Recently, SBS Hindi highlighted the problems and frustrations faced by overseas qualified health professionals, especially the physiotherapists coming from India.
One of the candidates said that being an overseas health professional the first hurdle to start work in Australia was the entire registration process.
Listen to the full interview with Anahita in Hindi below:
The Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC) is the accrediting authority for entry-level physiotherapy programs in Australia.
APC’s CEO Mr Anton Barnett-Harris says that as an independent national body its job is in the national policy guidance and assurance of standards for health professional practice in Australia.
Mr Barnett-Harris says that APC’s assessment for general registration involves three steps: Eligibility Assessment, Written Assessment and Clinical Assessment.
He adds that it is the Clinical Assessment stage that many overseas qualified physios find difficult to clear.
Some candidates from overseas allege that although for General Registration the requirement is of entry-level physio qualification but the evaluators expect an expert level from the candidates.
Mr Barnett-Harris says the allegation is “not true,’
He adds that “every candidate is assessed against the Australian threshold standards.”
According to Mr Barnett-Harris the problem arises when people coming from different countries see their knowledge of physio as expert level but in fact that is just an entry level in Australia.
“It’s the same level of standards for students who study here or any foreign students or foreign physiotherapists coming in to Australia,” he adds.
Mr Barnett-Harris says that APC has a very important role to play.
“It is our duty of care to make sure that the Australian community has a one hundred per cent confidence in the physiotherapists that come-in from overseas,” he adds.
Mr Barnett-Harris further adds that keeping in mind the recent cases of fake doctors it is pertinent to be careful in the area of health.
“It damages the communities view of health professionals particularly foreign health professionals who are coming to Australia,” he says.
Mr Barnett-Harris says that APC understands the frustrations faced by overseas qualified health professionals and has already started streamlining the process.
“The problem right now in clinical assessment is the shortage of both assessors and exam venues (public hospitals),” adds Mr Barnett-Harris.
Mr Barnett-Harris says that in the next few months people would be able to see the changes taking effect.
To know more about the steps being taken by the APC to minimise the frustration of overseas qualified health professionals, listen to the full conversation with APC’s CEO Mr Anton Barnett-Harris by Amit Sarwal of SBS Hindi.
Listen to the full interview in English below:
