Physio Information & Question Thread

[K888]

Hi guys!
I’m currently studying Physiotherapy at Monash University. I also received an offer at the start of 2017 to study at ACU in North Sydney, but turned it down in favour of remaining in Victoria.
I hope this thread goes some way to shed some light on what studying physio is like, and if you have any questions please ask
I've placed all the info I've written in spoilers to avoid making this post too long

Universities that offer physio (VIC, NSW & ACT):

-   Monash University (UG, PG in mid-2020)
-   La Trobe University (UG, PG)
-   University of Melbourne (PG)
-   Australian Catholic University (UG)
-   Charles Sturt University (UG)
-   University of Newcastle (UG, PG)
-   University of Sydney (UG, PG)
-   University of Canberra (UG, PG)
-   University of Technology Sydney (PG)
-   Western Sydney University (UG)
-   Swinburne University (PG)
-   Federation University (UG, proposed to start in 2021)

Prerequisites

-   These vary at different universities
-   English
-   Generally two of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Methods, Specialist, potentially Physical Education or any Maths
-   The ATAR required is generally 90+, at some universities high 80s will put you in contention, and at some universities you need high 90s
-   Monash also requires you to sit an interview

What does a physio do?

Physios have a pretty wide scope of practice – they assess, diagnose, treat and prevent health conditions and movement disorders. I think a really important part of physiotherapy is helping and working to improve quality of life in people of all ages.
Most people have interactions with physios who work in musculoskeletal and/or sports physiotherapy – these are the physios you see in private practice – but the reality is, that’s a small sample of physiotherapy.
You’ll see physios in a wide variety of settings – hospitals, private practice, workplaces, etc. Some of the areas they work in are orthopaedics, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, neurology, paediatrics, oncology, sports, men’s & women’s health, gerontology – but there’s plenty more areas and fields you’ll see a physio working in!

What does the course generally involve?

-   All courses involve practical placements, these generally occur in the later years of your degree
-   If your course has honours, you will be doing research projects, and potentially an honours thesis, during your degree. Several courses have honours integrated within the course, so you won’t necessarily be doing the traditional honours thesis that’s done in other courses.
-   On-campus learning generally involves anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, practical classes, physiotherapy theory, research, public health & health promotion, etc.
-   As far as I know, all courses use cadavers/wet specimens in anatomy education to varying degrees
-   You’ll be educated in different aspects of physiotherapy – musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, neurological, orthopaedics, women’s & men’s health, paediatrics, etc.

What’s it like to study physio? What skills do I need?

I guess the answer to this question is different from person to person. For me, it’s great – I’m always learning so much, and what we learn is truly interesting stuff that I feel really passionate about. It can be a pretty intense and sometimes overwhelming workload – in first year, I generally had 5 days a week at uni, and anywhere from 20-24+ contact hours (reducing in later years) with a lot of independent study. Once I got to second year and third year I usually had one day off a week. In the later years of your degree, you’ll have a number of placements to go through. If you’re disciplined, and are willing to work hard, then there’s no reason you can’t do physio. It's an enjoyable course, so in the end, the hard work is definitely worth it. Plus, if you take it one week at a time, things aren't too bad - it just gets a bit overwhelming if you look at the whole semester and think of all the things you have to do.
 
You’ll have to get comfortable seeing/working with cadavers/wet specimens. It can be confronting the first few times you see them, but hopefully you’ll become accustomed to it - you get to learn from the wet specs throughout your time on campus (the first 2.5 years of the degree in the case of Monash). A lot of people say the worst thing is the smell – the preservative used to keep the specimens in good condition has a bit of a funny smell (it can sometimes make you feel hungry, which can be disconcerting). Working with wet specimens is truly a privilege – you learn so much about the human body and its structure, and it’s pretty cool that people have actually donated their bodies so that you can learn all these awesome things.

You also get used to seeing people (and also being in) various stages of undress in practical classes – you get over that within the first week, don’t worry! You have to get used to using your hands – physiotherapy is a very hands-on profession, and your hands are your main tools – they allow you to perform treatments and physically assist people. So, if you’re not cool with touching people, maybe work on that.

I think it's also important to consider how necessary communication skills are. You have to be able to explain things to a patient (such as the condition they have, a particular exercise you want them to do and why, etc.) and have to be able to relate to them. Empathy is huge in healthcare! But don't stress if you're not the best communicator out there - you get heaps of practice during the course and if you're willing to learn, you'll be fine.

