Advanced Practice Physiotherapy Titling – Evidence Portfolio Pathway Pilot

To submit an EOI, candidates must:

• hold current Ahpra registration without restrictions
• hold current APA membership for 2026
• hold current membership of the APA Advanced Practice National Group for 2026
• meet the APA’s continuous practice and recency of practice requirements
• have at least three years’ relevant practice experience, including at least one year in an advanced practice role
• have completed 30 hours of continuing professional development relevant to the nominated advanced practice area, in line with the applicable recency requirements
• be currently employed in an autonomous advanced practice role in an Emergency Department (ED) or Musculoskeletal Screening Clinic within a public health service. Note: a current position description, scope of practice or equivalent documentation for the role is required at the time of application
• nominate one eligible clinical setting (ED or Musculoskeletal Screening Clinic) as the primary focus of the portfolio and assessment
• be able to provide a completed Letter of Endorsement from their physiotherapy director or manager if selected for the pilot.

Candidates must also meet the requirements for one of the following pathway options.

Option 1: hold an APA-recognised coursework master’s degree in:

• musculoskeletal physiotherapy
• sports and exercise physiotherapy.

The qualification must have included supervised clinical practice.

Option 2: demonstrate extensive musculoskeletal physiotherapy learning and experience, which may have been completed before or during your advanced practice training.

This must include approximately:

• 150 hours of mentored clinical practice
• 200 hours of formal and informal professional development and learning.

At the time of application, pilot candidates must also confirm that their evidence portfolio will demonstrate that they have:

• completed comprehensive workplace-based learning for their advanced practice role
• addressed gaps between their previous capabilities and the requirements of the role
• undertaken clinical supervision while developing their advanced practice capability
• had their capability to practise autonomously in an advanced practice role formally assessed by their employer or supervisor
• received endorsement from their physiotherapy director or manager.

The pilot is designed for physiotherapists currently employed in autonomous advanced practice roles within public health services.

Applicants must have at least three years’ relevant practice experience, including at least one year in an advanced practice role.

For the pilot, eligible roles are limited to emergency departments and musculoskeletal outpatient screening clinics.

The credential of Titling recognises physiotherapists who demonstrate the “highly developed” knowledge, skills, competence and reflective practice expected at Milestone 3: Highly Developed in the APA National Advanced Practice Physiotherapy Competence Framework. Further background about the wider physiotherapy performance levels in Australia can be found in the APA’s Physiotherapy Career Pathway. This milestone includes autonomous clinical decision-making in complex environments, management of clinical complexity and uncertainty, leadership, collaboration, evidence-based practice and contribution beyond direct patient care.

The titling pathway has a flexible approach to learning and recognises qualifications, clinical experience, education and workplace-based training as foundations of competency.

In the longer term, Titling in Advanced Practice offers multiple purposes:

• support for workforce transferability, capacity, and efficiency
• an established benchmark for competency assessment in advanced roles
• guidance for development of education and training programs
• promotion of consistent, safe and high-quality service delivery
• potential for provision of criteria for formal recognition and accreditation.

No. Applicants must meet the requirements of one of two prerequisite options.

Under Option 1, applicants must hold an APA-recognised coursework master’s degree in musculoskeletal physiotherapy or sports and exercise physiotherapy that included supervised clinical practice.

Under Option 2, applicants must demonstrate extensive learning and experience in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, including approximately:

• 150 hours of mentored clinical practice
• 200 hours of formal and informal professional development and learning.

The pilot has a limited number of places, and submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee selection.

Applicants selected to participate in the pilot will be invited to complete the formal application and pay the applicable application fee. Following payment of the application fee, candidates will receive access to the evidence portfolio resources and assessment requirements.

Participants selected for the pilot will be required to pay the applicable application, evidence portfolio assessment and viva voce fees. In recognition of the important contribution pilot participants make to testing and refining the pathway prior to broader implementation, the evidence portfolio assessment fee has been waivered for the pilot phase. Current fees are available on the APA website.

No. Assessment comprises an evidence portfolio, including three workplace-based assessments, followed by a 90-minute online viva voce.

The viva voce uses questions and scenarios to assess clinical reasoning, professional judgement, decision-making and capability across the roles of the APA National Advanced Practice Physiotherapy Competence Framework.

Candidates must submit:

• a completed Show Portfolio – Evidence and Justification template
• a comprehensive curriculum vitae
• a Letter of Endorsement from their physiotherapy director or manager
• three workplace-based assessments
• three case studies
• a Cultural Capability Reflection
• a General Critical Reflection
• a copy of an eligible master’s degree, where applicable.

Only the evidence identified in the pilot handbook and mandatory templates should be submitted.

A workplace-based assessment (WBA) is a structured assessment of your clinical practice conducted in your usual work environment by an appropriately qualified assessor.

WBAs are used to assess how knowledge, skills and professional judgement are applied in practice and provide direct evidence of advanced practice capability in areas such as clinical assessment, diagnostic reasoning, investigation and interpretation, management planning, communication, collaboration and professional judgement.

One workplace-based assessment may have been completed up to five years before the portfolio submission, provided it can be mapped to the current advanced practice competencies.

Candidates must submit three completed WBAs as part of their evidence portfolio.

Workplace-based assessments must be completed by an appropriately experienced clinician in the candidate’s workplace.

Depending on local organisational requirements, the assessor may be:

• a medical specialist or consultant in the relevant clinical area
• the lead advanced practice physiotherapist for the relevant clinical area.

Assessors should have recent and broad experience in the clinical area being assessed.

To support broader assessment of performance across different contexts and perspectives, it is preferable for different assessors to conduct the three observations.

Yes. Applicants who work across more than one eligible setting must nominate either an emergency department or musculoskeletal outpatient screening clinic as the primary focus of their evidence portfolio and assessment.

Evidence from other advanced practice settings may be used where relevant to demonstrate capability in the communicator, collaborator, leader, health advocate, scholar and professional roles.

Once accepted, candidates have 12 weeks to submit their evidence portfolio. Portfolio assessment may take four to six weeks. Candidates who successfully complete the portfolio then progress to the viva voce, with the final outcome generally provided approximately six weeks after the examination.

Scheduling and assessment timeframes are indicative and may vary during the pilot.

Candidates who do not meet the required standard on their first attempt may apply to re-sit the viva voce within 12 months of receiving their original outcome.

The re-sit follows the same format as the initial viva voce. Candidates are encouraged to review their assessor feedback and undertake targeted preparation before re-sitting. The applicable re-sit fee will be available on the APA website.