physiotherapy in 2010

[mano91]

hi there, i am currently in yr 12. i was wondering which uni is good for physio and the enter requirements for it.
i know with melbourne, science must be taken first and then transfer into physio.

thank you in advance

[doboman]

hi there, i am currently in yr 12. i was wondering which uni is good for physio and the enter requirements for it.
i know with melbourne, science must be taken first and then transfer into physio.

thank you in advance

Such a broad question, and thus, will have a vast array of answers if you don't specify to a greater extent. I will, however, assume that you are aiming to stay in Melbourne or- at the most- Victoria.

There are three universities that offer physiotherapy in Victoria, and four courses. They are:

• Latrobe (bundoora and bendigo)
• Monash
• UniMelb

However, as UniMelb had the last intake of their undergraduate Bachelor course in 2009, the requirements will change for your year of entry.

I will go through the requirements of each university.

Uni Melbourne
As of 2009,  you will have to enter the graduate program. That is, do three years of an undergraduate course (whether that be BSc or Biomed at Melbourne, or any other 'relevant' course). Important to note that the undergraduate degree in which you choose to undertake will need to satisfy the mandatory pre-requisites: human anatomy and human physiology.
Selection: Selection into this post-graduate "Dr of Physiotherapy" will be based on three assessments.
1. Academic record – grade point average (GPA) from a completed three (or more) year university degree.

To be competitive it is anticipated that applicants will have achieved a standard of at least 70% or higher or equivalent GPA in their undergraduate degree.

2. Result in an aptitude test. Most likely, the GAMSAT
3. It is highly anticipated that interviews will also be conducted to further sort out applicants.
Further Reading

Monash
Monash is the only university in Victoria to sill offer an undergraduate Bachelor of Physiotherapy course. The course is 4 years.
Selection: Selection into this course is more straight forward than the tedious UniMelb course.
1. ENTER

Units 3 and 4 - a study score of at least 25 in English (any) and in any two of

    * Biology
    * Chemistry
    * Mathematical Methods
    * Physics
    * Specialist Mathematics

2. UMAT
3. INTERVIEW
Although it is not known what the cut-offs are, i can tell you of two of my friends' marks who got offered this course first round.

Person A: ENTER: 90.40, UMAT: 157
Person B: ENTER 93.55, UMAT: 142       (Needless to say, they both aced their interview)
It is important to note that this course is in the Peninsular- and thus, travel and accommodation must be considered.

LaTrobe
First year of the new double degree course
Latrobe offers physiotherapy at both, bendigo and bundoora. The entry requirements are slightly different, but the course, and its pre-reqs are the same. Latrobe has introduced, what they like to call, the 'latrobe model', which has a 'common' first year across most of the health courses (podiatry, orthoptics, speech path, physio) and allows all the disciplines to intertwine with each other The course is 4 years. The New course is a double degree and is called :Bach of Health Science&Master of Physiotherapy practice 

Important read
Further reading

Selection:

Prerequisites:
VCE Units 3 & 4: a study score of at least 30 in English (ESL) or 25 in any other English and in two of biology, chemistry, a mathematics (any), physical education or physics.

ENTER: Bendigo= 92.30. Bundoora: 97.00

NO UMAT IS USED IN SELCTION PROCESS, AND THERE IS NO INTERVIEW EITHER!

Nb: that the ENTER scores represent that of first round only, and that the Bendigo ENTER went to ~89 before all rounds were over. Bundoora also went to ~95.7 by the time 3rd round was finished.

Which is better you ask?
Melbourne's Dr of Physiotherapy is anticipated to be the best course for physio, but also the hardest to get into (come 2011). I honestly/personally don't think it's worth the risk (of not getting in after your 3 year science degree). That leaves us with Monash and LaTrobe. Latrobe is practically know for its Physiotherapy course. It's lasted the longest, and has always been the most popular (even with UniMelb in the mix). Monash's course is relatively new, with its first back of graduates leaving last year. My personal opinion, if you think you can make it to the new Dr of Physiotherapy at Melb, then go for it. But if you want physio- now- go Latrobe. You leave with a Masters (becoming a Dr.) and it's a highly respected course. That said, there isn't expected to be a huge difference between the pay of graduates from Monash's Bachelor degree, Latrobe's Masters double degree or even Melbourne's Dr of physiotherapy.

If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask