COURSE GUIDE

Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance HLT43021

Introduction

Our nationally recognised HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance is designed to prepare you for work in the rapidly growing allied health industry. You'll graduate with the skills to assist physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other healthcare providers in treating individuals with health challenges.

Course Breakdown

E1434

HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

Course duration: Self-paced - maximum of 24 months

Recommended hours per week: 12h

Qualification level: Certificate IV

Delivery method: Online with Work Placement

Awarded by: Open Colleges Pty Ltd (Provider number: 90796)

divider

Industry Overview

The Allied Health Services industry includes a wide range of healthcare professionals who provide therapeutic, diagnostic, and support services, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and dietetics. These professionals are essential to the healthcare system and work with medical practitioners to improve patient outcomes and enhance quality of life. 

An ageing population, a rise in chronic conditions, and a focus on preventive care drive the demand for Allied Health services. The projected growth of this industry over the next five years is unknown.  

Currently, 327,800 professionals are employed in various Allied Health roles, with significant growth expected in occupations like physiotherapists and occupational therapists. The demand for these professionals is anticipated to increase by around 10% over the next five years, reflecting a growing need for specialised healthcare services. 

Most businesses in the Allied Health Services industry are small to medium-sized, often run by independent practitioners or small groups. The industry is regulated, with strict standards for professional practice and accreditation. The VET sector plays a crucial role in training and certifying professionals to ensure high standards of care. 

Source: https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/ [accessed 02/08/2024] 

Is this course for you?

The HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance meets the educational requirements for entry-level roles in the Allied Health Services industry.  

This course is ideal for individuals looking to begin a career in Allied Health, offering practical training for roles that involve assisting physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and other healthcare providers. 

For those already working in the industry, this nationally recognized qualification is an excellent way to formalise existing skills and experience, enhancing career prospects and opportunities for advancement. 

With Open Colleges, you can study whenever you want, wherever you want and make your way through the course at a pace that suits you. 

This course is perfect if you have no experience but want to launch a career in Allied Health Assistance. 

The Certificate IV is also an ideal way to formalise your current work experience if you are already in the industry but need a qualification to get ahead. 

Students completing HLT43021 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance may undertake further study in the following qualifications: 

  • Bachelor of Occupational Therapy 

If you are an existing worker or have experience in the related industry, please inform our enrolment consultants during your enrolment conversation. You may be eligible to enrol as an existing worker and complete your studies faster. Please note - limitations do apply.

What you will learn

During this course, you'll learn how to

  • Interpret and apply medical terminology appropriate  
  • Respond effectively to behaviours of concern  
  • Support relationships with carer and family  
  • Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support  
  • Work with diverse people  
  • Assist with an allied health program  
  • Engage with clinical supervision and delegation  
  • Recognise impact of health conditions  
  • Apply basic principles and practices of infection prevention and control  
  • Follow safe work practices for direct client care  
  • Support independence and community participation  
  • Assist in rehabilitation programs  
  • Support maintenance of functional status  
  • Work within a community rehabilitation environment  
  • Support independence and wellbeing  
  • Maintain patient records  
  • Provide first aid  
  • Work with people with mental health issues 

Learning Material

Your learning materials are accessed through our online platform OpenSpace. These learning materials include: 

  • Learning content 
  • Media 
  • Additional resources 
  • Practice activities 
  • Self-checks 

Your trainer

Maryanne Roland
Maryanne is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. She has worked in a variety of settings as an occupational therapist (hospital inpatient and outpatient, community health and school-based therapy). Her current clinical workload is community-based occupational therapy in a private-practice setting.
divider

Academic Information

Open Colleges may make changes to the course from time to time to reflect changes introduced to the relevant Training Package or other regulatory requirements.

Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

CHCDIV001
Work with diverse people
icon
  • Reflect on own perspectives
  • Appreciate diversity and inclusiveness, and their benefits
  • Communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and situations
  • Promote understanding across diverse groups
HLTWHS002
Follow safe work practices for direct client care
icon
  • Follow safe work practices for direct client care
  • Follow safe work practices for manual handling
  • Follow safe work practices for infection control
  • Contribute to safe work practices in the workplace
  • Reflect on own safe work practices
HLTINF006
Apply basic principles and practices of infection prevention and control
icon
  • Understanding the principles of infection prevention and control   
  • Implementing standard precautions in healthcare settings   
  • Identifying and responding to infection risks   
  • Practicing hand hygiene and other infection control measures   
  • Maintaining a clean and safe healthcare environment
CHCCCS038
Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support
icon
  • Demonstrate commitment to empowerment for people receiving support
  • Foster human rights
  • Facilitate choice and self-determination
CHCCCS040
Support independence and wellbeing
icon
  • Recognise and support individual differences
  • Promote independence
  • Support physical wellbeing
  • Support social, emotional and psychological wellbeing
5/ modules
View All

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

We understand that you may already have many skills and areas of expertise that you have obtained in different ways and these are recognised through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

Our Credit Transfer & Recognition of Prior Learning Policy, available in the Key Student Information section of our website, provides more information about our RPL process. Alternatively, you can contact an Enrolment Consultant to discuss your RPL options.

Course Duration

The duration for the course is maximum 24 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Entry Requirements

There are no mandatory Open Colleges entry requirements. 

Recommended Local Entry Requirements 

Are 18 years old at the time of placement. 

Have language, literacy and numeracy skills that ensure the ability to 

work independently and initiate and use support from a range of established resources,  

Identifies relevant information from a range of written texts, e.g. identifies specific information in an online course handbook or locates information on the internet 

complete a range of formatted texts, e.g. completes an incident report form, 

reads and discusses data from simple charts or tables provided 

These skills are equivalent to those that would be required to successfully achieve and ACSF Level 3 or have previously completed a Certificate III level qualification. 

Access to a modern computer with high-speed internet. 

Access to Microsoft office or equivalent 

Basic computing skills including the ability to make a short video.

Access to others 

This course includes a requirement to record video and/ or audio roleplays.  These will require participation by 1-2 other people sourced by you. 

 

Tools and equipment 

To be advised 

 

IT requirements 

  • Operating system Microsoft Windows 7 or higher (Windows 10 recommended)  
  • Mac OS 10.11 (El Capitan) or higher  
  • Note: (Microsoft Office 365 can only guarantee support on the current release of Mac OS, plus two previous versions. Older versions may work but may have issues  
  • Processor - 2 GHz or faster, 2-core  
  • Memory  - 4GB of RAM or higher  
  • Hard Drive Space  -  2 GB free disk space  
  • Browser - Chrome is the preferred browser for students 
  • Software  - Acrobat Reader  Microsoft Office 2017 or later (including MS Office 365)   
  • Note: if using an equivalent office software (such as Open Office or Apple Pages etc), ensure that documents can be formatted correctly and exported to common file formats  Audio recording Software (Voice recorder app, Garageband, or Audacity)  Video editing software (iMovie, Video Editor app)  
  • Internet Connection - DSL, Cable, or Satellite with at least 2mbps upload speed  Note: it is strongly recommended that you have access to the Internet from home. Expecting to access your course from your work internet or a public network like a library or coffee shop may be impractical due to your average weekly study hours.  
  • Printer/Scanner - Access to printing/scanning devices or facilities may be required for certain course activities  
  • Peripherals - Speakers or headset for audio playback.  Microphone for audio recording.  Webcam or equivalent (such as a smartphone with video recording capability)  
  • E-Mail Capability - Access to e-mail through an e-mail program or web-based e-mail system (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Mail for Android or Mail for iOS apps) 
divider

Work Placement

Students are required to complete a minimum of 160 hours of placement.

This enables them to have sufficient time to practice the skills they have learnt and get familiar with their organisations' ways of working before commencing their assessment tasks.   

 These 160 hours are split into two sections 

  • 40 hours – attributed to workplace learning 
  • 120 hours – attributed to workplace assessment 

 For students that are already working in industry and completing placement with their current employer, this may be reduced to 120 hours. To be eligible for this reduction existing workers must be able to provide a job description that shows they are employed in a relevant job role and a recent payslip to show that their employment is current. 

 

What are the benefits?

  • By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice.
  • You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate.
  • Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence.

How do I find a work placement?

You’ll need to find a work placement yourself and ensure it’s approved by Open Colleges. When looking for a suitable work placement host organisation, have a think about the following:

  • Are you already working or volunteering in the industry your course is related to? You could potentially do your work placement at your current place of work or have contacts that could recommend a suitable work place. Ask around!
  • If you’re entering a new industry, do some research and start thinking about organisations you could approach. We have plenty of resources available to help with approaching and finding a suitable work placement organisation.

Cost of work placement

All costs of work placement, including any placement fees charged by the host organisation (whether to the student or Open Colleges), cost of statutory checks and vaccinations, travel, accommodation, and uniforms are the responsibility of the student. These fees will vary and are dependent on your location within Australia.

  • Costs for statutory checks will range between $50 - $250 dependent on the type of check you select and your state.
  • Costs for vaccinations will very between practitioners, please refer to your GP for approximate costs.
  • Placement fees will vary, please discuss this with your intended host organisation for approximate costs.

Host organisation

The Host Organisation needs to be able to provide the student with access to equipment and resources necessary to undertake Workplace Assessments. The host organisation must be operating in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice. 

Examples of suitable workplaces are: 

  • Occupational Therapy department in a hospital or Community Setting 
  • Occupational Therapy private practice which may include physiotherapy and speech pathology  
  • Residential Aged Care setting providing Allied Health Services  

Immunisations

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

Supervisor requirements

Workplace supervisors are required to have any of the following qualifications.  

  • Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (with at least 3 years experience in the Allied Health industry).  
  • Be a Registered Occupational Therapist (with a minimum of 1 year experience in Occupational Therapy) 
  • Be a Registered Physiotherapist or a qualified Speech Pathologist (with a minimum of 1-year experience in Allied Health) working in collaboration with an Occupational Therapist with functional goals towards community participation  

 Open Colleges may need to obtain further evidence to show confirm that the supervisor has the skills and experience to sign off on the required tasks. 

divider

Study and pay, your way

Payment Options

Pay Upfront
Save 30%
$5,789.00 Save $2,481.00
was $8,270.00
Week to week
Pay as you go
Save 10%
Pay in 88 instalments over the length of your course.
$84.89 Weekly
Total course cost: $7,470.00
Save $800.00
was $8,270.00
Full course breakdown
TBD

Studying online with Open Colleges

Flexibility - study at your own pace

When you study online with Open Colleges you’re in control.

You can choose to complete your course quickly, or keep to a steady pace. Learning is fully flexible so you can fit your everyday commitments around your studies.

Everything you need to study is online so you can study wherever you like – but that doesn’t mean you’re on your own.

OpenSpace is our online learning platform. It’s where you’ll go to access your learning materials, contact your expert trainers and assessors and upload your assessments.

What is OpenSpace?

It’s important to us that we deliver a superior, online learning platform that meets our students’ needs. That’s why we have upgraded to our brand new, custom-designed learning platform, OpenSpace.

OpenSpace provides you with a user-friendly interface, that is mobile responsive. This means that you can complete your coursework using your laptop, iPad, or mobile device. All coursework is automatically saved, providing you with the flexibility you need to complete your studies anywhere, anytime.

How to get support?

Learning Support

The learning support team will be with you every step of the way, from enrolment to graduation. They’re here to help you get the most out of your online course. They can assist by providing non-academic support - like helping you craft an achievable study plan so that you can graduate in a realistic timeframe. If you’re finding it tough to stay motivated throughout your course, they’ll be there to help keep you on track.

Student support

The Student Support team is your one-stop service centre for all student administrative issues – including enrolment, change of contact details, OpenSpace support, assessment results and certification.

You can access the Student Support team by email or phone

overlay
Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

How would you like to pay for your course?

With Open Colleges, you can start your course orientation today. Select your preferred payment option & we'll provide you with the next steps for enrolling with us.
  • Save 30%

    Total course cost: $5,789.00 was $8,270.00

    Get the best value when you pay upfront

  • Save 10%

    Total course cost: $7,470.00 was $8,270.00

    Paid weekly, over the length of your course.

overlay

Maryanne Roland

Health & Community
Maryanne is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. She has worked in a variety of settings as an occupational therapist (hospital inpatient and outpatient, community health and school-based therapy). Her current clinical workload is community-based occupational therapy in a private-practice setting.
Maryanne is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. She has worked in a variety of settings as an occupational therapist (hospital inpatient and outpatient, community health and school-based therapy). Her current clinical workload is community-based occupational therapy in a private-practice setting.

Maryanne is also an experienced educator having worked as a casual academic at the University of Newcastle and as a Trainer and Assessor in RTOs. She enjoys her work with students in Allied Health Assistance. She sees the quickly expanding need for more qualified AHAs to be working in community based therapy.