Postgraduate Programs in Clinical Physiotherapy (Continence and Women's Health Major)
Overview
Through its Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Master's level courses, the Continence and Women's Health stream of postgraduate study in Clinical Physiotherapy provides an opportunity for physiotherapists to become expert clinicians in women's health physiotherapy, and its related areas of practice. The program will develop clinical skills in the assessment and management of conditions that are unique to women, more common in women, more serious in women or require special interventions in women. In particular, participants will develop expertise in the management of pelvic floor dysfunction and its many presentations - bladder and bowel dysfunction, disorders of pelvic organ and pelvic girdle support, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain.
The program is designed to develop clinical expertise through a foundation of evidence-based practice, clinical knowledge and sound diagnostic and therapeutic skills. Students will have opportunities to further develop and apply these skills and knowledge in supervised clinical placements. As participants progress through the program, they will become expert evaluators and consumers of research. At the Master's level, they may acquire a high level of competence in conducting clinical research and contribute to the body of knowledge in this emerging area of physiotherapy.
In keeping with the program's aim of supporting the professional development of practicing physiotherapists, the courses will be offered on both a full-time and part-time basis, with opportunities for some units to be partially or fully completed via external or online teaching and learning. In units where supervision and hands-on practice are necessary to enhance learning, teaching will be conducted in 4-5 day blocks on the Bentley campus. All internal units will be conducted on the Bentley campus, in Perth, Western Australia.
Entrance Requirements
A bachelor degree, or equivalent, in physiotherapy from a recognised tertiary institution.
Course Structures and Availability
To complete the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Physiotherapy, students must undertake and pass four units of study, equalling a total of 100 credit points (25 credits per unit) - the equivalent of one semester of full-time study. Three of the units are mandatory, and one is selected from the Contience and Women's Health optional units. Students with clinical experience in continence and women's health physiotherapy may be eligible to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for the unit Physiotherapy Clinical Practice 651.
To complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Physiotherapy, students must undertake and pass a further 4 units of study to reach an overall total of 200 credit points - the equivalent of one year of full-time study. Physiotherapy Clinical Practice 652 is mandatory but again, you may be eligible to apply for further RPL.
To complete the Master of Clinical Physiotherapy, students must undertake a further 100 credits of study to reach a total of 300 credit points. The two research units - Clinical Research 651 and Research Project 652 - and the Physiotherapy Clinical Practice 754 unit are mandatory, but again, you may be eligible to apply for RPL for the Physiotherapy Clinical Practice units on the basis of your continence and women's health clinical experience.
A Doctor of Clinical Physiotherapy is also available.
The courses are available for part-time or full-time study.
Short Course Options
Physiotherapists may also participate in short courses relating to the "teaching blocks" of Pelvic Floor Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 650, Human Continence 650 and Women Through Life Stages 650. Specific information about these short courses is available on this site.
How to Apply
Australian Residents
Download and complete the Australian Resident Application For Admission to Postgraduate Study form. Send it directly to the FSSO (Faculty Student Services Office for Health Sciences) or refer to the contact information below.
International Applicants
International applicants for 2008 are required to apply through Curtin's International Office . Prospective International students may apply now by visiting the International Application for Admission page .
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may apply through the Faculty of Health Sciences Student Services Office (FSS0) but it is recommended you discuss your RPL options with the course coordinator.
Course Requirements
Applicants for this course should refer to the Health Sciences Immunisation web page and the Criminal Record Screening/Clearance section of the Curtin Handbook. Essential learning strategies demand that all students disrobe appropriately to act as subjects for their peer group.
Please note that the practical components of Pelvic Floor Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 650 and Human Continence 650 include internal examination of the pelvic floor, with students acting as models for each other.
Career Advancement Opportunities
The increasing evidence of the value of physiotherapy in the area of continence and women's health has increased demand for skilled clinicians in the private and public sector. Recognition of the impact and interaction of pelvic floor dysfunction with other areas of physiotherapy practice and the increasing awareness of continence issues related to bladder and bowel dysfunction (especially in the ageing population), has expanded the role of women's health physiotherapy and increased world wide demand on the limited pool of women's health physiotherapists.
Tuition Fees
The per credit fee in 2008 for Australian Residents and NZ citizens is approximately AUD$91. The fee for international students in 2008 is AUD$109 per credit (students granted RPL for Physiotherapy Clinical Practice units will reduce their fees by reducing the number of units required to be completed for graduation at the Certificate, Diploma, Masters level and Doctorate).
Contact
For specific information regarding the course content, please contact Anne Andrews at . Administrative enquiries should be directed to the FSSO (Faculty Student Services Office for Health Sciences) .
Frequently Asked Questions
Accommodation
- Q: I am visiting Perth to attend the short, intensive course components. Can you recommend any short-term accommodation?
- A: Members of the local Continence and Women's Health Physiotherapy community have offered to billet students for the 4-5 day teaching blocks. Please contact the course coordinator Anne Andrews for further information or alternatively please look at the short term accommodation pages of Curtin's housing service website.
Recognition of Prior Learning
- Q: I have just started working in the area of continence and women's health and wish to increase my knowledge and skills in this area by enrolling in the course part-time. By the time I complete the Graduate Certificate course I will have been working in the area of C&WH for over one year. Will I be eligible for RPL for Physiotherapy Clinical Practice 651?
- A: Yes. If you can demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, assessment and management for the equivalent of six months full-time clinical practice in the continence and women's health physiotherapy area, you may apply for RPL for Physiotherapy Clinical Practice 651. You will be asked to complete the "Application for Recognition of Prior Learning" form, and prepare and submit a portfolio of 10 different case histories with evaluation of each case history as a reflective practitioner. You can apply for RPL at any time after you have been accepted into the course. As you are just starting your career in continence and women's health physiotherapy, you would be advised to delay your RPL application until you are undertaking your final unit. If you chose to progress to the postgraduate diploma and/or master's level, you would require the equivalent of 12 months or 24 months full-time clinical experience in continence and women's health physiotherapy, and portfolios of 20 or 40 case histories respectively.
- Q: I plan to start a family next year. Can I take a break from study?
- A: Study should be continuous but you can apply for Leave of Absence if work, family or financial committments, or availability of units restrict your capacity to study. Please contact the course coordinator and/or the FSSO for further information.
- Q: If I am granted RPL for Physiotherapy Clinical Practice, do I need to pay for the unit?
- A: No.
- Q: I have completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Physiotherapy (exercise for women) at the University of Melbourne. Am I eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning?
- A: Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is available for the University of Melbourne Women's Health physiotherapy post graduate course. One limitation will be that to complete a Curtin postgraduate course, you cannot apply for more than two thirds of the unit credit points to come from RPL.
- Q: I completed a Graduate Diploma in Sports Physiotherapy many years ago. Am I eligible for RPL for any units?
- A: You would need to complete the "Application for RPL" form and the university would investigate if the units studied match any of the units being offered in the continence and women's health postgraduate Clinical Physiotherapy program.
- Q: To fit in with my work commitments, I would like to study part-time. How many units should I enrol in per semester?
- A: Part-time students have the option to enrol in one, two, or three units per semester, however most students combining work with study find that one unit a semester is the optimal committment.
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