Lift the curtain and see the world at work! Enjoy the diversity of work and the opportunities for travel, within a professional field that offers rewarding challenges.
A Unique Position
Across Australia, businesses are increasingly coming to acknowledge the value of innovative and pro-active injury prevention and management strategies, in their business model. Physiotherapists are well placed to contribute to this evolving focus.
An understanding of the effect of pathology on an individual’s capacity to work, places the physiotherapist in an important and unique position in injury management and vocational rehabilitation. This, combined with excellent clinical reasoning ability, refined observation and communication skills and expertise in physiology and biomechanics, enable physiotherapists to provide a broad range of high level consulting services to the business community, in the areas of injury prevention and injury management.
Background / Development
In the mid-1980s the Ergonomic and Occupational Health Group (EOHG) was formed, as a special interest group within the Australian Physiotherapy Association. At about the same time, Occupational Health, Safety & Welfare (OHS&W) legislation was introduced and updated in all Australian jurisdictions. Members of the physiotherapy profession recognise the need to contribute to the health and well-being of workers with a risk management approach to injury prevention and management, in line with this workplace legislation. In 2005, the EOHG was renamed the Occupational Health Physiotherapy Australia (OHPA) group, in order to best represent the diverse range of activities performed by Physiotherapists in this field and to maintain alignment with the focus of Australian business.
Benefits
Continuing Professional Development
OHPA offers a range of courses and lectures aimed at both an introductory and advanced level to help members to continue to upgrade their professional knowledge in the area of occupational health physiotherapy.
To view a full list of OHPA professional development, click here and then select Occupational Health Physiotherapy Australia from the drop down menu.
E-Updates
A National E-Update is distributed by email to keep OHPA members informed of topics such as:
• Dates for forthcoming professional development in each State
• Reports from conferences, workshops, lectures and clinical evenings
• Discussion of current issues in occupational health physiotherapy
• Case studies
• Updates in research in occupational health physiotherapy
• Book reviews and abstracts of recent journal articles
Career Pathway
APA’s National Groups have a process for recognising members with advanced expertise and experience in their relevant area of practice.
As the first step to specialisation, members who demonstrate an advanced level of competency and experience in their field of practice may apply to be awarded the right to use an APA physiotherapy title.
The award of title serves as the professional mark of distinction for physiotherapists practising in their specific field of practice.
Click here for more information on the APA’s titling and specialisation pathway.
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