Physiotherapist

Physiotherapists assess and treat problems with movement and pain, using exercise, hands-on therapy and education to help people recover or manage a condition.

Median salary: $98,200; 3.9%vs last year, before tax
People employed: 46,600; 3.1%vs last year
Projected growth: +35.1%; to 2035
AI exposure*: Low; 3 out of 10
Average hours: 41/wk; +1h vs all jobs
Shortage status: In shortage; national

You could work in a private clinic, a hospital, aged care, community health, a sporting club or a client's home.
People mix the two up, but physiotherapists work on movement, strength and pain while occupational therapists help with daily tasks.
You need registration with the Physiotherapy Board of Australia through AHPRA before you can practise or use the title.

How much do physiotherapists earn?

The median full-time salary for a physiotherapist is $98,200 per annum, before tax, up $20,400 since 2018.

Where you work changes your pay more than your experience does in the early years: public hospital roles pay against a state award with penalty rates, while private practice often offers a base salary plus commission on what you bill. Ask how the commission is worked out, whether you are paid for admin time, and whether professional development and leave are included. A figure quoted for a clinic is often a package built on hitting a billing target, so check what happens in a quiet month.

Median annual salary, 2018–2028

Median annual salary (AUD/year), Modelled trend anchored to a real ABS Employee Earnings figure, interim years are indicative, not a real yearly series. 2025-2028 is a projection from that anchor using the real ABS Wage Price Index annual growth rate (3.2%, June quarter 2026), not a role-specific forecast., Estimate
Period	Median annual salary (AUD/year)	Change
2018	77,800	-
2019	80,400	+2,600
2020	83,900	+3,500
2021	87,600	+3,700
2022	90,500	+2,900
2023	94,500	+4,000
2024	98,200	+3,700
2025estimated	101,300	+3,100
2026estimated	104,600	+3,300
2027projected	107,900	+3,300
2028projected	111,400	+3,500

The median salary rose by $20,400 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.

Full physiotherapist salary breakdown →

What does a physiotherapist do day to day?

The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.

Testing a patient's strength, range of motion and movement patterns to work out what is causing the problem
Building an exercise and manual therapy plan around what the patient wants to get back to, whether that is walking to the letterbox or returning to sport
Demonstrating exercises and guiding patients through them by hand, which keeps you moving between the treatment bed and the gym floor
Explaining the same thing several times over, because understanding why a shoulder hurts is part of what helps it improve
Writing notes, reports and funding paperwork between appointments, which is heaviest in private practice where sessions run short and back to back

What skills do physiotherapists need?

Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, care planning and coordination, backed by Ultrasound therapy equipment fluency and strong written communication.

Specialist skills

Patient care and support
Clinical assessment and treatment
Care planning and coordination
Health education and advice
Rehabilitation and therapy

Software and tools

Ultrasound therapy equipment
Exercise bands and weights
Goniometer
Electrotherapy units
Patient management software

General skills

Written communication
Problem solving
Attention to detail

Specialist skills

Patient care and support: Much of the day is spent in close contact with people who are in pain or anxious about moving again, so a physiotherapist has to judge when to push and when to ease off. Keeping someone's confidence up through a slow recovery often matters as much as the exercises themselves.
Clinical assessment and treatment: Assessment means testing strength, joint range and how a patient moves to work out which structure is causing the problem, then choosing a treatment that matches that finding. An assessment that misses the cause sends the whole treatment plan in the wrong direction.
Care planning and coordination: Plans are built around what the patient wants back, such as returning to work or managing stairs at home, and set out how many sessions, which exercises and when to review. In hospitals and aged care this means coordinating with doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and family, while private practice adds paperwork for funding schemes.
Health education and advice: Explaining why a shoulder hurts, what makes it worse and what to do between sessions is often what changes the outcome, because an exercise program only works if the patient actually does it. Physiotherapists repeat the same explanation in different ways until it makes sense.
Rehabilitation and therapy: Rehabilitation is progressive, with load increased as the tissue tolerates it, whether that is a knee after reconstruction or a stroke patient relearning to walk. The work runs across weeks or months, so physiotherapists track small gains and change the program when progress stalls.

Software and tools

Ultrasound therapy equipment: Therapeutic ultrasound is applied to soft tissue to warm it before exercise, and while some clinics have moved away from it as the evidence changed, it still appears in many Australian practices.
Exercise bands and weights: Resistance bands, dumbbells and small weights are the main way a muscle is loaded, and patients are usually given a set to use at home between sessions.
Goniometer: A goniometer measures joint range of motion, giving an objective number for a knee or shoulder that can be compared at each visit.
Electrotherapy units: TENS and muscle stimulation units are used mainly for pain relief and to switch a weak muscle back on, most often in hospital and post-surgical rehabilitation.
Patient management software: Bookings, clinical notes, exercise prescription and private health or Medicare claims all run through patient management systems, which are standard in private practice.

