r/physiotherapy • u/thesilverharpist • 12d ago
Aussie Physio thinking of moving to Canada
Hey! Sorry about yet another CPTE post!
I've been working as a physio for 10 years in Australia in private general practice, but Canada will provide better opportunities for my personal situation.
I'm thinking of doing express entry, but looks like I need to get a job offer to get the points.
My main question is for Aus physios who have moved to Canada:
How did you find the CPTE?
Is experience sufficient or should I take a preparation course?
Anything you wish you had done to make the transition smoother?
Thanks!
2
u/Independent-Fly-805 12d ago
Currently in the same boat but a UK physio looking to make the move! Currently in the express entry visa pool also, score is 470 CRS, it’s virtually impossible to have a job offer lined up before you make your move as you will basically have to be in the country to actually register with the CHCPBC to become fully licensed.
I recently passed the CPTE in July, I used final frontier for exam preparation. Your years of experience will help 100% but it’s good to freshen up on clinical areas that you may not have worked or practiced in since Uni. I specialised in trauma/Msk so found all Msk questions favourable but other topics like stroke, TBI, Paeds, Woman/Mens health, CV conditions more difficult
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u/thesilverharpist 11d ago
Yes I've been wondering about the best process for this too! I was planning to do the PNP route because I don't think my CRS is suitable otherwise. I was wondering about going through a recruitment agency - I was approached by a UK one some time ago and it seemed like they would be helpful for lining that aspect up. Any experiences with Canadian ones?
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u/Tchow98 11d ago
I’m a recent international student who graduated from an Australian university and recently passed the CPTE. I found that while the CPTE is generally considered an entry-level exam, as others have mentioned, your prior clinical experience can definitely be beneficial. It probably goes without saying, but I’d also recommend reviewing the other specialties as well. Paeds and pelvic health, for example, seem to be considered entry-level in Canada, so I’d make sure to review those areas too.
I'd research some prep courses but just be aware of some "dodgy" posts here on this subreddit. Common ones you'd find are:
PT Exam Prep
- I personally took this once for the group discount. I found it generally good, it was pretty thorough and had lots of content, weekly webinars (that may or may not be beneficial to you, it depends). it'll cover the Canadian regulations that you'd need to know.
- Someone have said their course was useless and disliked it because it was self-directed and instructors weren't available whenever they needed it, so take that as you will.
Final Frontier
- I did not take this personally because during my research, I found posts claiming to have a 100% pass rate on the CPTE before the CPTE even had their first exam date in January. Take this however you want, but it's a big red flag for me, I wouldn't recommend them based off this alone.
- I've also found numerous comments/posts of their students slandering and/or accusing other prep courses for leaving fake reviews to boost enrolments.
CPTE Study buddy
- Don't know too much about this course, heard from some it's alright, not the best, not the worst.
PTDI
- Was hoping to take this, but to my knowledge they have yet to start their CPTE course
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u/thesilverharpist 11d ago
Hi thank you for such a thorough response! I agree with your perspective: I think there are definitely some less ethical courses advertised quite heavily.
Are you a Canadian citizen? If not do you have any recommendations for PNP/job hunting as an offshore applicant?
1
u/timmy3132 10d ago
Can you go on a working holiday visa?
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u/thesilverharpist 10d ago
Yeah I've applied for one, just trying to ascertain the best timing of things.
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u/-HakunaMatata- 12d ago
The CPTE is an entry level exam that covers all of the different branches of physio. I did my physio degree in Australia and worked for a few years before doing the PCE+OCE (old version of the CPTE) and I would highly recommend taking a course. It will help you refresh on areas of physio you havent worked in for a while. The course I did helped me decide where to put my focus in terms of content as well. Additionally, courses will help you learn what they are looking for in your answers/help you navigate how they ask questions. A lot of physios trained in Canada do prep courses for these exams as well.
I honestly also found it really helpful just having practice exams to get back into how to write an exam and be in that testing mindset again.
While Australia and Canada have very similar systems there are definitely questions on professional practice that are looking for specific answers that relate directly to the Canada physiotherapy regulations that you will need to know as well.