level physiotherapy programs across Australian and New Zealand universities.

Currently the Council accredits 54 physiotherapy programs across 26 universities.

Secondly, we assess international physiotherapists who wish to practise physiotherapy in Australia.

To enable international physiotherapists to join the Australian profession, the Council assesses their qualifications and skills to ensure that they meet the minimum competencies required to practise safely and effectively as a physiotherapist in Australia.

Our accreditation and assessment services provide employers of international physiotherapists and the Australian public with confidence in the capability and safety of these international physiotherapists, along with new physiotherapists joining the profession, in providing physiotherapy services across a range of clinical settings in the Australian healthcare system.

How is the Council helping to meet physiotherapy workforce needs?

In the education sector, we continue to see steady growth in the number of Australian universities developing and offering new physiotherapy programs.

By the end of 2022, more than 2100 Australian physiotherapy students graduated and were able to enter the workforce.

Additionally, the start of the 2023 academic year saw first-year enrolments in Australian university physiotherapy programs reach 3317.

As the accreditation authority for physiotherapy in Australia, the Council supports universities to develop courses that will equip students with the knowledge, skills and clinical experience they need.

These students go on to become entry-level physiotherapists who meet the practice standards, uphold the reputation of the Australian physiotherapy profession and provide high quality physiotherapy services across the healthcare system.

However, the current number of Australian physiotherapy graduates entering the workforce each year is not enough to meet the growing demand.

Physiotherapy remains a priority occupation for the Australian Government, which has stated that international healthcare workers are part of the answer to our healthcare workforce challenges.

The Council offers several assessment pathways to confirm that each internationally qualified physiotherapist meets Australian standards and can confidently work in the Australian healthcare system.

While migrating to Australia and undertaking assessments can be a significant journey, the Council continues to improve the assessment processes, supports and learning opportunities for international physiotherapists while upholding entry-level physiotherapy standards.

The Express FLYR and FLYR pathways enable physiotherapists from countries with similar education, training, registration and physiotherapy practice standards to complete their assessment journey faster—in six months with the FLYR pathway and in as little as six weeks with Express FLYR.

This means that a larger number of high-calibre physiotherapists will be able to enter the profession quickly and fill the current workforce gaps.

>> To find out more about the Council, visit physiocouncil.com.au, click here to watch a short video and here to check out our latest insights.