General skills

Written communication: Progress notes, letters back to a GP and reports supporting a funding claim have to be clear enough for another practitioner to pick up the case, and they are usually written between patients.
Problem solving: A sore knee can have several causes, so a physiotherapist weighs the history against the physical tests and revises the plan if the response is not what was expected.
Attention to detail: Small differences in how someone shifts weight or holds a shoulder can point to the actual problem, and the same care is needed to keep notes accurate for funding audits.

Is the job growing?

About 46,600 people work as physiotherapists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 35.1% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.

Employment, 2015–2024, projected to 2035

Employment (workers), Modelled trend anchored to a real Jobs and Skills Australia employment figure, interim years are indicative, not a real yearly series, Estimate
Period	Employment (workers)	Change
2015	35,300	-
2016	36,500	+1,200
2017	37,400	+900
2018	38,700	+1,300
2019	39,700	+1,000
2020	41,100	+1,400
2021	42,600	+1,500
2022	43,600	+1,000
2023	45,200	+1,600
2024	46,600	+1,400
2027projected	51,700	+5,100
2029projected	55,400	+3,700
2031projected	59,300	+3,900
2033projected	63,600	+4,300
2035projected	68,100	+4,500

Employment rose by 11,300 between 2015 and 2024; the dashed line shows the official projection to 2035.

How do you become a physiotherapist?

Here's the path most physiotherapists take, step by step.

1
Complete an accredited physiotherapy degree
A four-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy is the qualification most students take, and graduates who already hold a degree in a related area such as exercise science can do a two-year master's instead. The course has to be accredited by the Australian Physiotherapy Council.
2
Register with AHPRA
You apply to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia, which checks your qualification, English and criminal history. Registration is what lets you treat patients and use the title physiotherapist, and you renew it each year.
3
Start in a supervised role
New graduates usually begin with structured mentoring, and hospitals run rotation programs that move you through wards over a year or two. In private practice, ask how much supervision you get and how your billings are counted.
4
Specialise or add postgraduate study
Physiotherapists often move into sports, neurology, paediatrics, continence or aged care, and a postgraduate certificate or master's helps for hospital and specialist work. Research and university teaching usually need a doctorate.

Study routes we have checked

Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.

Bachelor of Physiotherapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete a Board-approved entry-to-practice physiotherapy programme and meet all registration requirements before practising. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Bachelor of Science/Physiotherapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete a Board-approved entry-to-practice physiotherapy programme and meet all registration requirements before practising. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Doctor of Physiotherapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete a Board approved entry to practice physiotherapy program, including clinical placements, and meet all registration requirements before practising. The degree alone does not confer registration. Check the chosen provider, program and intake; the family level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Master of Physiotherapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete a Board-approved entry-to-practice physiotherapy programme and meet all registration requirements before practising. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.

Ready to apply as a physiotherapist?

Whether you're working toward becoming a physiotherapist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.

Resume templateExample bullet points grounded in this role's real tasks.View & download →Cover letter templateA structured letter with role-specific example content.View & download →Interview questionsWhat people are actually asked, and why.View & download →

What jobs can a physiotherapist move to?

Moving into University Lecturer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $53,800 a year more on average.

Physiotherapist

$98,200

University Lecturer

$152,000+$53,800

Resident Medical Officer

$104,000+$5,800

Occupational Therapist

$99,500+$1,300

Exercise Physiologist

$96,100−$2,100

Research and Development Manager

$150,100+$51,900

Software Engineer

$131,900+$33,700

Secondary School Teacher

$120,700+$22,500

University LecturerRecorded move
$152,000+$53,800
Resident Medical OfficerRecorded move
$104,000+$5,800
Occupational TherapistRecorded move
$99,500+$1,300
Exercise PhysiologistRecorded move
$96,100−$2,100

Recorded in tax dataSuggested from skill overlap

Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.

Move to	Typical pay change	Overlap	Retraining
University Lecturer Physiotherapists can move into teaching and research, but usually need further study such as a doctorate.Known move	+$53,800	3%	requalify
Resident Medical Officer Physiotherapists use their clinical assessment and patient care skills, but must complete a medical degree to become a resident medical officer.Known move	+$5,800	55%	requalify
Occupational Therapist Physiotherapists share rehabilitation and movement expertise, but need to retrain to meet occupational therapy registration.Known move	+$1,300	79%	requalify
Exercise Physiologist Physiotherapists bring exercise prescription and rehabilitation knowledge, but must complete an exercise physiology qualification to register.Known move	−$2,100	81%	requalify
Myotherapist Physiotherapists have manual therapy and musculoskeletal skills, needing only a short course to practise as a myotherapist.Known move	−$33,200	59%	short course

Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.

Who works as a physiotherapist?

The typical physiotherapist is 33 years old; 58% are women, 72% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.

33
Median age: 58%
Female share: 72%
Full-time: +1h
vs all-jobs avg

What's it like being a physiotherapist?

Your week mixes hands-on treatment, teaching and paperwork, and the balance shifts with where you work. In a private clinic you might see a patient every twenty to thirty minutes, so notes and reports wait until the end of the day, while hospital and community roles tend to allow longer sessions and more time with a team. The emotional side is real: some people improve quickly and others live with pain that will not fully settle, so you need to be comfortable with slow progress. If you like solving a movement problem and then persuading someone to do the work that fixes it, this holds up well over a long career.

