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Choosing Between Physiotherapy Offers

asunny190

Lurker
I recently got an offer for bachelor of physiotherapy at WSU and bachelor of sport and exercise science (exercise therapy) at UTS, I was hoping someone can please advice me on what course i should accept, are there any pros or cons to choosing one over the other?, does anyone have experience in either of these courses if so what was it like?

Appreciate all responses,
Thanks.
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
I recently got an offer for bachelor of physiotherapy at WSU and bachelor of sport and exercise science (exercise therapy) at UTS, I was hoping someone can please advice me on what course i should accept, are there any pros or cons to choosing one over the other?, does anyone have experience in either of these courses if so what was it like?

Appreciate all responses,
Thanks.

Does the second one enable you to register as a physiotherapist?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
I recently got an offer for bachelor of physiotherapy at WSU and bachelor of sport and exercise science (exercise therapy) at UTS, I was hoping someone can please advice me on what course i should accept, are there any pros or cons to choosing one over the other?, does anyone have experience in either of these courses if so what was it like?

Appreciate all responses,
Thanks.
If all other factors are equal I’d take the WSU offer - it will take you four years to be a registered Physio instead of the bachelor degree + masters at UTS, which will take five years (I also didn’t look into the fees for the masters, but the latter will also cost you more in course fees aside from entering the workforce a year later).
 

asunny190

Lurker
Does the second one enable you to register as a physiotherapist?
No the second one is three years and then two years for masters.

If all other factors are equal I’d take the WSU offer - it will take you four years to be a registered Physio instead of the bachelor degree + masters at UTS, which will take five years (I also didn’t look into the fees for the masters, but the latter will also cost you more in course fees aside from entering the workforce a year later).
Ok great thanks will take that into consideration.
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Ok great thanks will take that into consideration.
I also noted you needed to pass an internal interview before progressing into the masters - I’m sure it’s nothing like medicine entry interviews but it would still be a hurdle to overcome to progress to the masters (so almost a “risk” if you go with UTS).
 

asunny190

Lurker
I also noted you needed to pass an internal interview before progressing into the masters - I’m sure it’s nothing like medicine entry interviews but it would still be a hurdle to overcome to progress to the masters (so almost a “risk” if you go with UTS).
Yeah i was thinking the same, what's the point of saying it's a guaranteed pathway if they still make students go through the same hurdles as the others? Also is there a difference between masters and the bach in terms of job opportunities?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Also is there a difference between masters and the bach in terms of job opportunities?
I'm not a physio but I highly doubt it - both pathways will qualify you to be a physio, one just takes a little longer. I think it's comparable to an MBBS vs MD - one is a "masters level" degree while the other is a bachelor degree, but both of them qualify you to do the same job and are equal in terms of employability.
 

asunny190

Lurker
I'm not a physio but I highly doubt it - both pathways will qualify you to be a physio, one just takes a little longer. I think it's comparable to an MBBS vs MD - one is a "masters level" degree while the other is a bachelor degree, but both of them qualify you to do the same job and are equal in terms of employability.
Thanks Crow😍
 

BettyLuv

Member
Is the Physiotherapy Course at USYD vastly superior to the Physiotherapy Course at ACU? The ATAR at cutoff for USYD is over 99 but slightly less for ACU (although they do have a very generous bonus point scheme which USYD do not have).
Is there anyone out there who has possibly experienced one or the other course and can offer some insight? And also offer some advice on the (1)difficulty of each course,(2)the student experience (3) job opportunities of one over the other.

Also for any non-standards who have gained entry into Med this year, congratulations! But have any of you at all come from ACU?
 

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Seano

Member
Is the Physiotherapy Course at USYD vastly superior to the Physiotherapy Course at ACU? The ATAR at cutoff for USYD is over 99 but slightly less for ACU (although they do have a very generous bonus point scheme which USYD do not have).
Is there anyone out there who has possibly experienced one or the other course and can offer some insight? And also offer some advice on the (1)difficulty of each course,(2)the student experience (3) job opportunities of one over the other.

Also for any non-standards who have gained entry into Med this year, congratulations! But have any of you at all come from ACU?

