La Trobe University

Program

Following an applied anatomy subject in Term 1 (January – February), the first year of the course will develop core knowledge and skills required for effective physiotherapy practice in a range of healthcare settings, across a variety of practice areas, and work with clients from across the lifespan. The second year of the course comprises integrated theory and clinical practice subjects, where advanced physiotherapy knowledge and skills will be developed and applied to clinical environments.

The clinical practice and theory subjects extend outside official university semester dates. The course includes small-group learning to master the practical aspects of physiotherapy practice. You will assess and treat patients in hospitals and other clinical settings under the supervision of a qualified clinician.

Clinical Placements
During this course, you will participate in supervised Work Based Learning (WBL) placements designed to allow you to practice newly acquired skills, behaviours and knowledge while integrating theory with practice. The placements will immerse you in professional work culture, enabling you to develop and further enhance your skills. WBL provides you with the opportunity to gain valuable industry experience at one or more of our local, interstate or international industry partners or agencies. WBL placements will generally be arranged by the University Placements Operation Team at La Trobe University.

Returning to Practice
To practice in Canada, you are required to complete 820 hours of university-level supervised clinical practice as part of your formal physiotherapy education. The Master of Physiotherapy Practice program at La Trobe University contains 732 hours of university-level supervised clinical practice, including 100 hours musculoskeletal, 100 hours neurological, and 40 hours cardiorespiratory clinical practice. The duration of the program is 2 years full time; however, if you wish to practice in Canada, you’ll be required to complete an additional course subject to meet Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) regulations.

To ensure Canadian graduates can be eligible to enter the CAPR credentialing process upon returning to Canada, the university will offer the following accommodation:

An additional subject comprising 150 hours of university-level supervised clinical placement practice will be made available to Canadian students at the standard cost for a unit of study. This will increase your total clinical placement hours to 882. This subject will appear on your official university transcript and will be counted in the total university-level supervised clinical placement hours documented for CAPR. You’ll need to take this final clinical placement subject immediately following completion of the course requirements (in the period December–February).

In total, CAPR requires you to return to Canada with 820 hours of university-level supervised clinical practice plus 205 hours of supervised clinical practice (which can be in class or paid as a physiotherapist after your degree is complete). This is a total of 1025 hours.

Once you complete your Master of Physiotherapy Practice degree at La Trobe, which will need to include an additional subject, you will then have 882 university-level supervised clinical practice. The final 143 hours can be achieved through either paid work as a physiotherapist in Australia after course completion, or alternatively, another clinical placement subject (150 hours) which can be sourced by La Trobe University.