Educating physiotherapists to work in occupational health and safety (OHS)

Abstract

Through its Physiotherapist Education Framework 2021 [[1]] World Physiotherapy (WP) is working towards ‘harmonising’ undergraduate international physiotherapy education standards. The framework outlines expected competencies for graduate physiotherapists (entry level education) encompassing knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes. These therefore can be assumed to have been achieved in post graduate (PG) education programs.

This approach may be useful for PG education and recognition of Advanced Practice and Specialisation in different fields across the world. The Australian Physiotherapy Association’s (APA’s) Competence Framework [[2]] describes generic standards and competences for specialist education for Australian physiotherapists. There are similar guidelines in other countries, some of which rely on external training such as a Master’s degree, for example in occupational health (OH) and ergonomics.

In addition to the professional domains of competence, there are national education frameworks in the countries of many WP Member Organisations (MOs) [345]. To achieve public recognition of PG professional qualifications these standards also need to be met.