Hi BettyLuv, first of all - congratulations on achieving an ATAR high enough for ACU and USyd physiotherapy! I have just finished my second year of physio at ACU (at the north sydney campus) and have also just been accepted in WSU med so I believe I can provide some insight here :)

I can only speak for ACU but I think that it's a pretty good physiotherapy degree - in the first year you learn about the general biology and anatomy of the human body through human cadavers and you also learn about the basics of the physiotherapy practice and a lot about communication. You also get to go on hospital placement in first year and observe the different types of physiotherapy in each different ward. In the second year you move into body system specific disorders and how to treat them - and it's very practical based here (more assessments throughout the year are practical than theory). You get to go on placement to a sports team as a level 1 sports trainer in this year. The 3rd year is similar to the second year (I'm pretty sure), and fourth year is all placement. If your GPA is high enough in the second and first years then you have the chance to enter the honours program and complete some research in the 3rd and 4th years which is pretty cool.

I've heard that USyd doesn't put as much emphasis on the practical side of physiotherapy this early into the degree so I guess it's up to personal preference and if you think you'd enjoy the practical side more. In my opinion, practical assessments are a pretty good way to study for med interviews as you learn over time how to stay calm and think on your toes in the high stress environment of exams. I've also heard how various employers are seeking out ACU students because of their communication skills, but on hospital placement I've seen many USyd graduates so I believe that both universities should be fine for employment. (But take my word with a pinch of salt because it isn't statistical evidence😅).

Physiotherapy at ACU isn't too difficult in the first year. If you stay on top of your anatomy, kinda stay on top of your biology and are willing to cram everything else before exams then it wouldn't be too hard to maintain a GPA>6.5. (although I do recommend that you try and stay on top of everything from week 1 ahaha). Second year is a fair bit harder and there's heaps of theory and practical content so I recommend aiming for a GPA of 7 in your first year so that even if your marks are lower from the second year onwards, then it won't have as much of an impact on your overall grade.

Being a physio student at ACU is like being in a large family - everyone's mates with each other and willing to help each other out. The lecturers and tutorial/practical teachers are all really nice and friendly as well (and they offer free physio😂). The north sydney campus is pretty small but due to the small size of students that attend it, it is also really clean and calm. You are right near the city so it is very easy accessible (in terms of public transport) and there's always something to do in your spare time. I really loved my time at ACU and had a great experience there. The only thing that I didn't like too much at ACU was the variation in marks that were given by the examiners - i.e. sometimes i would get a mark that was a lot higher than my peers and sometimes it would be a lot lower even if we had submitted similar assignments or had similar performances in practical assessments. (However if you study enough your marks shouldn't be affected too much by any outliers).I believe that this is an issue with all uni's though so don't stress too much about it.

When I finished Year 12 I was deciding whether or not to take physio at WSU or ACU (I wasn't offered a spot at USyd due to my ATAR) and I decided on ACU purely because of transport. I reckon that any physiotherapy degree should be fine in terms of employment because physiotherapy is a vastly growing profession and there are many fields in it that require more employees. My knowledge on this is a it vague but if you want to do hospital rotations when you first graduate I think you need a high GPA and interview to be offered a place (hospital rotations are when you work in a different ward every few weeks and graduates do this to expose themselves to different fields to see where they would like to work in the future). What I'm trying to say is that these hospital rotations don't favour anyone from USyd over ACU (for example) as they only look at your marks and interview (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on the admissions criteria for hospital rotations😅).

Don't be worried by the low ATAR cutoff for ACU- the median raw ATAR of my cohort was over 97 which is pretty high. I'd recommend it not to be a factor when deciding between ACU and USyd. Physiotherapy is a great pathway to try to get into med and is a great back-up at the same time, so I believe that choosing either ACU or USyd physio will be a great choice. A few of my physio friends have also had med/dent interviews this year and last year so it is definitely achievable to get into med when starting physio.

Best of luck with your decision, I hope this info helped out a bit - if you need any more advice just let me know
 

BettyLuv

Member
Hi BettyLuv, first of all - congratulations on achieving an ATAR high enough for ACU and USyd physiotherapy! I have just finished my second year of physio at ACU (at the north sydney campus) and have also just been accepted in WSU med so I believe I can provide some insight here :)

I can only speak for ACU but I think that it's a pretty good physiotherapy degree - in the first year you learn about the general biology and anatomy of the human body through human cadavers and you also learn about the basics of the physiotherapy practice and a lot about communication. You also get to go on hospital placement in first year and observe the different types of physiotherapy in each different ward. In the second year you move into body system specific disorders and how to treat them - and it's very practical based here (more assessments throughout the year are practical than theory). You get to go on placement to a sports team as a level 1 sports trainer in this year. The 3rd year is similar to the second year (I'm pretty sure), and fourth year is all placement. If your GPA is high enough in the second and first years then you have the chance to enter the honours program and complete some research in the 3rd and 4th years which is pretty cool.

I've heard that USyd doesn't put as much emphasis on the practical side of physiotherapy this early into the degree so I guess it's up to personal preference and if you think you'd enjoy the practical side more. In my opinion, practical assessments are a pretty good way to study for med interviews as you learn over time how to stay calm and think on your toes in the high stress environment of exams. I've also heard how various employers are seeking out ACU students because of their communication skills, but on hospital placement I've seen many USyd graduates so I believe that both universities should be fine for employment. (But take my word with a pinch of salt because it isn't statistical evidence😅).

Physiotherapy at ACU isn't too difficult in the first year. If you stay on top of your anatomy, kinda stay on top of your biology and are willing to cram everything else before exams then it wouldn't be too hard to maintain a GPA>6.5. (although I do recommend that you try and stay on top of everything from week 1 ahaha). Second year is a fair bit harder and there's heaps of theory and practical content so I recommend aiming for a GPA of 7 in your first year so that even if your marks are lower from the second year onwards, then it won't have as much of an impact on your overall grade.

Being a physio student at ACU is like being in a large family - everyone's mates with each other and willing to help each other out. The lecturers and tutorial/practical teachers are all really nice and friendly as well (and they offer free physio😂). The north sydney campus is pretty small but due to the small size of students that attend it, it is also really clean and calm. You are right near the city so it is very easy accessible (in terms of public transport) and there's always something to do in your spare time. I really loved my time at ACU and had a great experience there. The only thing that I didn't like too much at ACU was the variation in marks that were given by the examiners - i.e. sometimes i would get a mark that was a lot higher than my peers and sometimes it would be a lot lower even if we had submitted similar assignments or had similar performances in practical assessments. (However if you study enough your marks shouldn't be affected too much by any outliers).I believe that this is an issue with all uni's though so don't stress too much about it.

When I finished Year 12 I was deciding whether or not to take physio at WSU or ACU (I wasn't offered a spot at USyd due to my ATAR) and I decided on ACU purely because of transport. I reckon that any physiotherapy degree should be fine in terms of employment because physiotherapy is a vastly growing profession and there are many fields in it that require more employees. My knowledge on this is a it vague but if you want to do hospital rotations when you first graduate I think you need a high GPA and interview to be offered a place (hospital rotations are when you work in a different ward every few weeks and graduates do this to expose themselves to different fields to see where they would like to work in the future). What I'm trying to say is that these hospital rotations don't favour anyone from USyd over ACU (for example) as they only look at your marks and interview (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on the admissions criteria for hospital rotations😅).

Don't be worried by the low ATAR cutoff for ACU- the median raw ATAR of my cohort was over 97 which is pretty high. I'd recommend it not to be a factor when deciding between ACU and USyd. Physiotherapy is a great pathway to try to get into med and is a great back-up at the same time, so I believe that choosing either ACU or USyd physio will be a great choice. A few of my physio friends have also had med/dent interviews this year and last year so it is definitely achievable to get into med when starting physio.

Best of luck with your decision, I hope this info helped out a bit - if you need any more advice just let me know
Thank you so much Sean. This is very comprehensive and so helpful. I appreciate the time you have taken to respond.
Of course... Congratulations on your selection to WSU - after two attempts, it would be good to finally make it!
It sounds like ACU is a great and friendly place to be. And I agree that Physio is a great Plan B if Med never works out. Can I ask (a)What was your UCAT result (sorry if you have already posted this)? and (b) getting all your HDs, did you have any tutoring in your 1st /2nd yr of Physio or help from years above? what was your study pattern? I'd like to duplicate it! and (c) did you ever consider Bond after your first attempt at med was not successful?
 

Seano

Member
Thank you so much Sean. This is very comprehensive and so helpful. I appreciate the time you have taken to respond.
Of course... Congratulations on your selection to WSU - after two attempts, it would be good to finally make it!
It sounds like ACU is a great and friendly place to be. And I agree that Physio is a great Plan B if Med never works out. Can I ask (a)What was your UCAT result (sorry if you have already posted this)? and (b) getting all your HDs, did you have any tutoring in your 1st /2nd yr of Physio or help from years above? what was your study pattern? I'd like to duplicate it! and (c) did you ever consider Bond after your first attempt at med was not successful?

