Yes! This post is awesome! - I was misinformed by someone at Melbourne :( and so as a year 12 considering physio I didn't know under-grad at Monash even existed. I have 3 questions: How many subjects do you do at one time? Is physio only offered at peninsula campus? and how competitive is it (not getting into it) more like, is the environment competitive? :)Hi jaceyjace! Thanks :)
Hi K888!Hi onrainydays! Thanks so much for popping by and asking a question :) Apologies if none of this makes sense haha
I was thinking of doing physio in uni but I dont think I can get the ATAR. Is the ATAR required usually around 95 for Monash and LaTrobe? Do you know if anyone got around the 90's but still got into monash physio? Thank you!
Hi K888!
I was thinking of doing physio in uni but I dont think I can get the ATAR. Is the ATAR required usually around 95 for Monash and LaTrobe? Do you know if anyone got around the 90's but still got into monash physio? Thank you!
Hi! I have a lot of questions to ask, hopefully they aren't too dumb...Hi! Not a problem. There's no such thing as a dumb question :) I really apologise for the messy response haha
1. Is the job avalability for physiotherapists decent in Victoria (Western suburbs to be specific)? Is it normal or better to have to specialise after doing the base course in Physiotherapy?From what I know, the job market for physiotherapists is quite good. It's always a profession that's in demand, and the great thing is there's so many places you can work - hospitals, private practice, community health centres, sporting clubs, etc. :) More and more, physios are becoming one of the primary contact practitioners in healthcare, and their important role in healthcare is being increasingly acknowledged, so it's definitely a career that you can take places, and will be able to get a job in.
2. I've heard that Latrobe offers better health courses in general over other unis, how come you opted to choose Monash in the end? (Other than the fact that you enjoyed the open day) Also is UniMelb's Physiotherapy course decent (I'm considering since its location is better than the former two)Yes, La Trobe has a good reputation for its health science courses, as it was the original uni (It started as the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences) that offered health science courses in Victoria. It has the longest running physiotherapy course in the state, iirc, and has a very good sport and exercise medicine research centre.
3. I don't know if this is a good question to ask, but did the 'name' of Monash Uni play a part at all in you choosing to study there? I know in high school people like to choose unis based on the 'name' and prestige like UniMelb and I'm just wondering whether this should play a part for my own decision-making? And would future employers consider a Monash graduate to be more appealing than say an ACU or Latrobe graduate?Great thing about physio is that the requirements for the course to be endorsed (that is, to allow the graduates of the course to become registered physiotherapists) means that no matter which uni you go to, you're essentially learning the same skills. There's not a heap of difference in terms of the things you learn, just in the way the content is delivered and the staff who deliver it. This means that the job you get at the end of your degree is not going to be because of the uni you went to - everyone is on an equal footing, and I'm yet to hear of an employer that only accepts graduates from a certain uni. It just doesn't happen.
Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!! I appreciate it!No worries!
Hi onrainydays! Thanks so much for popping by and asking a question :) Apologies if none of this makes sense haha
At La Trobe, the clearly in tends to be higher, usually around 97ish (but let's be honest, probably a majority of people get less than this, I know of people who got in with ATARs in the lower 90s). Monash has the interview, so the ATAR needed tends to be a bit lower - the Monash Guarantee for physio is 86, and I think the lowest ATAR of someone who got an offer last year was 86.2 (according to the website). There are certainly plenty of people in my course who scored in the lower 90's range :)
The great thing about having the interview requirement as well as ATAR means you get put on a bit more of a level playing field with other applicants. Haven't really spoken about ATARs that much with people, but I do know people that got high 80s and got into the course, as well as people who got around the high 90s and didn't (hope this doesn't make anyone apprehensive of the interview - it's not complex and in my opinion, is really great, as scoring a really high ATAR doesn't mean you necessarily have aptitude for a course :) ).
If you're thinking about doing physio at uni, definitely put it down. In my opinion, Monash has a great course, and a better campus than La Trobe, but please make your own opinions as well :P I'm sure you'll be able to get the ATAR required! You also have things such as SEAS that can help you out. And also, even if worst case scenario, you don't get in, you can start another course then transfer across - I know a number of people who have done this :)
A tad off topic, but I'd also recommend coming to the upcoming open day! It's on Saturday the 5th of August at Peninsula, from 10am-3pm I think, but there'll also be info at Clayton on Sunday the 6th of August. The open day is really great for checking out the campus, and having a chat to the staff (who are awesome) - honestly, it was the reason I decided on Monash over La Trobe :)
It's also worth noting, if you're really set on doing physio at uni, consider applying interstate as well - I know that the University of Canberra usually has a lower ATAR requirement, and also, applying to more places increases your chances of getting in.
