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Physiotherapy Competencies
Below is a list of the key physiotherapy competencies in each level of practice. See the NZ Physiotherapy Board Practice Thresholds for more information.
Roles:
GENERAL SCOPE:
Physiotherapists registered under General Scope in Aotearoa New Zealand are able to:
ADVANCED PRACTITIONER:
Physiotherapists registered in the Advanced Practice Scope in Aotearoa New Zealand are able to:
SPECIALISTS:
Registered Physiotherapy Specialists in Aotearoa New Zealand are able to:
1.1 Plan and implement an efficient, effective, culturally responsive
and client-centred physiotherapy assessment
Plan and implement a person and whānau centred assessment that identifies and prioritises issues addressed in a client consultation.
Apply in-depth, research-informed, knowledge and skills to the complex physiotherapy assessment.
Recognise the implications of societal, cultural and other determinants that influence the person’s health and lifestyle and respond to these appropriately.
Conduct an assessment when a second opinion is requested or when there is diagnostic uncertainty.
Adapt and contextualise all available information to plan and implement an appropriate assessment in complex and challenging situations.
Teach the application of assessment to complex and challenging situations.
Mentor advanced practitioners to assess complex and challenging presentations.
1.2 Involve the client and relevant others in the planning and implementation of safe and effective physiotherapy using evidence-based practice to inform decision-making.
Demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning to analyse and interpret assessment, results for the purpose of understanding the person, the persons’ contexts, and problems to inform diagnosis, management, prognosis and prevention.
Demonstrate skill in efficient identification of client goals and effective prioritisation of issues, across progressive interpretations and respond to changing needs over time.
Recognise barriers to care, rehabilitation and meeting goals and respond to these appropriately.
Demonstrate expert clinical-reasoning to evaluate, and modify where necessary the management of complex and challenging situations.
Teach the management of complex and challenging situations.
Mentor advanced practitioners to manage complex and challenging presentations.
Develop policy for assisting other practitioners to make the best use of available evidence to support clinical reasoning and decision making.
1.3 Review the continuation of physiotherapy and facilitate the client’s optimal participation in their everyday life.
Demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning considering the perspective of the person (including values and preferences) as the person’s situation evolves.
Demonstrate expert reasoning.
Act as a consultant to support ongoing care including follow-up on investigations, response to treatment, further consultation, referral and discharge.
1.4 Advocate for clients and their rights to health care.
Role model advocacy skills in relation to the needs and rights of persons.
Advocate for the needs and rights of communities and specific populations.
2.1 Comply with legal, professional, ethical and other relevant standards, codes and guidelines.
Integrate with legal, professional, cultural, ethical and other relevant standards, codes and guidelines into person and whānau centred care contribute to reviews of legal, professional, ethical and other relevant standards, codes and guidelines.
Lead the development of legal, professional, ethical and other relevant standards, codes and guidelines.
2.2 Make and act on informed and appropriate decisions about acceptable professional and ethical behaviours.
2.3 Recognise the need for, and implement, appropriate strategies to manage their physical and mental health and resilience.
Role model and foster ethical competence and best practice, and recognise and respond to unprofessional and unethical conduct in physiotherapists and other colleagues.
Mentor others and foster a healthcare culture that enhances quality healthcare and client safety.
Review the competence or conduct of colleagues.
Mentor others in strategies to promote self-care and understand its influence on professional performance.
3.1 Use clear, accurate, sensitive and effective communication to support the development of trust and rapport in professional relationships with the client and relevant others.
Exhibit a range of culturally responsive communication skills using a person and whānau- centred approach that encourages trust and autonomy and is characterised by empathy, respect, and compassion.
Demonstrate effective communication in complex and challenging situations
Demonstrate leadership to improve the understanding and use of health information and services.
3.2 Record and effectively communicate physiotherapy assessment findings, outcomes and decisions.
Document advanced clinical reasoning and effectively communicate to optimise decision-making and the person’s health and safety.
Demonstrate the documentation of accurate and informative reports relating to complex or challenging presentations.
