MPA Career Pathway

Your career pathway

Career planning will help you channel your energy, time and resources effectively to ensure that you reach your target. Plan your career from physiotherapy student to Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Specialist using the easy guide created for you. Read more…

The APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist Title Program

MPA currently has two tiers of membership.  Level One members of MPA are physiotherapists with an interest in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy whilst Level Two members are physiotherapists who have obtained postgraduate qualifications that are recognised by MPA.  Level Two members are "titled" members of MPA – ie: APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists.

A number of postgraduate courses in Australia and New Zealand are recognised by MPA as high quality courses that meet the needs of the profession in the area of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. This recognition has been achieved following a formal evaluation of the course program against the benchmark of the APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Professional Practice Standards.

MPA-recognised programs provide for a measurable improvement of the physiotherapists’ knowledge base in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, develop their clinical reasoning expertise, and help them to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in physiotherapy practice, the core areas of professional practice described in the Australian Physiotherapy Competency Standards (1994).  An essential feature of the courses that meet these standards remains the provision of sufficient supervised clinical practice.  These features ensure that course participants develop the ability to integrate new ideas and skills into their clinical practice effectively and safely, and to translate them into advanced levels of professional practice.

Find out more about becoming an APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist

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The APA Specialisation Process

This model of specialisation has been created to meet the needs of the health care sector, the patient and physiotherapists. Both the nature of health-care delivery and the role of practitioners providing physiotherapy services are evolving rapidly. There is a demand for specialists in the sub-disciplines of physiotherapy in both the public and private health care sectors and a need for a clear and attainable career pathway for practitioners.

To meet the demand for Specialists in Physiotherapy as well as provide a clear career pathway for physiotherapists, the Australian Physiotherapy Association and the Australian College of Physiotherapists together with the National Special Groups have revised the processes and procedures to specialisation. Importantly, the College has established an interim process which will (until December 2009) recognise current titled physiotherapists who demonstrate advanced standing to allow them to proceed directly to the final stage of the examinations for Fellowship by Specialisation.

Find out more about becoming a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist