Many countries have created organizations recognized by the country’s department of education that develop standards for physiotherapist education.
The purpose of the standards is to assure the quality of the education that students receive.
These organizations grant accreditation status to qualified entry-level physiotherapy programs in their country.
In many countries, graduation from an accredited physiotherapy school is the main path to receiving a governmental license, registration or certificate to practice physiotherapy in that country.
View various educational accreditation standards
Australia
Australian Physiotherapy Council
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Canada
Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC) conducts accreditation reviews of Canada's fourteen Physiotherapy education programs.
For physiotherapists educated outside of Canada, reviews of an individual physiotherapist’s credentials are conducted by the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (The Alliance).
Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC)
http://www.peac-aepc.ca/english/index.php
The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators
http://www.alliancept.org/
Foreign Qualification Recognition: A Review of International Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Systems, November 2013
The accrediting organizations reviewed included:
- Australian Physiotherapy Council (APC), Australia;
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), United States of America;
- Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), United Kingdom;
- Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP), Ireland; and
- Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC), Canada.
Catalunya
Ministry of Education published ORDEN CIN 2135/2008, which establishes education accreditation standards for the PT university degree. University degrees must previously be approved by the ANECA (National Agency for Quality and Accreditation Evaluation).
New Zealand
The Physiotherapy schools in New Zealand are accredited five yearly and also have annual reporting requirements. The requirements of the accreditation are covered by the Accreditation Standard for Physiotherapy Practitioner Programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand 2017 and the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand.
Currently, the Australian Physiotherapy Council is contracted to undertake the five-yearly accreditation process. Their accreditation panel reports to the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand with a recommendation on the programme’s accreditation status.
United States
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
http://www.capteonline.org/home.aspx