What people like

Progress you can watch. Patients arrive unable to reach overhead or walk without a limp, and over a few weeks you see that change. They often tell you about the first night they slept through without waking in pain.
Treatment that uses your hands and your head. You are not just talking a problem through. You test, treat and then adjust the plan based on how the patient responds that day.
Room to move between settings. New graduates often start in private practice, then shift into hospital, aged care, community health or sport without doing another degree.
Teaching sits inside the treatment. Explaining why a knee hurts and what to do about it takes up a good chunk of the appointment, and patients who understand the plan tend to follow it.

What people find hard

Back-to-back appointment books. Short sessions in private practice leave little room between patients, so a difficult case runs into your break and the notes pile up behind it.
People whose pain does not resolve. You will treat patients whose symptoms sit beyond what physiotherapy can fix, and carrying that alongside the ones who do well takes some adjusting.
Wear on your hands and back. Transferring patients, demonstrating exercises and leaning over treatment beds for years adds up in your shoulders, wrists and lower back.
Paperwork that follows you home. Medicare care plans, NDIS and insurer reports, and DVA claims all need writing, and most of it has to happen outside appointment time.

Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.

Which industries employ physiotherapists?

Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of physiotherapists.

Top employing industries

1Health Care and Social Assistance

Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.

Highest qualification held
Bachelor degree		58.6%
Postgraduate		38.4%
Diploma / Advanced Diploma		1.4%
Year 12 or below		0.4%
Certificate III/IV		0.2%

Will AI replace physiotherapists?

3out of 10

Low exposure. Unlikely. AI will change some of the work around this job, not the job itself.

Most of what a physiotherapist does resists automation, because assessment and treatment depend on touching a patient, watching how they move and adjusting on the spot. Software already handles the work around it, from practice management systems to exercise prescription apps and telehealth, and remote monitoring can extend what you do between appointments. Learn those tools properly, since clinics expect a new graduate to pick them up quickly.

How a typical week splits

25%

AI already does a lot of this

of a typical working week

Notes, reports and funding paperwork
25% of the week
Patient management systems and AI drafting already speed up progress notes, care plan reports and insurer or NDIS forms.

45%

AI helps, you still do it

of a typical working week

Managing your caseload and diary
25% of the week
Practice software handles bookings, reminders and billing, but decisions about who you see and how long you give them stay with you.
Assessing a new patient
20% of the week
Taking a history and testing strength, movement and joint range needs hands and judgement, though software records the findings and drafts the initial letter.

30%

Stays with people

of a typical working week

Delivering treatment by hand
30% of the week
Manual therapy and guiding someone through an exercise depend on feeling how the tissue responds and correcting it in the moment.

How we work this out

We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.

Common questions about becoming a physiotherapist

Straight answers to the questions people ask most.

How much do physiotherapists earn?

Physiotherapists earn $98,200 per year before tax, as a median for full-time work, so treat it as a guide when you compare offers. Hospital roles follow a state award with penalty rates, while private practice commonly pays a base plus commission on the patients you see, and the two can land in quite different places.

How do you become a physiotherapist?

Finish an accredited physiotherapy degree, either a four-year bachelor or a two-year master's if you already hold a related qualification, then register with AHPRA. The degree includes supervised clinical placements, which is where most students work out whether they want hospital, private practice or community work.

Are physiotherapists in demand?

Physiotherapists are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 35.1% over the decade to 2035. For someone qualifying now, the openings are spread across hospital, private practice, aged care and community settings, so look at more than one of them before you settle on a direction.

Will AI replace physiotherapists?

Not in the parts of the work that matter most, because assessment and treatment depend on handling a patient and watching how they move. Software already handles bookings, notes and exercise programs, so a new graduate who learns those systems quickly has an advantage rather than a problem.

What other jobs can a physiotherapist move into?

Occupational therapy is a common move because the rehabilitation and movement skills carry across, though you need to retrain and register again, and pay is $1,300 more. Myotherapy is quicker to enter, needing only a short course, but pay is $33,200 less. Many physiotherapists also end up running their own practice, which means buying into or opening a clinic, covering the business costs and building a referral base before the income settles.

What hours do physiotherapists work?

Full-time physiotherapists average around 41 hours a week, and the spread varies by setting. Private clinics often run evening and Saturday appointments to fit around patients' work, while hospital roles include weekend rosters and on-call in some areas. Ask about the roster before you accept a role, because a base salary set on a 38-hour week looks different once those extras are counted.

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How much do physiotherapists earn?

What does a physiotherapist do day to day?

What skills do physiotherapists need?

Specialist skills

Software and tools

General skills

Specialist skills

Software and tools

General skills

Is the job growing?

How do you become a physiotherapist?

Study routes we have checked

Ready to apply as a physiotherapist?

What jobs can a physiotherapist move to?

Who works as a physiotherapist?

What's it like being a physiotherapist?

What people like

What people find hard

Which industries employ physiotherapists?

Top employing industries

Will AI replace physiotherapists?

How a typical week splits

Common questions about becoming a physiotherapist

Related roles

Career advice