Monash course info

Structure
So, Monash run their course a bit differently to other unis. The way it's structured, you do one big unit worth 24 credit points per semester (as opposed to four units worth 6 credit points). You cover a different theme each semester. Within the theme, you generally cover: CBL (case based learning), anatomy, physio theory, physiology, physio skill practicals and research.

At the moment, the course structure for uni based learning is:
Year 1, Semester 1: Lower limb musculoskeletal physio
Year 1, Semester 2: Upper limb (and spine) musculoskeletal physio
Year 2, Semester 1: Cardiorespiratory physio
Year 2, Semester 2: Neuro physio
Year 3, Semester 1: Womens & Men's Health, Paediatrics, more musculoskeletal & neuro stuff, and a build on the complexity of previous topics, etc.

Then after this, you go out on placement, essentially for the rest of the degree! You return to uni towards the end of fourth year for a few weeks to go back over stuff and present some things, etc. but that's pretty much it.

Which textbooks do I need?
I want to preface this by saying you definitely don't have to buy every textbook on the list, usually you only have to buy one or two and then you can borrow the rest from the library as needed - but if you want to, you don't have to buy any textbooks as the uni has a pretty good supply in the library! I'd also recommend waiting till you're a few weeks into your first semester/have gotten advice from older students to see which textbooks you'll actually need before you go buying heaps.

In first year, the two main textbooks to have are Clinical Sports Medicine and Clinically Oriented Anatomy. The others aren't so essential, and you can borrow them from the library. I personally also bought the Physiology textbook as well (Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach), but whether you get it (and the other books on the booklist) is up to personal preference - I haven't actually used the physiology textbook much since first year.

In second year (first semester), it's important to have Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy: Adults and Paediatrics (Main & Denehy). You keep on using Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Human Physiology. I've also got a copy of The Physiotherapist's Pocketbook, which isn't necessary to have, but I've found it really useful to be able to refer back to something small to double check and all that.

In the second semester of second year, there's two books I really recommend you have:
- Neurological Rehabilitation: optimising motor performance (Carr & Shepherd)
- Clinical Outcome Measurement in Adult Neurological Physiotherapy (Hill et al) (definitely get this for your neuro placement!!!)
These are referred to as the "bibles" of neuro physio and I use them weekly. They're not particularly big either so they're super easy and convenient to keep in your backpack!
There's other books like Neuroanatomy (Crossman & Neary) and the Pocketbook of Neurological Physiotherapy but they're not essential - you can always borrow a copy from the library if you want to.

Third year mainly uses the textbooks from previous semesters and you can borrow anything else you need from the library or just access it online.

What's the go with placement?
Monash do placement in 5 week blocks where you usually attend 4 days a week. Hours are usually 8am - 4:30pm. You'll do placements in different streams, such as:
- Neurology
- Cardiorespiratory
- Gerontology
- Musculoskeletal/orthopaedics
- Paediatrics
- General medicine
Third year has 2-3 "core" blocks of placement, and you do another 3 in fourth year (2 "core" and 1 elective), plus a 2 week lifespan placement, which is usually in paediatrics.
You'll end up doing most placements in hospitals. You might also end up with some rural placements and will likely get to experience a few different hospitals and health networks.

Hope this helped!

Last updated: 24/11/20

[Joseph41]

Great thread, K888!

+1.

[jaceyjace]

Yes! This post is awesome! - I was misinformed by someone at Melbourne  and so as a year 12 considering physio I didn't know under-grad at Monash even existed. I have 3 questions: How many subjects do you do at one time? Is physio only offered at peninsula campus? and how competitive is it (not getting into it) more like, is the environment competitive? 

[K888]

Yes! This post is awesome! - I was misinformed by someone at Melbourne  and so as a year 12 considering physio I didn't know under-grad at Monash even existed. I have 3 questions: How many subjects do you do at one time? Is physio only offered at peninsula campus? and how competitive is it (not getting into it) more like, is the environment competitive? 

Hi jaceyjace! Thanks

The two main under-grad courses in Vic are Monash and La Trobe - both are good courses!
To answer your questions:
1. We technically only study one unit, however it's worth 24 credit points - so it's like doing the usual 4 units worth 6 credit points. Within this unit, you do CBL, anatomy, physiology, physio theory, research, pracs, and a few other assorted things What this model allows for is a bit more continuity and connectedness between the different aspects of the physio course.