No worries! And thank you :)

My ucat score was 3090 (98th %ile): VR-740, DM-710, QR-760, AR-880 and an STJ of 651
(You can see someones previous posts by clicking on their username)

And nah i didnt have any tutouring, ive never heard of anyone getting a tutour for physio to be honest with you. If you need any help, the lecturers and your classmates are always there to assist. A lot of the students get HD's so as long as you put in the work they won't be too hard to get.

I didn't really have a set study pattern, what i did was print off the lecture slides before the actual lectures and I'd make notes on the printouts when attending the lecture. I'd then try and memorize each lecture printout before we covered the content in the following practical/tutorial. (After a few weeks though I'd always fall behind though ahaha - its pretty hard to keep up as the semester goes on). About 2-3 weeks before exams i would go re-memorize all of the lectures and important practical/tutorial notes again.

Bond is a bit out of my family and I's price range. If we did have the money then yeah I'd consider it
 

BettyLuv

Member
Has anyone completed the Monash Physiotherapy course and subsequently moved on to the Monash Medicine Course? Could you share your experience and also any knowledge of how many Monash Physios make it into Med (which I understand heavily favours Biomed undergrad)?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Has anyone completed the Monash Physiotherapy course and subsequently moved on to the Monash Medicine Course? Could you share your experience and also any knowledge of how many Monash Physios make it into Med (which I understand heavily favours Biomed undergrad)?
If you’re not already a member of PagingDr, I’d recommend you sign up there, as there are many more graduate entry applicants there than here (and subsequently, more relevant information about this). From memory there are 25 seats reserved each year for graduates of pharmacy, science and physio (all of these are in the same applicant pool) - so it’s very competitive.
 
Hi Everyone,
Newbie here, so be kind.
My ATAR is 97 and wanted to study physiotherapy at Syd Uni, ACU, or U of Canberra (I did not appy for WSU due to it being very far and kinda regretting it now).
I probably won't make it into Sydney Uni due to very high ATAR needed. Got offers from UC and ACU however I don't know which one to go for.
I have a few concerns re ACU:
1) Being a "religious" university, no offence to religious ppl, puts me off a little.
Me and my family are more on the agnostic, or even atheist side. My parents have done their utmost so that my education stays on the secular side and we all perceive the Catholicism as something of a disadvantage.
2) the fact that ACU is relatively unknown and because I hold Canadian citizenship I'd like to maybe go for postgraduate studies there. Not sure how ACU would look to them (very poor ranking and the catholic aspect together).

Now Canberra, on the other hand is not much better as an Uni in general, it has the advantage of not being religious and the disadvantage of being 3 hours away.
Please help me decide as although I have been pondering for days, I still can't decide.
 
Hi Everyone,
Newbie here, so be kind.
My ATAR is 97 and wanted to study physiotherapy at Syd Uni, ACU, or U of Canberra (I did not appy for WSU due to it being very far and kinda regretting it now).
I probably won't make it into Sydney Uni due to very high ATAR needed. Got offers from UC and ACU however I don't know which one to go for.
I have a few concerns re ACU:
1) Being a "religious" university, no offence to religious ppl, puts me off a little.
Me and my family are more on the agnostic, or even atheist side. My parents have done their utmost so that my education stays on the secular side and we all perceive the Catholicism as something of a disadvantage.
2) the fact that ACU is relatively unknown and because I hold Canadian citizenship I'd like to maybe go for postgraduate studies there. Not sure how ACU would look to them (very poor ranking and the catholic aspect together).

Now Canberra, on the other hand is not much better as an Uni in general, it has the advantage of not being religious and the disadvantage of being 3 hours away.
Please help me decide as although I have been pondering for days, I still can't decide.

Hey!

So I heard that ACU offers one of the best (if not THE best or second best) physiotherapy course in Australia (This may be subjective, but based on graduate satisfaction, its practically up there). While the cohort size is generally quite big due to the university being lenient and generous in awarding bonus points, this doesn't make them any lesser than say USYD. Based on my knowledge and from some people I know that have went to ACU, not everyone is religious at ACU and it's completely up to you if you decide to participate in the religious/spiritual events that happen on campus. However, ACU is dedicated to social justice and ethics, so social work is highly regarded.

Can't say much about UC but since its 3 hours away for you, if you're not looking to move, I would avoid it.

Lmk what you've chosen!
 

