Competency

The NZ Physiotherapy Board has a standard of professional competency required by physiotherapists on completion of their training.  The issue of ongoing competency was first raised by the profession 1973 when it was decided that it should be incoprorated in the Physiotherapy Act as a requirement for registration.[1].  There was a  remit from Canterbury on 20-9-80 that the Society consider the issuing of a Practising Certificate be subject to the physiotherapist accruing a required number of credits as evidence of suitable courses over a 5 year period.  Education Committee to study.  A Statement of Professional Competency - NZ Physiotherapy Board was published in theJournal in April 1981 page 30.

The Board re-developed its competencies and learning objectives in 1988,  following a Dacum type exercise which included wide consultation with the profession.  It was moved at the 1989 annual general meeting that any system of legislation for continuing competencies must include the profession (NZSP) in determining both the standards of competencies and providing the appropriate educational programmes.  This was reviewed in 1995,  again with a working party involving physiotherapists [2].  Following a request in 1996 from the NZSP to develop a process to measure continuing competency in physiotherapists the Physiotherapy Board set up a new Competencies Review Committee in 1997,  with a Society representative.  This Committee was responsible for ensuring that those competencies unique to physiotherapy practice in NZ were identified in a way which allows evaluation in both the accreditation of schools and the assessment of overseas educated physiotherapists.  Consideration would also be given to the issue of ongoing competence.  National Executive ratified the appointment of Hilary Godshill as the Society’s representative on the Competencies Review Committee.  Other members were those members of the Board who were physiotherapists and a representative nominated by the NZ College of Physiotherapists.  The revised physiotherapist competencies for registration were published in 1999.

[1] E/M  September 1974

[2] E/M 11-11-95