2. Physio is only offered at the Peninsula campus. It's a really nice campus, though! Smaller, clean, not too many students (always a place to sit in the library ), and no annoying socialists You do go to Clayton once a week (usually Wednesdays) for the first 2.5 years of the degree (for the rest you're on placement), where you do your anatomy pracs (this is where you work with the wet specimens) and have a few lectures - usually anatomy, as well as some physiology.

3. The environment is amazing. It's not competitive or snarky, and everyone is super nice, approachable and friendly. There's a fair bit of group work involved, so you become friends with people pretty quickly, and it's all just super awesome. Literally have not seen anyone be mean at all, and everyone's willing to help you if you're struggling. The staff are also phenomenal

Hope this helped, please ask if you want any clarification or have any more questions!

[onrainydays]

Hi K888!

I was thinking of doing physio in uni but I dont think I can get the ATAR. Is the ATAR required usually around 95 for Monash and LaTrobe? Do you know if anyone got around the 90's but still got into monash physio? Thank you!

[K888]

Hi K888!

I was thinking of doing physio in uni but I dont think I can get the ATAR. Is the ATAR required usually around 95 for Monash and LaTrobe? Do you know if anyone got around the 90's but still got into monash physio? Thank you!

Hi onrainydays! Thanks so much for popping by and asking a question Apologies if none of this makes sense haha

At La Trobe, the clearly in tends to be higher, usually around 97ish (but let's be honest, probably a majority of people get less than this, I know of people who got in with ATARs in the lower 90s). Monash has the interview, so the ATAR needed tends to be a bit lower - the Monash Guarantee for physio is 86, and I think the lowest ATAR of someone who got an offer last year was 86.2 (according to the website). There are certainly plenty of people in my course who scored in the lower 90's range
The great thing about having the interview requirement as well as ATAR means you get put on a bit more of a level playing field with other applicants. Haven't really spoken about ATARs that much with people, but I do know people that got high 80s and got into the course, as well as people who got around the high 90s and didn't (hope this doesn't make anyone apprehensive of the interview - it's not complex and in my opinion, is really great, as scoring a really high ATAR doesn't mean you necessarily have aptitude for a course ).

If you're thinking about doing physio at uni, definitely put it down. In my opinion, Monash has a great course, and a better campus than La Trobe, but please make your own opinions as well I'm sure you'll be able to get the ATAR required! You also have things such as SEAS that can help you out. And also, even if worst case scenario, you don't get in, you can start another course then transfer across - I know a number of people who have done this

A tad off topic, but I'd also recommend coming to the upcoming open day! It's on Saturday the 5th of August at Peninsula, from 10am-3pm I think, but there'll also be info at Clayton on Sunday the 6th of August. The open day is really great for checking out the campus, and having a chat to the staff (who are awesome) - honestly, it was the reason I decided on Monash over La Trobe

It's also worth noting, if you're really set on doing physio at uni, consider applying interstate as well - I know that the University of Canberra usually has a lower ATAR requirement, and also, applying to more places increases your chances of getting in.

[Joseph41]

Hi K888!

I was thinking of doing physio in uni but I dont think I can get the ATAR. Is the ATAR required usually around 95 for Monash and LaTrobe? Do you know if anyone got around the 90's but still got into monash physio? Thank you!

Welcome to ATAR Notes, onrainydays!

[thelolcat]

Hi! I have a lot of questions to ask, hopefully they aren't too dumb...

1. Is the job avalability for physiotherapists decent in Victoria (Western suburbs to be specific)? Is it normal or better to have to specialise after doing the base course in Physiotherapy?

2. I've heard that Latrobe offers better health courses in general over other unis, how come you opted to choose Monash in the end? (Other than the fact that you enjoyed the open day) Also is UniMelb's Physiotherapy course decent (I'm considering since its location is better than the former two)

3. I don't know if this is a good question to ask, but did the 'name' of Monash Uni play a part at all in you choosing to study there? I know in high school people like to choose unis based on the 'name' and prestige like UniMelb and I'm just wondering whether this should play a part for my own decision-making? And would future employers consider a Monash graduate to be more appealing than say an ACU or Latrobe graduate?


Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!! I appreciate it!

[K888]

Hi! I have a lot of questions to ask, hopefully they aren't too dumb...

Hi! Not a problem. There's no such thing as a dumb question I really apologise for the messy response haha

1. Is the job avalability for physiotherapists decent in Victoria (Western suburbs to be specific)? Is it normal or better to have to specialise after doing the base course in Physiotherapy?

