Students

Rehabilitation Therapies

Below are details about the field of study you have chosen to explore, as well as some potential careers.

Overview

The study of the practices and principles that restore a person to an optimal quality of life. It includes treating individuals so that they can return to normal duties after being affected by accident or disease. The main purpose of this narrow field of education is to develop an understanding of normal and abnormal movement and mobility, and the musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiopulmonary systems. It also involves developing an understanding of the principles and practice of rehabilitation using a variety of activities, and the development of speech and its interrelationship with language and personality development.

Course skills

Rehabilitation Therapies develops skills in:

  • evaluating and interpreting a patient's emotional, psychological, developmental and physical capabilities
  • monitoring and recording patients' activities, responses and progress
  • planning and administering treatment programs on individual and group bases
  • selecting appropriate forms of therapy, and advising and instructing on the use of aids
  • teaching, assisting and monitoring a patient's progress in learning or relearning the skills of normal function.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Careers

Audiologists and Speech Pathologists/Therapists

Audiologists and Speech Pathologists/Therapists provide diagnostic assessment, treatment, rehabilitative services and management of human hearing defects, and communication and swallowing impairments.

Chiropractors and Osteopaths

Chiropractors and Osteopaths diagnose and treat physiological and mechanical disorders of the locomotor system and tissue strain, stress and dysfunction that impede normal neural, vascular and biochemical mechanisms, and provide advice on preventing these disorders.

Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapists assess functional limitations of people resulting from illnesses and disabilities, and provide therapy to enable people to perform their daily activities and occupations.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapists assess, treat and prevent disorders in human movement caused by injury or disease.