Welcome to ATAR Notes, onrainydays! :))
HEYY ! I'm just wondering if you ever considered osteopathy or know much about it.... I heard that it is a rising profession too !Hi there! I do know about osteopathy, however I never considered doing it. Whilst osteopathy is a growing field, physios have a much larger scope of practice (i.e. physios work in hospitals, private practice, occupational health, etc. etc. whereas osteopaths are concentrated in private practice), are much more widely recognised and trusted, and I'm personally not about the large focus placed on manual therapy by osteopathy. I'm also not so keen on it due to its comparative lack of evidence behind practice - there's just nowhere near as much evidence behind it as there is with physiotherapy. Not here to debate about what's better though, just will say that I personally never had any interest in it. :)
Also how many students are in your physio cohort ? Do you know how what the chances are roughly to get into Monash physio and la Trobe?In terms of my cohort - would say there's about 130? Maybe a few more? They increased the size of the cohort for us this year, but it's still not huge.
Hey K888, thanks for the reply! It really helped, I also went to the Monash open day to have a look at the physic stand but too bad it was very crowded and small. Anyways, I also wanted to ask about more things if that's cool!Hi! Not a problem at all. Did you go to the Clayton open day? Unfortunately, because the course isn't based at Clayton, you don't get to see the facilities, or get a chance to have a detailed talk with the teaching staff and students, which is a shame.
1. Is it more common for physiotherapists to be working in hospitals for perhaps the rehab faculty, or more so in private establishments at like physio+pilates centres? Also, adding on to the former part of the q, do most hospitals have a department for physiotherapists to work in?Would have to have a look at the statistics released by APA for sure, but I believe there are more hospital physios than private practice physios by a reasonable amount. Think I read somewhere that the statistics was like a 60-65% vs 40-35% split? Unsure though.
2. The ATAR for B. physio is quite high, so if you didn't manage to get the required ATAR/didn't manage to get in the course, what would you have gone with? What about OT? (I'm assuming that you were looking at the health science side of things as I am right now... guess I just want some recommendations for a backup course.)Hmmm, difficult question. To be honest, I didn't really have any plan other than "do physio" haha. I applied to all the physio courses with lower ATAR requirements as contingency plans, but I'm not too sure what I would have done if I didn't get in. Probably would have started a different course, then looked to transfer ASAP.
Thanks once again! Tbh I'll probs hit you with some more Q's later if that's fine hahahNot a problem! Always happy to answer any questions :)
Once again cheers for the reply! Few questions to ask again too.. HahaNope. Don't think I considered the salary for a physio once when contemplating what I'd do. Plus, physios don't exactly get paid bucketloads of money haha. Whilst I definitely value financial stability, pay was not something I looked at. I wanted to make sure I was going into physio for the right reasons - I worked my butt off to get in so I could use my skills to help people improve their lives, so I could learn about the human body, and so I could do something where I have the chance to have an impact on health.
1. Did the average salary level for being a Physiotherapy play much of a role in deciding to do it? I know interest in the course is of paramount importance over the money - but at the end if the day the money still is significant. So I'm just wondering what you were thinking on this when you chose to do it?
2. I've been researching a bit about physios, and I've read that the more older physios tend to suffer aches here and there, which I'm assuming is due to constant practice of Physiotherapy? The stuff I've seen in this is a bit vague too so I don't know how much credibility this has, what do you think?Hmm, yeah, physio is definitely an intensive job, and you use your body (particularly your hands) a lot! It's why from day one they have been teaching us about proper handling and safety, because you can't help people if you're not in good health yourself :) If you don't look after yourself whilst practicing, for sure you're gonna develop some problems further down the line - that's not to say every single physio who practices will have health issues, though.
Yeah I think I might want to do Physiotherapy, but then again the benchmark is quite high and to be completely honest I don't think I can hit that ATAR either. I do have an interest in this course but it's not hundred percent though, however I know I don't have much interest in areas like engineering, commerce, business or science (most) too. Other than that, both campuses for physio that I'm considering are two hours away (Monash/Latrobe) and the closest would be Melbourne but the process is tedious since I'd have to take the b. Science first before Specialising I think.Not a problem! :)
Anyway thanks for the reply and information about physio K888!
Yeah I'll have to wait until my ATAR comes out to see how things turn out, so yeah haha, thanks again! If you don't mind, could I PM you sometime when I need to ask a few more Q's? Ty!Not a problem! Always happy to help.