From what I know, the job market for physiotherapists is quite good. It's always a profession that's in demand, and the great thing is there's so many places you can work - hospitals, private practice, community health centres, sporting clubs, etc. More and more, physios are becoming one of the primary contact practitioners in healthcare, and their important role in healthcare is being increasingly acknowledged, so it's definitely a career that you can take places, and will be able to get a job in.
I'm not too sure about the specific market in the Western suburbs, but I'm sure it's not too different to the rest of the state. I personally don't know of anyone who has struggled immensely to find a job after graduating.

In terms of specialising - a lot of people tend to go back and do post-grad qualifications as they find that they have a particular interest in a certain area. Some roles, such as being an Emergency Department Physiotherapist, or a Sports Physiotherapist, will usually require post-grad qualifications (generally Masters) for you to be able to work in that role.
So yes, if you want to work in a specific field of physiotherapy that tends to require a specialisation course, then you're obviously better off to go and do post-grad qualifications.
That being said, it's not actually a requirement that you go do specialisation once you've completed your course. Having a Bachelor of Physiotherapy qualifies you to be a fully registered physio, and you can easily continue working with that base degree, or you can opt to pursue some extra training in the future.
This is something that you get talked to about more as you get into the later years of your degree and into placement. But specialisation is definitely not a decision that needs to be made straight after you finish uni or anything, you can take as much time as you want to think about it.

2. I've heard that Latrobe offers better health courses in general over other unis, how come you opted to choose Monash in the end? (Other than the fact that you enjoyed the open day) Also is UniMelb's Physiotherapy course decent (I'm considering since its location is better than the former two)

Yes, La Trobe has a good reputation for its health science courses, as it was the original uni (It started as the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences) that offered health science courses in Victoria. It has the longest running physiotherapy course in the state, iirc, and has a very good sport and exercise medicine research centre.
I chose Monash though, for a number of reasons:
- I hated the La Trobe campus, and all of the students and staff I talked to seemed disinterested and just generally didn't give me good vibes. Maybe this was just who they got to help on Open Day, but who knows. I just really didn't like the vibe of the place at all, and (also from stories from people I know going there) it seemed incredibly impersonal.
- I chose Monash because La Trobe run the "core first year" for almost all of their health science courses, so I wouldn't really have been studying anything physio related in my first year, and that didn't appeal to me. -> This was probably one of the biggest contributing factors for me. I was super keen to just get in and start physio-related stuff from day one, so the Monash course appealed to me a lot more.
- Monash run an integrated course - that is, you study the equivalent of 4 units within 1 unit. This means everything you study is linked to each other, integrated, and very systematic. Things don't jump around like they do at the unis that offer the traditional 4 units per semester structure.
- I spoke to some Monash physio students when I did work experience at my local hospital - they enjoyed the course, were really personable, and were incredibly switched on people. Related to this, I talked to students at the Open Day, and they gave me awesome vibes. Really happy to chat, really knowledgeable, and really passionate.
- Location - the location of the Monash campus was a lot more convenient for me, and it's just a nicer campus in general.
- My family work at a hospital, so I got the opportunity to chat to some of the physios there - they said when they had students come on placement, the Monash ones consistently had better clinical reasoning skills, and were generally more competent and ready to get involved.

Some of these may just be coincidental and due to the type of people I met. But I definitely have no regrets choosing Monash. It's an awesome degree and I have no doubt it's equipping me with the skills to be a great physio

In terms of UniMelb - definitely a good course. I didn't particularly consider it, as I wanted to do physio as an undergraduate degree, but UniMelb have some great staff there running the course, and they've been running their physio program for a while too. They also have a great research centre at the uni. If you don't mind the fact that your degree will take a few extra years, and it's really convenient for you, then definitely consider doing it. But I don't feel like I'm in a position to tell you to definitely consider, or not consider, a certain course.

3. I don't know if this is a good question to ask, but did the 'name' of Monash Uni play a part at all in you choosing to study there? I know in high school people like to choose unis based on the 'name' and prestige like UniMelb and I'm just wondering whether this should play a part for my own decision-making? And would future employers consider a Monash graduate to be more appealing than say an ACU or Latrobe graduate?

Great thing about physio is that the requirements for the course to be endorsed (that is, to allow the graduates of the course to become registered physiotherapists) means that no matter which uni you go to, you're essentially learning the same skills. There's not a heap of difference in terms of the things you learn, just in the way the content is delivered and the staff who deliver it. This means that the job you get at the end of your degree is not going to be because of the uni you went to - everyone is on an equal footing, and I'm yet to hear of an employer that only accepts graduates from a certain uni. It just doesn't happen.