Mentor and teach the preparation of documentation for complex reports or for medico legal purposes.
3.3 Deal effectively with actual and potential conflict in a proactive and constructive manner.
Recognise when strong emotions are affecting an interaction and respond appropriately.
Counsel others impacted by disagreements and emotionally charged conversations.
Mentor others to manage challenging situations in a proactive and constructive manner.
4.1 Assess their practice against relevant professional benchmarks and take action to continually improve their practice.
Role model learning and improvement by regularly and critically reflecting on performance using internal and validated external sources of information.
Mentor and lead collaborative learning to continuously improve personal practice and contribute to collective improvements in practice.
4.2 Evaluate their learning needs, engage in relevant continuing professional development and recognise when to seek professional support, including peer review.
Role model and support physiotherapists to identify and meet their learning needs.
Mentor and support advanced practice physiotherapists to identify and meet their learning needs.
4.3 Efficiently consume and effectively apply research and commit to practice informed by best available research evidence and new knowledge.
Recognise practice uncertainty and knowledge gaps and generate focused questions that address these.
Critically appraise and synthesise research to inform practice, and actively participate in the research process.
4.4 Proactively apply principles of quality improvement and risk management to practice.
Apply quality improvement processes to contribute to improving systems of person and whānau centred-care and health promotion.
Lead the development and implementation of quality improvement processes to improve standards of practice.
4.5 Recognise situations that are outside their scope of expertise or competence and take appropriate and timely action.
5.1 Engage in an inclusive, collaborative, consultative, culturally responsive and client-centred model of practice.
Role model positive relationships to support person and whānau-centred care.
Mentor and provide leadership in establishing person and whānau-centred care in organisations to optimise performance.
5.2 engage in safe, effective and collaborative interprofessional practice
Improve care and outcomes through development and enhancement of effective intra-professional and inter-professional practice.
Improve care and outcomes in complex and challenging situations through development and enhancement of effective intra-professional and inter-professional practice.
Mentor others in the development and enhancement of interprofessional practice.
Lead the establishment and development of interprofessional practice within and between organisations.
6.1 Use education to empower themselves and others.
Foster a culture of learning in the workplace.
Provide education to organisations and health providers on research outcomes impacting clinical practice.
Mentor physiotherapists to develop their supervisory skills.
Support others to engage in research.
6.2 Seek opportunities to lead the education of others, including physiotherapy students, as appropriate, within the physiotherapy setting.
Educate students, clients, the public, and other health care professionals.
Act in supervisory roles to facilitate, enhance and support professional development, at clinical, professional and at personal levels.
Support advanced physiotherapists to develop their clinical, academic, and leadership capacity.
Demonstrates links with relevant academic institutions and demonstrates their involvement in a team that generates and disseminates new knowledge to the profession.
Disseminate new knowledge to the profession through published peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations to local, national and/or international audiences.
7.1 Organise and prioritise their workload and resources to provide safe, effective and efficient physiotherapy autonomously and, where relevant, as a team member.
Contribute to the improvement of health promotion and health care delivery in teams, organisations, and systems.
Use, audit and analyse health informatics to improve the systems of quality to optimise client care and safety.
Promote health and quality of life in keeping with the New Zealand health priorities.
Demonstrate knowledge of New Zealand health economics and the impact on the delivery of care.
7.2 Lead others effectively and efficiently within relevant professional, ethical and legal frameworks.
Demonstrate leadership in professional practice to facilitate change in service delivery and outcomes to enhance quality practice.
Demonstrate leadership and expert advice in professional practice to facilitate change in service delivery and outcomes to enhance quality practice.
Act as a leader and advisor within the profession, as well as providing leadership, education and/or advice to other health professionals, relevant government agencies and other organisations.
Have an active involvement in the profession locally and nationally/internationally, influencing/contributing to relevant policy and strategy processes that impact upon the physiotherapy practice of individuals and/or communities.
Physiotherapy Practitioner
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Professional and Ethical Practice
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Communicator
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Scholar
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Collaborator
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Educator
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Manager & Leader
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