Oh I see, no worries and with that being said - is it a good idea to transfer from b science at Melbourne into their physio program? I've heard that it can be difficult to transfer successfully since it requires top straight A kind marks in order to do so. Also you are allowed to change course preferences after the ATAR comes out and also after your initial submission with VTAC right?yup you can change course prefs after ATARs come out :)
Yeah I think I might want to do Physiotherapy, but then again the benchmark is quite high and to be completely honest I don't think I can hit that ATAR either. I do have an interest in this course but it's not hundred percent though, however I know I don't have much interest in areas like engineering, commerce, business or science (most) too. Other than that, both campuses for physio that I'm considering are two hours away (Monash/Latrobe) and the closest would be Melbourne but the process is tedious since I'd have to take the b. Science first before Specialising I think.I'm not doing physio so not the best person to be answering this but I've had friends and known others who haven't quite made it into physio/changed their mind so they ended up transferring after a year in science @ monash. Generally they ask for a 70WAM to be considered . Some of the people's WAMs who transferred were relatively high however others just creeped in with low 70's so it is definitely a posssibility if you don't make it on the first go.
Anyway thanks for the reply and information about physio K888!
Oh I see, no worries and with that being said - is it a good idea to transfer from b science at Melbourne into their physio program? I've heard that it can be difficult to transfer successfully since it requires top straight A kind marks in order to do so.Well, it's definitely gonna be competitive - there's only a limited number of spots in the course after all! :) Don't write yourself off though - have faith in your abilities, work hard, and you'll be fine.
Also you are allowed to change course preferences after the ATAR comes out and also after your initial submission with VTAC right?Just a +1 to what Sine said - yeah, you can change your course preferences before and after ATARs are released, before and after offers are released, etc etc. If you scroll down on the page in this link, you'll see the change of preference dates. If you have more questions about the specifics of VTAC - I'd really recommend having a chat to your careers advisor at school :)
Cheers! Yeh I might be considering physio at Melb just because of location, but the thing that doesn't appeal to me is that I think it takes 6 years in total - 3 yrs for b science and 3 yrs for physio; as opposed to spending 4 years at LT or Monash in spite of the inconvenient location...RE: demographic - honestly, couldn't tell you 100% haha but it's a mix of Aussies and Internationals. Definitely majority Aussies, but also a reasonable proportion of Internationals. :)
Btw, just out of sheer curiosity, what is the ethnic demographic like for physio at Monash? Secondly, I checked the physio ATAR guarantee at Monash and it turns out to be like 86?? Just wanted to double check as its lower than I had imagined. Thanks!
Hello! Not sure if it's too late to ask, but just a quick question. (two actually)Hi there! Not too late at all - always happy to answer questions :D
I know that physio and sports are interlinked, but do you have to be good at sports to do physiotherapy?Haha, absolutely not. Like, the only time you're involved in sports as a physio is if you choose to work in that area once you graduate, and even then, you're not the one participating in it! It's also a bit of a misconception that physios purely work in sport - realistically, it's such a tiny amount of what you can do as a physio, and not a huge percentage of physios work in sport - most work in hospitals, rehab, private practice, etc!
Also with the heavy workload, are there actually people 'failing' the course? Or is it just intense but generally manageable?Can only speak for my cohort and not for other unis, but I think the latter is more accurate. I know that some people will fail each semester, but it's only a handful of people - it's a tough workload, but if you're dedicated, and you want to be there, it's manageable :) I was speaking to my unit coordinator about this last semester, actually - he said it's a tough course, but the average mark for the semester tends to always be around 70, which is like, really good - so I guess that says something about the academic abilities of the cohort, and also the dedication of people to do well. You have to work hard, but it's definitely not a course set up to make you fail.
Thank you in advance! :)
helloo, i'm planning on doing physio at uni next year but the main turn off for me is the 65k avg salary and the fact that it peaks at around 80k even after 10+ years of working. i heard that there's heaps of opportunity to earn more, but how reliable is this information, as in how realistic is it to be able to earn more than this? i'm not 100% set on physio yet, but it's what i found most appealing of the courses i've searched, but honestly im not sure if i'd be happy to earn this much considering how competitive it is to get into physioI don't know much about the salaries but I guess a 60-80k average means that if you are actually a really good physio you might be able to earn closer to 100-120k which isn't too bad (I've seen these numbers thrown around elsewhere).
Hi,Hey! First of all - good luck!
