Everyone has a journey of their own. Similarly, I am about to share my journey through the Australian Physiotherapy Council’s (APC) process in order to get General Physiotherapy Registration in Australia. “Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination” This has been true in my case.
The first step of my journey with the APC began in July 2014 by applying for the interim certificate. Following that I successfully passed my second step of theory assessment in Dec 2015. This exam has neither a set syllabus nor a reference book, unlike the USA NPTE exam. They just have a list of topics on the website, that won’t be asked in the exam, leaving us to ponder what they can actually ask in the exam! The biggest help during theory were the various online groups. These groups have resources like previous question recalls, discussion forums, and practice group sessions; most of which turned out to be helpful. This exam was nothing like the factual MCQ questions I was used to back in India. All questions were a case scenario and then sub-questions based on that case. It required a lot of clinical reasoning skills, and the Australian outlook towards the safety issues in the clinical setting. Personally, limited exposure in cardio-respiratory and neurology field rendered the exam difficult for me. However, reflecting back, my Master’s education and clinical placements along with discussions with colleagues and friends helped me overcome this hurdle. Apart from all this, the thing I remember was the wait period for results, that made me go nervous for 4 weeks, till I saw ‘PASSED’!
After clearing the theory, I got a job as a limited registered physiotherapist under a supervisor. This work experience helped me a lot in order to prepare for my third and final step - The clinical examination. I became aware of the standards of clinical care, safety issues, ethico-legal issues, and clinical skills expected during the exam. My work also gave me the opportunity to put these learned skills into actual practice and integrate into my work style.
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