The "name" of Monash didn't play any part in me making my decision. I put Monash as my first preference because of the merits of the course, not the prestige of the uni. I was actually considering putting Charles Sturt Uni (in Albury) as my top preference for a while, and the reason I didn't was simply because I decided I wanted to live in Melbourne for a few years, having grown up in country Victoria.

Definitely don't make prestige the reason you pick a uni. It won't matter in physio, so please make sure the reason you chose a course is because you like the actual course.
Like I said above, employers care about the "B. Physio" on your resume, not the uni it was received from. They care more about your clinical skills, and ability to be a good healthcare practitioner, rather than the place you learned those skills at.
You can be sure that no matter which uni you go to, you're gonna get some pretty good educators, so no stress.

Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!! I appreciate it!

No worries!

If you have any further questions, or would like some clarification, please don't hesitate to ask.

[onrainydays]

Hi onrainydays! Thanks so much for popping by and asking a question Apologies if none of this makes sense haha

At La Trobe, the clearly in tends to be higher, usually around 97ish (but let's be honest, probably a majority of people get less than this, I know of people who got in with ATARs in the lower 90s). Monash has the interview, so the ATAR needed tends to be a bit lower - the Monash Guarantee for physio is 86, and I think the lowest ATAR of someone who got an offer last year was 86.2 (according to the website). There are certainly plenty of people in my course who scored in the lower 90's range
The great thing about having the interview requirement as well as ATAR means you get put on a bit more of a level playing field with other applicants. Haven't really spoken about ATARs that much with people, but I do know people that got high 80s and got into the course, as well as people who got around the high 90s and didn't (hope this doesn't make anyone apprehensive of the interview - it's not complex and in my opinion, is really great, as scoring a really high ATAR doesn't mean you necessarily have aptitude for a course ).

If you're thinking about doing physio at uni, definitely put it down. In my opinion, Monash has a great course, and a better campus than La Trobe, but please make your own opinions as well I'm sure you'll be able to get the ATAR required! You also have things such as SEAS that can help you out. And also, even if worst case scenario, you don't get in, you can start another course then transfer across - I know a number of people who have done this

A tad off topic, but I'd also recommend coming to the upcoming open day! It's on Saturday the 5th of August at Peninsula, from 10am-3pm I think, but there'll also be info at Clayton on Sunday the 6th of August. The open day is really great for checking out the campus, and having a chat to the staff (who are awesome) - honestly, it was the reason I decided on Monash over La Trobe

It's also worth noting, if you're really set on doing physio at uni, consider applying interstate as well - I know that the University of Canberra usually has a lower ATAR requirement, and also, applying to more places increases your chances of getting in.

THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REPLY!! :DD

[onrainydays]

Welcome to ATAR Notes, onrainydays!

Thank you Joseph41!

[thuynh]

HEYY ! I'm just wondering if you ever considered osteopathy or know much about it.... I heard that it is a rising profession too !

Also how many students are in your physio cohort ? Do you know how what the chances are roughly to get into Monash physio and la Trobe?

[thelolcat]

Hey K888, thanks for the reply! It really helped, I also went to the Monash open day to have a look at the physic stand but too bad it was very crowded and small. Anyways, I also wanted to ask about more things if that's cool!

1. Is it more common for physiotherapists to be working in hospitals for perhaps the rehab faculty, or more so in private establishments at like physio+pilates centres? Also, adding on to the former part of the q, do most hospitals have a department for physiotherapists to work in?

2. The ATAR for B. physio is quite high, so if you didn't manage to get the required ATAR/didn't manage to get in the course, what would you have gone with? What about OT? (I'm assuming that you were looking at the health science side of things as I am right now... guess I just want some recommendations for a backup course.)

Thanks once again! Tbh I'll probs hit you with some more Q's later if that's fine hahah

[K888]

HEYY ! I'm just wondering if you ever considered osteopathy or know much about it.... I heard that it is a rising profession too !

Hi there! I do know about osteopathy, however I never considered doing it. Whilst osteopathy is a growing field, physios have a much larger scope of practice (i.e. physios work in hospitals, private practice, occupational health, etc. etc. whereas osteopaths are concentrated in private practice), are much more widely recognised and trusted, and I'm personally not about the large focus placed on manual therapy by osteopathy. I'm also not so keen on it due to its comparative lack of evidence behind practice - there's just nowhere near as much evidence behind it as there is with physiotherapy. Not here to debate about what's better though, just will say that I personally never had any interest in it.