Possible future physio student here (:
I was just wondering what your hours are like each week at uni?? In terms of contact hours yes but more-so how long are you there each day? (If each day?) Is it as time consuming as going to school for 8 hours, 5 days a week, or different? What's the prospect of fitting in part time work, etc? I don't mind working hard and I want to do a challenging course, but I don't really like the stressy, competitive atmosphere of VCE..
Also, I read that you live on campus, so you may not be able to answer from personal experience, but you probably would have some idea from people who live more inner city; do you know what the drive's like every day from inner Melbourne to Frankston? Nightmare traffic?
Thanks!!
No, unfortunately I didn't get to open day as it clashed with another commitment so I haven't seen the Peninsula campus. What's it like?I'm a huge fan of the campus - it's really peaceful, easy to navigate, and doesn't have heaps of students so you can always get a seat at the library and it just creates a more laid-back atmosphere. If you wanna have a look around I'd recommend making the trip down and just having a look around! I think they actually have a guided tour tomorrow (info here) or I reckon if you get in contact with the campus they might even be happy to arrange a tour or something at some stage. Would really recommend having a look if you're considering coming here!!
I did go to Clayton's open day and spoke to a Physio student briefly there (:
Are you at uni every day for the course? (mon-fri I mean)
Sorry for all the random questions, uni preference cut offs are getting closer and I've changed mine many times :/
In general, have you enjoyed the course? I know that's such a general and subjective question, but I've been weighing up Monash v LTU (if you have any additional opinions/ knowledge about comparing the two apart from what you've said earlier feel free to let me know aha) and also other allied health/medical degrees, and the more info I get, the better, I guess. Sports physio has always been, and still is, a massive interest of mine but I know and have been told many times that the scope of physio is much, much wider and most people don't end up in sports physio. I have looked into other aspects of the profession, of course, but I still think my passions lie towards sports physio. How realistic is becoming a sports physio (I'm talking more private practice), and does it require additional study etc? I know you haven't graduated yet, but any info is helpful I guess
Thanks so much !!!!
That sounds good.Not a problem - always happy to help :)
In terms of social life etc, is the physio cohort pretty disconnected from the rest of Monash, being at Peninsula? Are there still groups and societies etc; are they separate from the Monash-wide ones or not? Generally, is the social aspect of the course pretty good?
Thanks for answering all these questions (:
Hi, in uni i would love to do exercise physiology, i know this is not your field, but could you give me a bit of an idea of:Hi there! Apologies for the delay in replying. I don't have a heap of info about exercise physiology so it may be better to contact one of the unis or maybe talk to an exercise physiologist in your area :)
i. what sydney unis you think are better at this course. usyd? unsw? what do you think of uow for this course?
ii. the job prospect? rising? I want to do clinical exercise physiology.
Thanks,
saf.
Hi! Thank you so much for this thread, it's so informative and helpful.Hey! Good luck - hopefully I'll see you around campus next year ;D
I'm transferring into Monash physio next year if all goes well with my transfer application. I have a couple of questions about the course:
- Are there generally many mature-aged students / non school leavers in each cohort?
- In the placement part of the course, I'm guessing its like a placement rotation sort of thing - how long does each placement last for?
- How does the rural placement work? Are you posted to a place, and then you have to find short-term accommodation out there for the duration of the placement?
Thank you again for taking the time to answer all these questions!
Hi!Yeah I've found the integrated way to make things much easier. I reckon assessments are better spaced, there's better coordination between lecturers and I think overall it results in less essays and stuff which is a big plus! I'm a big fan of it because it means everything is linked, so I find it much easier to understand and remember content.
I'm from NSW and am currently choosing between the Monash and WSU physiotherapy course. Do you think the integrated structure of the course has been beneficial in any way? Does it change how grades are calculated?
Thanks so much for making this thread - it has been very useful :)
Hey guys,Hi! Congrats on getting in :)
I'm set to start Physio at Monash his March! I was wondering if lectures are recorded? And I'm just wondering what the applied case based learning unit is?
Thank you so much
Hi!Research used to be an in person lecture when I was in first year then last year they just changed it to an online lecture that you do in your own time :) You learn about statistics and all that - perhaps not the most exciting but actually really important knowledge to have.
What is the "research self-directed activity" in the Thursday afternoon time slot? What do you do in it? Also about the textbooks, which ones do you think are essential/recommended for physio students?
Thank you for starting this thread as it has been extremely helpful!
Hi! Congrats on getting in :)I was also wondering where and when we would be able to access recorded lectures? My timetable is so packed that I can't fit a time to do my Vicroads driving text :( so I'm planning to skip the three lectures on thursday labelled "PTY1011_PE_S1_ON-CAMPUS
Yes, lectures are definitely recorded.
