Physiotherapy, Keeps A Body Moving
Physiotherapy plays an essential role in helping people to
achieve optimal physical function and healthy lifestyles.
Physiotherapists treat people of all ages and from all sorts
of backgrounds – they might have a painful back, occupational
overuse syndrome, cystic fibrosis, or have recently given birth.
 They could be recovering from an accident, a sporting injury
or maybe they have undergone heart surgery. Physiotherapists
are educated to assess, treat and prevent this vast range of
physical limitations and dysfunction. By using therapy such as
exercises and manual and electrotherapeutic techniques,
physiotherapists are able to assist their patients to lead
independent, healthy and fulfilling lives.
“The range of physiotherapy is so broad it covers every spectrum of
healing the body and I think that everyone eventually finds their own
niche. With a physiotherapy qualification you can travel anywhere and
find work.”
Emma Ferris BPhty
What is a Physiotherapist?
Physiotherapists are people who are educated
to assess, treat and prevent a vast range of
physical limitations and bodily dysfunction. By
using therapy such as exercises and manual
and electrotherapeutic techniques,
physiotherapists are able to assist their patients
to lead independent, healthy and fulfilling lives.
This makes physiotherapy an extremely
rewarding career. The best physiotherapists
are those with exceptional communication
skills, a genuine desire to improve the wellbeing
and quality of life of others and who
have a good level of physical fitness.
What will I study?
The Otago Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPhty)
is a prestigious four year programme. It is
internationally renowned for excellence,
because its graduates are among the best,
and because it ensures its clinical teaching and
research programmes are continually refined
and improved, to keep in step with modern
physiotherapy practice, the latest research,
and teaching methodologies.
The first year is the University of Otago Health
Science First Year programme. This is a
prescribed set of papers designed to provide
a broad understanding of the scientific
principles and communication skills which will
underpin your further studies in health science.
In the second year, the course focuses on the
scientific knowledge you will need as a
physiotherapist, including Anatomy, Physiology
and Pharmacology, and an introduction to
Physiotherapy Science and Clinical Practice.
The third year builds on your understanding
of the human body, and introduces Pathology
and some of the broader issues encountered
in practice, including management skills, and
engagment with the community. Clinical
Practice is also a key element of third year.
In the fourth and final year, you will be based
at one of the School’s clinical centres in
Dunedin, Christchurch or Wellington. You will
spend the majority of the year undertaking
supervised clinical practice in a variety of
rotations around the city as well as in other
towns and cities in the surrounding province.
At the completion of your degree you may
be registered with the New Zealand
Physiotherapy Board or with the regulatory
body in the country that you intend to practice.
Postgraduate Study
The School of Physiotherapy also has a
comprehensive postgraduate programme,
enabling physiotherapists who wish to further
their study to pursue independent research
and specialised clinical skills to the highest
level. Postgraduate students perform an
important role in advancing the field of
physiotherapy, and many move into teaching
physiotherapy at a tertiary level and research.
Background Required
There are no subject requirements for entry into
the Health Sciences First Year programme, but we
strongly recommend you take chemistry, physics
and biology at Year 13. HSFY must be your first
year of university study. If you are considering
tertiary study before enrolling, you are strongly
advised to contact the Health Sciences Admissions
Office beforehand.
Admission to the programme
Admission to Physiotherapy is competitive, of the
120 places available, approximately 80 places are
offered to students who have completed the
HSFY programme at the University of Otago.
Selection into Physiotherapy from HSFY is
competitive. Selection is based on your grades in
the HSFY papers and results in the Undergraduate
Medical and Health Sciences Admission Test
(UMAT). The minimum grade point average
requirement is a B-, and no compulsory paper
grade can be less than a C. The UMAT is a test
which measures non-academic attributes, for more
information go to www.acer.edu.au/umat.
Applications are also considered in the Second
year of University Study category, the Competitive
Graduate category (UMAT required) and Other
category (allied health professionals, and mature
graduates). Additional places are available for
international students who return to their home
country after graduating. Applicants who are of
Mäori or Pacific Island (Polynesian) descent may
request this be taken in to account as part of their
application.
How do I apply for admission to
Physiotherapy?
Application information for admission into the
Health Science professional programmes from all
categories is available online, at
www.otago.ac.nz/healthsciences.
Clinical Requirements
Some aspects of teaching in the Health Sciences
professional programmes require students to
partially disrobe and take part in activities that
include physical contact between students. This
training is closely supervised and all students are
required to participate. Students who anticipate
situations sensitive to their culture or beliefs should
contact the school for advice.
Immunity status
Students seeking admission to Physiotherapy must
provide evidence of their serology status to the
following infections: Hepatitis B and C, measles,
mumps, rubella and varicella.
International Applications
Persons who do not hold New Zealand citizenship
or permanent residence should address their
enquiries to the University’s International Office,
PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
Career Opportunities
The more we learn about how the human body
operates, the greater the opportunities there are
for qualified physiotherapists to practise and
undertake research, not only in New Zealand but
around the world. Physiotherapists are valued for
their work in hospitals, aged care facilities and
rehabilitation centres. They are responsible for
helping people maintain peak physical condition,
as integral members of sports teams, fitness centres
and sports clinics. Others find employment in
schools or community care organizations, and
many establish their own private practices. A
growing awareness of the importance of keeping
workers healthy and productive in today’s industrial
environment has also created employment
opportunities within large companies as
occupational health and safety professionals, and
in the area of health management.
EMMA FERRIS
 Emma Ferris chose to study physiotherapy because
she wanted a “hands-on career”. “I was really
interested in the human body, how it works, how
it can break down and how to fix it.” she says. The
problem-solving aspect of physiotherapy appealed
to her too: “You can have someone come in
complaining about a sore elbow and as you work
through the problem you can discover that it’s
actually a problem in their neck.” Emma says that
physiotherapy involves treating the whole person
and having a holistic view of the body. As well as
having a sound scientific knowledge about the
human body, physiotherapists also needed to be
good communicators. “Because you spend quite
a long time with patients, and touch them, people
open up and trust you. They can tell you quite a
lot of detail about their lives,” she says.
The School of Physiotherapy is an excellent place
to study, with supportive lecturers and a tight knit
group of students. In fact, her mentor was so
encouraging and inspiring that Emma decided to
do postgraduate study straight away, rather than
after a couple of years in the workforce, and to
complete a Masters in Manipulative Physiotherapy.
“Of the three main areas of physiotherapy –
cardio-pulmonary, neurorehabilitation and
musculoskeletal – musculoskeletal is the one that
really attracted me.”
Further information
School
of Physiotherapy,
University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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