If you're curious about it, it's worth doing some research and reading. Maybe also go have a chat to a local physiotherapist and osteopath to gain their thoughts in order to help inform you.

Also how many students are in your physio cohort ? Do you know how what the chances are roughly to get into Monash physio and la Trobe?

In terms of my cohort - would say there's about 130? Maybe a few more? They increased the size of the cohort for us this year, but it's still not huge.
In terms of chances - I guess you mean like how many people applied, vs how many people got in? To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. That's probably a question better asked of your careers advisor, or perhaps they publish statistics about that stuff on the uni websites It is a competitive course, though, although definitely not impossible to get into.

Hey K888, thanks for the reply! It really helped, I also went to the Monash open day to have a look at the physic stand but too bad it was very crowded and small. Anyways, I also wanted to ask about more things if that's cool!

Hi! Not a problem at all. Did you go to the Clayton open day? Unfortunately, because the course isn't based at Clayton, you don't get to see the facilities, or get a chance to have a detailed talk with the teaching staff and students, which is a shame.
If you're really interested, it would be worth it contacting the faculty and asking if you could perhaps come in and check out the place and have a chat to some staff - I don't know their policy surrounding this, but I imagine it would be able to happen!

1. Is it more common for physiotherapists to be working in hospitals for perhaps the rehab faculty, or more so in private establishments at like physio+pilates centres? Also, adding on to the former part of the q, do most hospitals have a department for physiotherapists to work in?

Would have to have a look at the statistics released by APA for sure, but I believe there are more hospital physios than private practice physios by a reasonable amount. Think I read somewhere that the statistics was like a 60-65% vs 40-35% split? Unsure though.
If you think about it - there's heaps of hospitals, with large allied health departments that employ a lot of people, vs scattered privated practices that employ a few physios. It's not a massive difference, but there is a difference. But really, you can go work in whichever side of physio you want, the statistics don't have to dictate what you do.

In hospitals - physios work in the allied health department (working in conjunction with OTs, speech pathologists, dieticians, prosthetists, etc.). They do a lot of rehab, but also work in things like fracture management, injury assessment, managing cardiorespiratory conditions, discharge planning (assessing if someone is safe to go home or not), etc. So much of what physios do is focused on getting patients up and mobile, helping them adjust to any life changes, and helping them improve quality of life. Pretty awesome.

I couldn't recommend going and checking out the allied health department at a hospital if you can - usually, they're pretty happy to facilitate student interest in allied health!
If you can do work experience there, even better! It gives you a great insight into how things run, what the job is really like, etc.

2. The ATAR for B. physio is quite high, so if you didn't manage to get the required ATAR/didn't manage to get in the course, what would you have gone with? What about OT? (I'm assuming that you were looking at the health science side of things as I am right now... guess I just want some recommendations for a backup course.)

Hmmm, difficult question. To be honest, I didn't really have any plan other than "do physio" haha. I applied to all the physio courses with lower ATAR requirements as contingency plans, but I'm not too sure what I would have done if I didn't get in. Probably would have started a different course, then looked to transfer ASAP.

I believe I put down prosthetics as my next preference after all the physio courses in VTAC, so I would be doing that if I didn't get physio. Quite intrinsically linked with physio, and a pretty awesome field of work.
My other allied health option would probably have been OT, but I was never particularly interested in it. Other things to consider are speech pathology, audiology, dietetics, etc. but it depends on what you're interested in.

And I think paramedicine was like, my last preference - moreso because I was also interested in that side of things too, so could picture myself potentially doing it.

Thanks once again! Tbh I'll probs hit you with some more Q's later if that's fine hahah

Not a problem! Always happy to answer any questions

[thelolcat]

Once again cheers for the reply! Few questions to ask again too.. Haha

1. Did the average salary level for being a Physiotherapy play much of a role in deciding to do it? I know interest in the course is of paramount importance over the money - but at the end if the day the money still is significant. So I'm just wondering what you were thinking on this when you chose to do it?

2. I've been researching a bit about physios, and I've read that the more older physios tend to suffer aches here and there, which I'm assuming is due to constant practice of Physiotherapy? The stuff I've seen in this is a bit vague too so I don't know how much credibility this has, what do you think?

Thanks in advance (again...)