History of the APA |
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In 2006 Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) members celebrated 100 years of helping Australians move well and stay well. It was a humble beginning when a small group of massage therapists (as they were known then) from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and one from Western Australia decided to form an association to protect the public from untrained and bogus practitioners. By setting membership and educational standards they aimed to ensure that therapists were safe to practise. While the Association has grown and changed its name since 1906, the aims have remained the same. In the early days members were trained rather than educated, and practised with little independence and a low public profile. Initially, massage therapists worked under the direction of doctors in public hospitals. A brave few went into private practice, but life for these pioneers was tough. It was not until World War I, with many severely injured soldiers requiring extensive rehabilitation that physiotherapy began to receive public recognition as a valuable treatment. World War II and the polio epidemics that savaged Australia in the 1950s provided further opportunities for physiotherapists to make a significant contribution to the health of Australians. Today, physiotherapists work independently, and along side doctors, to diagnose and treat a wide range of disorders. The APA predicts that physiotherapy will play an increasingly important role in maintaining the health of the community in the next 100 years. |
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 September 2008 16:12 ) |
