hey, im currently in my 1st year of physiotherapy at usyd and im having a pretty oright time
1st semester is abit daunting though..let me warn u!...the workload is abit hard....but most people i know got through it just fine! =)
as for subjects, there are no electives in 1st year physio...so ur basically just told what u have to do. the subjects include:
Functional Anatomy A: basically, here u learn about all the muscles of the upper limb, what their function is, and u need to be able to identify them on dead specimens. Also u learn about bones and abit on cellular stuff
Molecules and energy: this is a mixture of yr 11 and yr 12 biology and chemistry. You learn about hydrocarbons, genetics, carbon chemistry(lipids,amino acids,carbohydrates)
Introductory neuroscience: if u are coming straight out of yr 12..this subject seems VERY foreign. you learn about the nervous system, tha pathways within your body that control movements, and our sensations and perceptions of the outside world. you learn about the anatomy of the brain, and also many of the reflex's buiilt into our body.
Motor performance and Learning : my friends tell me this subject contained similar elements to coaching topics that have been taught in yr 12 PDH/PE.Basically, you learn all about how we as humans learn to develop refine and perfect motor skills. There is also a component about how humans utilise their memory, and there is a FUN group assignment in which you actually get to teach a person how to do a skill(we had to teach a girl how to do zorbas dance)
Psychology: a relatively *soft* subject, where u learn about different types of psychology that exist..and yerr...nothing interesting here.
Designing health research: you do one group assignment, and basically its another soft subject, you learn how to do research in a valid and authoritative mannor.
Biomechanics: any HSC physics buff's will have a field day with this subject...its all about vectors, vector addition, a touch on forces and how they act on our body. And, perhaps the most complext topic covered, *human Gait*...which is learning to analyse human walking patterns
All in all, im VERY happy with the course, people,lecturers and just the overall ambience of the uni is excellent.
As for career opportunities when u finish you degree...i was *told* employment rates for physiotherapists are somewhere in the like 92% employment rate!