CBL (case based learning) is something you do weekly throughout the degree. On a Monday morning you'll get the opening to a case study and have to work through the questions provided with your group. By the end of the session you'll have worked out your "learning issues" for the week - basically what you need to cover more in depth to understand more about the case (the learning issues are usually thinks like pathophysiology, physio management of the condition, etc.). Everyone has to do one of these things, you submit it by Thursday night and then on Friday afternoon you do the case closure. You get given more info about the case, present your learning issue to your small group (just the key points, don't go reading the whole thing word for word haha) and then now you have a better understanding you work through more questions.
CBL will be explained in more depth to you by the unit coordinator and the tutors, so don't worry :)
I was also wondering where and when we would be able to access recorded lectures? My timetable is so packed that I can't fit a time to do my Vicroads driving text :( so I'm planning to skip the three lectures on thursday labelled "PTY1011_PE_S1_ON-CAMPUSYeah that's probably the best day to do it because attendance at lectures isn't compulsory. They'll explain more about using Moodle and such at orientation but on your unit Moodle page there will be a link to echo/learning capture/whatever is used to host the lecture recordings - you just click on that and select the lecture you want to watch (based on date and time of its scheduling). Lecture recordings are available pretty much straight away
PHYSIOTHERAPY 1", would that be alright?
In terms of textbooks, the two most important ones to have are Brukner and Khan's Clinical Sports Medicine (this is your bible) and Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy. The rest you can get away with just borrowing from the library when you need them. :)
Would there be enough copies in the library for me to borrow especially in peak periods such as exam revision?Should be. If you're super concerned, just borrow them a week or two beforehand so that you have them before the rush. Otherwise (and I'm not sure if I've mentioned this), provided noone requests the specific book you have on loan, you can keep a book out on loan indefinitely. If no one has requested it, it'll just auto-renew, so there's nothing stopping you from borrowing some books at the start of semester and using them for the whole semester.
Hi all, I have a few questions about studying physiotherapy in Australia.I am not too sure about early offers.
Have any early offers ever been given out (anywhere in Australia) for an undergraduate physiotherapy course? I assume not as it's quota-managed, but have offers before the main offer round been made in the past for those who already have their ATARs?
Does anyone know the "best" physio university in Australia? I'm leaning towards UQ being my first choice, but that's just mostly due to the university's worldwide rankings. I'm curious as to the teaching at different unis though.
Hi all, I have a few questions about studying physiotherapy in Australia.Afaik there's not many places that do early offers. Some do conditional early offers (like La Trobe Uni through their Aspire program) but a lot of unis don't include physio in their early offer programs.
Have any early offers ever been given out (anywhere in Australia) for an undergraduate physiotherapy course? I assume not as it's quota-managed, but have offers before the main offer round been made in the past for those who already have their ATARs?
Does anyone know the "best" physio university in Australia? I'm leaning towards UQ being my first choice, but that's just mostly due to the university's worldwide rankings. I'm curious as to the teaching at different unis though.
Okay thanks for the information, I was only asking about early offers because I'm getting bored at home haha, guess I'll just have to be patient :P And I'm not eligible for La Trobe Aspire as I didn't study Year 12 in Australia :/Yeah, if you're passionate about studying physio then you'll be pretty happy to be studying it anywhere haha. I guess one thing to consider is location - are you looking to move or do you want to stay close to where you live now. But that has nothing to do with the actual course :)
And it's interesting that all the universities are basically the same, guess I won't fuss too much about which one accepts me (if any do at all). Monash's case based learning system sounds super interesting, definitely different to the way other universities do it.
are you looking to move or do you want to stay close to where you live now
Yeah, CBL is interesting. When done well it can be a great learning opportunity and great way to apply knowledge (which is probably the most important thing, as you need to be able to apply your knowledge to real life when you go on placement).
So a few days ago I got an offer from Curtin University for the Bachelor of Science (Physiotherapy) course. Obviously I'm pretty psyched to already have an offer and am probably going to accept it (I have to accept it within 3 weeks) I just need to get a reply from the university as to what kind of offer it is. I'm still hoping for offers from universities a bit closer to me, but I'd be perfectly happy with going to Curtin.I mean, I'd definitely still try to get a job. Potentially more difficult atm but definitely not impossible!
So what do I do in the interim period of about 6 months? In a non-COVID time, I'd probably be trying to get a job or something like that, but that's probably not feasible right now. Is it recommended to start learning some anatomy now or anything along those lines? Because otherwise I'll just be bored for the next few months haha.