- Inherent requirements key terms
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- Inherent requirements for Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)
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- Inherent requirements for Education and Teaching
- Inherent requirements for Engineering courses
- Inherent requirements for Epidemiology
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- Inherent requirements for Interpreting and Translation
- Inherent requirements for Languages
- Inherent requirements for Law
- Inherent requirements for Mathematics
- Inherent requirements for Medicine
- Inherent requirements for Midwifery
- Inherent requirements for Nursing (preregistration) courses
- Inherent requirements for Nursing and Midwifery (postgraduate)
- Inherent requirements for Occupational Therapy
- Inherent requirements for Physiotherapy
- Inherent requirements for Podiatric Medicine
- Inherent requirements for Master of Professional Psychology
- Inherent requirements for Master of Clinical Psychology
- Inherent requirements for Bachelor of Social Work
- Inherent requirements for TESOL
- Inherent requirements for Chinese Medicine Health Care Disciplines
- Inherent requirements for Master of Public Health and Master of Health Science
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Inherent requirements for Physiotherapy
Introduction
Western Sydney University and the School of Science and Health (SSH) strongly supports the right of all people to pursue a Physiotherapy degree.
Inherent requirements are the essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the abilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course or unit, while preserving the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment and accreditation processes. The inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to complete the course that must be met by all students.
Students with a disability or chronic health condition may be able to have reasonable adjustments made to enable them to meet these requirements.
The School is committed to making reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional practice and other activities to enable students to participate in their course. Reasonable adjustments must not fundamentally change the nature of the inherent requirement.
Throughout their chosen course of study, students may be exposed to situations which may include mixed gender, religious and culturally diverse environments. Further information regarding specific activities within individual courses can be found in the University handbook or by contacting the corresponding Director of Academic Program.
Relevant registration may be sought from the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, which is a partner board of the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Authority (AHPRA) (opens in a new window) upon successful completion of the associated course. Further information on accreditation for individual courses can be found in the University Handbook or by contacting the corresponding Director of Academic Program.
To support prospective and current students’ decision making, a series of inherent requirement statements have been developed. These statements specify the essential skills, knowledge and abilities required for Physiotherapy degrees. Students should use this information to make informed decisions about their chosen course of study. The statements are clustered under 8 domains consisting of ethical behaviour, behavioural stability, legal, communication, cognition, sensory abilities, strength and mobility, and sustainable performance.
The inherent requirements outlined below provide a guide to inform decision making for students and staff.
How to read the inherent requirement statements
If you are intending to enrol in a Physiotherapy degree in the School of Science and Health (SSH), you should look at these inherent requirement statements and think about whether you may experience challenges in meeting these requirements.
If you think you may experience challenges for any reason including a disability or chronic health condition, you should discuss your concerns with the SSH staff, such as the Director of Academic Program, Academic Course Advisor, School Disability Coordinator or campus Disability Advisor. These staff can work collaboratively with you to determine reasonable adjustments to assist you to meet the inherent requirements. In the case where it is determined that inherent requirements cannot be met with reasonable adjustments, the University staff can provide guidance regarding other study options.
These inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other course information and the Physiotherapy Board of Australia (opens in a new window) publications such as the Physiotherapy Code of Conduct, the Physiotherapy Guidelines for Mandatory notifications, and the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
The inherent requirements are made up of the following five components and domains:
- Level 1 - introduction to the inherent requirement
- Level 2 - description of the inherent requirement
- Level 3 - explanation of why this is an inherent requirement of the course
- Level 4 - the nature of any adjustments that may be made to allow you to meet the requirement
- Level 5 - examples of tasks that show you've met the requirement. These are examples only and are not a comprehensive list.
There are eight domains of inherent requirements in the Physiotherapy courses listed above. Some domains have a number of sub-domains.
- Ethical behaviour
- Behavioural stability
- Legal
- Communication
- Cognition
- Sensory abilities
- Strength & mobility
- Sustainable performance
Inherent requirement statements
Ethical behaviour
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Physiotherapy is a profession that is governed by a code of conduct, standards, guidelines and policies, in which physiotherapists are both accountable and responsible for ensuring safe and professional behaviour in all contexts. |
2 | Student demonstrates knowledge of, and engages in ethical behaviour in practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure the codes and standards are not compromised or result in unethical behaviour. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Behavioural stability
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in a program of study in physiotherapy. |
2 | Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in diverse and changing academic and clinical environments, which may at times be challenging and unpredictable. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in both academic and clinical environments. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Legal
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Physiotherapy practice is mandated by legislation (opens in a new window) to enable the safe delivery of care. |
2 | Student demonstrates knowledge and compliance with Australian Law, professional regulation and scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
|
4 | Adjustments must be consistent with legislative and regulatory requirements. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Communication
This area of study requires effective, verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills.
VerbalInherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Effective verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to provide safe delivery of care. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must meet the necessary standards of functional effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy to ensure safe and appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to physiotherapy and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic and non-judgmental. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of or appropriate response to effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental physiotherapy responsibility with professional and legal ramifications. |
2 | Student demonstrates capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and clinical environments. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Cognition
This area of study requires knowledge of theory and the skills of cognition, literacy (language) and numeracy.
Knowledge and cognitive skillsInherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Consistent knowledge and effective cognitive skills must be demonstrated to provide safe and effective physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Competent literacy skills are essential to provide safe and effective physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential for safe and effective physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates the ability to interpret and correctly apply data, measurements and numerical criteria. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Sensory abilities
This area of study requires adequate visual, auditory and tactile abilities.
VisualInherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Adequate Visual acuity is required for safe and effective physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of tasks. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Adequate auditory ability is required for safe and effective physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of tasks. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must address the need to perform the range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing loss must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment of safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
|
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competent and safe physiotherapy practice. |
2 | Student demonstrates sufficient tactile function to undertake the required range of skills and assessments. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must have the capacity to make effective assessments of physical characteristics and abnormalities within safe time frames. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Strength & mobility
This area of study requires gross and fine motor skills.
Gross motorInherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Physiotherapy is a profession that involves physical demands and requires gross motor function. |
2 | Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within the scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
|
4 | Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to provided appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Physiotherapy is a profession that requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills. |
2 | Student demonstrated ability to use fine motor skills to function within scope of practice. |
3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
|
4 | Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate care. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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Sustainable performance
Inherent requirement statements | |
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1 | Physiotherapy practice requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level. |
2 | Student demonstrates:
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3 | Justification of inherent requirement:
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4 | Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor. |
5 | Exemplars:
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*Developed from: Johnson, A., Allan,T., Phillips,K., Azzopardi,T., Dickson,C., Goldsmith,M & Hengstberger-Sims, C. (2011). Inherent Requirements of Nursing Education (IRONE), Western Sydney University School of Nursing & Midwifery and Student Equity & Disability Services
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