The Australian Physiotherapy Council acknowledges the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the land where our workplace Village is located and we pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Acknowledgement of Cultural Safety Training (CST) Authorship
The Council acknowledges 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
Who needs to complete the Council’s online Cultural Safety Training?
Since 15 January 2020, all international physiotherapy candidates starting the Council’s Standard Assessment Pathway and the Express FLYR & FLYR Pathways are required to complete the online Cultural Safety Training program.
Why do the Council’s international candidates need to complete Cultural Safety Training for Physiotherapists?
Within the Australian community, it is vital that all healthcare practitioners are able to practice in culturally safe ways, particularly when working with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) has specifically outlined that physiotherapists in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand must be able to work effectively with people whose cultural realities are different from their own.
When does the Cultural Safety Training need to be done?
This is the process for when Cultural Safety Training needs to be completed:
- Candidates apply and pay for your Eligibility Assessment and Cultural Safety Training at the same time.
- Candidates should see a link appear on their candidate dashboard that directs them to the CST course.
- The Council will process your assessment application Check processing times for more information.
- Candidates need to complete and successfully pass the Cultural Safety Training exam (80% pass mark).
- Candidates will be able to find and generate their certificate on the candidate dashboard when they successfully complete the CST course.
- For Standard Assessment (including Express FLYR & FLYR Pathway candidates), after successful completion of the Cultural Safety Training and Eligibility Assessment, candidates receive Interim Certificate and are able to apply to take the Written Assessment stage.
What are the benefits and learning outcomes of completing the Council’s online Cultural Safety Training?
The Council’s online Cultural Safety Training has been developed in partnership with The University of Melbourne and aims to deliver a number of key benefits and learning outcomes to participants who complete the training.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the history and contemporary culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Explain cultural safety and why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are at high risk of feeling culturally unsafe during health care service delivery
- Recognise important facts that physiotherapists must know to provide culturally appropriate and safe services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Identify errors behind common myths and stereotypes linked to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Recognise racist behaviour and select appropriate strategies to avoid racist behaviour and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Apply the principles of culturally safe practice in a range of physiotherapy clinical practice settings
What is the Council’s online Cultural Safety Training?
The Cultural Safety Training is an online program that consists of 6 learning modules and will take approximately 5 hours to complete.
The content of the 6 modules has been mapped to the five key elements outlined in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Curriculum Framework to ensure full and effective coverage of these elements.
What happens if a candidate doesn’t achieve 80% on the Cultural Safety Training exam?
Candidates must successfully complete the online Cultural Safety Training program and achieve 80% pass mark to progress on your assessment pathway.
Candidates are able to repeat the exam until they successfully complete it (no additional fee incurred).
How much does the Cultural Safety Training cost?
The Cultural Safety Training fee is charged when you submit your initial application for assessment.
See the Fees page for more details.
Importance of cultural safety