Seano

Member
Hi Everyone,
Newbie here, so be kind.
My ATAR is 97 and wanted to study physiotherapy at Syd Uni, ACU, or U of Canberra (I did not appy for WSU due to it being very far and kinda regretting it now).
I probably won't make it into Sydney Uni due to very high ATAR needed. Got offers from UC and ACU however I don't know which one to go for.
I have a few concerns re ACU:
1) Being a "religious" university, no offence to religious ppl, puts me off a little.
Me and my family are more on the agnostic, or even atheist side. My parents have done their utmost so that my education stays on the secular side and we all perceive the Catholicism as something of a disadvantage.
2) the fact that ACU is relatively unknown and because I hold Canadian citizenship I'd like to maybe go for postgraduate studies there. Not sure how ACU would look to them (very poor ranking and the catholic aspect together).


Now Canberra, on the other hand is not much better as an Uni in general, it has the advantage of not being religious and the disadvantage of being 3 hours away.
Please help me decide as although I have been pondering for days, I still can't decide.

Hey marvin_aus , welcome to MSO and congratulations on your ATAR!

Don't worry about ACU being a "religious" uni. I'm not catholic and I studied physiotherapy at ACU (North Sydney) for 2 years and never once felt a religious vibe. The only religious activity that I've seen on campus was a few people sitting together once a week discussing their religion (I didn't even notice this group until I asked one of my friends who I saw in the group). There are also crosses above some of the doors but that's about it. The campus is actually a very multicultural environment with people from heaps of different backgrounds and religions :)

Religion isn't a part of any of the units that you will study in physiotherapy so the "religiousness" of this uni definitely won't affect your studies.

I agree with what orenji.study is saying, and I think you should avoid going to Canberra for physiotherapy as ACU has a great physio degree, and is much closer to home.

I'm not too sure about the selection criteria for the post-grad physio degrees in Canada and whether university reputation has anything to do with it so I can't answer that question sorry ahaha. Maybe someone else can weigh in here? If you can't find the information on MSO then I suggest shooting some of the Canadian unis an email for some clarification.
 

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Hey guys!
Currently considering a degree in physiotherapy as an alternative to doing medicine but am concerned about choice of university
I've narrowed it down to ACU vs WSU but would prefer wsu (location, currently holding a scholarship there)

looked high and low but there seems to be no recent first hand experience shared on forums far and wide about this: at wsu I have read that derobing to singlet/shorts or a swimsuit equivalent or, in some cases, down to underwear is a requirement.

Could anyone share their experience? Is this a non-negotiable requirement? (singlet/shorts is fine, but like underwear? Especially considering those that come from conservative cultures)

Sorry if this seems like a bit of an insignificant thing to worry about in the long run but was hoping anyone could answer :D TIA
 
Last edited:

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Hey guys!
Currently considering a degree in physiotherapy as an alternative to doing medicine but am concerned about choice of university
I've narrowed it down to ACU vs WSU but would prefer wsu (location, currently holding a scholarship there)

looked high and low but there seems to be no recent first hand experience shared on forums far and wide about this: at wsu I have read that derobing to singlet/shorts or a swimsuit equivalent or, in some cases, down to underwear is a requirement.

Could anyone share their experience? Is this a non-negotiable requirement? (singlet/shorts is fine, but like underwear? Especially considering those that come from conservative cultures)

Sorry if this seems like a bit of an insignificant thing to worry about in the long run but was hoping anyone could answer :D TIA

I can share medicine experiences, but if someone from physio could chime in, that would be great. We were required to wear shorts and t-shirts for MSK clinical teaching sessions so we could practice examinations on each other. Students that were comfortable with it were also asked to remove tops (not bras, obviously) for cardio and respiratory exam clinical skills classes (this part was totally optional). I can't comment re. being from a particularly conservative culture, or how that would complicate things, but I'd imagine there wouldn't be anything more than what would be required of patients/clients when working day to day as a physio. I can see swimsuits being required at times if you get to do hydrotherapy teaching sessions as a student.
 

r1ckworthy

Bachelor of Physiotherapy @ ACU
Hey! I’m a first year studying physiotherapy at ACU. While I only did some prac classes at the beginning of the year (due to COVID), I only had to remove my t-shirt, but I think wearing a singlet was fine. The only requirement was that you would wear shorts and a t-shirt to prac classes, and a crop-top and shorts for girls too I think. I don’t think we would have had to remove our underwear and stuff. Basically, we acted as if we are interacting with a patient, doing everything that would occur in a normal therapy session.
 

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