Christmas celebrations came early for students and staff in Charles Sturt University’s physiotherapy degree after hearing that the course has been recognised for its high academic standards by the Australian Council of Physiotherapy Regulating Authorities (ACOPRA).

The physiotherapy course, offered by the University’s School of Community Health on the Albury-Wodonga Campus, was awarded full ACOPRA accreditation on 11 December, after a five year process that included a final assessment of practising graduates during their first year in the workplace. 

The CSU course is among the first programs in Australia to achieve full accreditation using this intensive format. All physiotherapy degree courses in Australia – both new and established – must be accredited by ACOPRA for graduates to receive professional recognition of their qualifications.  

“CSU physiotherapy graduates have skills that specifically prepare them to work in rural and regional as well as metropolitan areas,” said the Dean of the CSU Faculty of Health Studies, Professor Mark Burton.

“Full accreditation means that our physiotherapy graduates can register and work in all states and territories of Australia and are eligible to work internationally. 

Professor Burton said that graduates from Charles Sturt University are addressing the shortage of health professionals in regional and rural Australia.

“Of the 29 CSU physiotherapy graduates in 2002 – our first group in the degree – over 60 per cent commenced work in regional areas such as Swan Hill and Griffith, while 33 percent are in smaller metropolitan areas such as Newcastle, Wollongong and Hobart. The remainder are working in Sydney,” he said.

The physiotherapy course is one of a number of degrees offered by the Faculty of Health Studies, which also includes pharmacy, speech pathology, medical imaging, paramedical studies, occupational therapy, podiatry and nursing.