The Council’s Cultural Safety Training is exclusively designed for anyone who wishes to work in the Australian physiotherapy profession.
Cultural Safety Training (CST) is a compulsory step during the Council’s assessments that sets up non-Indigenous physiotherapists to grow in their understanding of cultural competence and begin their learning journey when it comes to culturally safe practices.
Cultural safety in Australia
Within the Australian community, it is vital that all healthcare practitioners are able to practice in culturally safe ways, particularly when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has specifically outlined that physiotherapists in Australia must be able to work effectively with people whose cultural realities are different from their own.
This video explains more about why cultural safety is important in Australia:
What will I learn?
- Grow your understanding of the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and identify errors behind common myths and stereotypes
- Understand why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are at high risk of feeling culturally unsafe in healthcare
- Learn how physiotherapists can provide culturally appropriate and safe services to all peoples in a range of physiotherapy clinical practice settings
- Recognise and select appropriate strategies to avoid racist behaviour
What does the course contain?
The 5-hour online course contains 6 learning modules which you can complete at your own pace.
Here is a course breakdown:
How do I start?
If you are undertaking an assessment pathway, here is how and when you complete the CST:
- Apply and pay for your Eligibility Assessment and CST at the same time.
- Access the CST course on your candidate dashboard.
- The Council will process your Eligibility Assessment application in the meantime.
- Successfully complete the CST. Your certificate will be available on the candidate dashboard.
CST Authorship
The Council acknowledges the involvement of First Nations voices, along with physiotherapy educators in the development of the Cultural Safety Training (CST). The program was developed in partnership with The University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the expertise and contributions of the following people in the development and review of this program.
First Nations Advisory Group:
Associate Professor Shawana Andrews, Professor Shaun Ewen, & Associate Professor Michael Reynolds
Review Panel:
Ms Kathryn Potter & Ms Ellie White
Authors:
Ms Joanne Bolton, Dr Rachel Toovey & Professor Louisa Remedios
Frequently Asked Questions
You must successfully complete the whole course and score the 80% pass mark to progress on your assessment pathway. You can repeat the exam until you successfully achieve the 80% required pass mark (at no additional fee).
The Cultural Safety Training fee is $228 and is charged when you submit your initial Eligibility application for assessment. See the Fees page for more details.