Allied Health Courses Australia

About Allied Health

You'll become

Aged Care Worker
Gerontological Physiotherapist
Quality Assessor
Health Promoter
Allied Health Assistant
Therapy Assistant

Average Salaries

Allied Health workers may earn between $45,000 and $78,000 per year

Start a rewarding new career supporting people to help themselves by studying an allied health course. Allied Health courses cover a range of areas, from occupational therapy and physiotherapy, through to speech pathology, podiatry, nutrition and rehabilitation.

Allied health workers work in a range of professional in the health industry, including working as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nutritionists. Allied health professionals also receive support from allied health assistants, who work closely with specialists to prevent, diagnose and treat a range of illnesses and injury.

As an allied health worker, you’ll develop and manage therapeutic programs to deliver holistic care to clients with rehabilitation needs, and work closely with specialised practitioners to ensure the social, environmental and therapeutic situation surrounding a patient best serves their health interests.

With a growing and ageing population, Australia’s need for skilled health professionals is greater than ever. And with growing pressure on specialists, the potential for growth in allied health service provision is significant.

In an allied health course, you’ll develop a deep understanding of the legal and ethical requirements of working in the health sector, and learn how to safely handle, diagnose and work with clients. You’ll also learn how to build and manage relationships, in order to work best with both clients and other health practitioners. Depending on your specialisation, you’ll also learn the scientific and physiological theories underpinning your area of expertise.

You may study to be an allied health assistant at the certificate level, or undertake specialised training in physiotherapy, occupational therapy or nutrition at the bachelor’s or master’s degree level. After graduating, you may choose to work in a hospital, clinic or private practice setting.

What do allied health graduates do?

Due to the wide variety of roles in the allied health industry, the day-to-day tasks you can expect to perform will vary, depending on your career path and area of specialisation. However, all allied health roles are centred on the client, and work to support the client to drive their own care and flourishing. As a result, you can expect to perform the following tasks in an allied health role:

Conducting an individual evaluation, to determine the client’s capacity and goals;
Designing customised interventions for the client, in order to improve their ability to accomplish tasks and achieve their goals; and
Conducting an outcomes evaluation to track progress against goals and ensure the intervention plan is working effectively.

In performing these tasks, you may visit the client’s home to observe and assess their environment, talk to the client and their family, perform exercises and activities with the client, recommend and supply items to assist the client in achieving their goals, and maintain written documentation of the interventions conducted and the client’s progress against their goals.

Allied health is considered a holistic health service, which focuses on adapting a person’s environment to fit the client. As such, the client is an integral part of the therapeutic process, and a successful allied health professional will work to support the client to unlock their own potential and meaningfully engage in all aspects of their life.

Career Outcomes

You may also choose to qualify as an allied health assistant and work in a supporting role to practitioners in these specialised roles.

Allied health course graduates may work in a range of roles in the allied health industry, including working as a:

Aged Care Worker
Gerontological Physiotherapist
Quality Assessor
Health Promoter
Allied Health Assistant
Therapy Assistant
Dietary Aide
Rehabilitation Assistant
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Activity Supervisor
Practice Manager
Service Manager
Health Administrator
Ward Assistant
Health Information Manager
Hospital Administrator
Medical Receptionist
Medical Records Clerk
Dental Assistant
Dental Hygiene Assistant
Dental Therapy Assistant
Dental Prosthetist Assistant
Ward Clerk
Medical Administrative Assistant
Admissions Clerk
Administrative Assistant
Senior Clerk
Medical Records Section Leader
Nursing Support Worker
Patient Care Assistant
Nursing Assistant
Wardsperson
Patient Services Assistant
Operating Theatre Technician
Orderly
Oral Health Advisor
Dental Sterilisation Nurse
Dental Radiographer
Treatment Coordinator
Physiotherapy Assistant
Medical Imaging Assistant
Dietetics Assistant
Dental Receptionist
Health Promotion Officer
Project Officer
Community Development Worker
Health Policy Adviser
Health Policy Advisor
Medical Researcher
Health Program Manager
Biostatistician
Academic
Health Economist
Grief Counsellor
Drug and Alcohol Counsellor
Counsellor
Mental Health Coordinator
Mental Health Support Worker
Mental Health Officer
Community Development Officer
Allied Health Worker
Care Service Employee
Outreach Worker
Respite Client Liaison Officer
view all

Is allied health right for you?

You’ll enjoy working in the allied health industry if you:

Love helping people
Are highly motivated
Believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person
Have good time management and organisational skills
Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Work well with people
Love solving problems
Can work well independently and in a team

Job opportunities

The Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts significant growth in a range of allied health roles over the next decade. As Australia’s health system adapts to a growing and ageing population, demand for health professionals across the sector is increasing, including in allied health roles. Job Outlook reports strong growth until at least 2020 for employment opportunities in the occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, dietician, social work and pharmacy professions, and also identifies 50,000 new opportunities opening in the health and welfare management sector.

If you choose to undertake complementary study in management, administration or clerical work, you may build a more specialised skillset and be uniquely placed to fill an important management vacancy in the allied health sector.

Average Salaries

PayScale reports average salaries for a range of allied health professionals. If you choose to work as an allied health assistant to any specialist, you can expect to earn approximately $54,000 per year.

According to PayScale, an occupational therapist can earn between $45,000 and $78,000, depending on experience, with an average salary of $62,000. A physiotherapist can expect to earn between $49,000 and $88,000, with an average salary of $68,000. A nutritionist can expect to earn between $45,000 and $78,000, with an average salary of $53,000. There’s a reasonably strong correlation across the allied health profession between experience and earning capacity, with more experienced practitioners earning higher salaries.

min $45K

max $78K

ave $62K

Industry Bodies

Allied Health Professionals Australia
Audiology Australia
Australian Podiatry Association
Australian Association of Social Workers
Dieticians Association of Australia
Occupational Therapy Australia
Nutrition Australia
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Location

Industry

Qualification

Payment Option

HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance Open Colleges

HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy) Open Colleges

HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy)

Graduate Certificate in Health Service Management Charles Sturt University

Graduate Certificate in Health Service Management

Bachelor of Applied Public Health Torrens University Australia

Bachelor of Applied Public Health

HLT33015 Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance Foundation Education

HLT33015 Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance

BSB31115 Certificate III in Business Administration (Medical) Foundation Education

BSB31115 Certificate III in Business Administration (Medical)

HLT35015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting Foundation Education

HLT35015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting

HLT35015/HLT45015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT35015/HLT45015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation)

HLT35015/HLT45015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Radiography Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT35015/HLT45015 Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Radiography Specialisation)

HLT37315 Certificate III in Health Administration Foundation Education

HLT37315 Certificate III in Health Administration

HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Nutrition and Dietetics Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Nutrition and Dietetics Specialisation)

HLT45015 Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT45015 Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation)

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What do allied health graduates do?

Career Outcomes

Career Outcomes

Job opportunities

Average Salaries

Learn how to become a

Industry Bodies

HLT33115
Certificate III in Health Services Assistance Open Colleges

HLT43015
Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy) Open Colleges

HLT33015
Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance Foundation Education

BSB31115
Certificate III in Business Administration (Medical) Foundation Education

HLT35015
Certificate III in Dental Assisting Foundation Education

HLT35015/HLT45015
Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT35015/HLT45015
Certificate III in Dental Assisting & Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Radiography Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT37315
Certificate III in Health Administration Foundation Education

HLT43015
Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Nutrition and Dietetics Specialisation) Foundation Education

HLT45015
Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Oral Health Promotion Specialisation) Foundation Education